A Comparative and Theoretical Assessment on the Elite Approach

This book has traced the work of welfare elites who, in a difficult economic and social context beginning in the mid-1970s, worked “out of sight” to design and implement the “Sustainable Social Welfare” program. The Programmatic elites framework, engaged a few years ago, has produced unexpected results in contrasting fields of study such as France and the USA. These results highlight (i) the importance of the link between the structure of non-elected government elites and the political decision-making process and (ii) the role they have played as custodians of state policies in the transformation of welfare regimes in different contexts.