Global Social Policy

Book excerpt: This accessible text looks at the impact of the globalization process on social policy. National social policy is increasingly determined by global economic competition and international organizations. Its substance is becoming more and more transnational and now has to be understood in terms of global social redistribution, social regulation, social provision and empowerment. Global Social Policy examines trends in global inequity and summarizes the diverse experiences of different welfare regimes across the world. The authors review the social policies of international organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, UN Agencies and the European Union, and show them to be engaged in heated controversy regarding the future for welfare. They argue that this concealed global discourse needs to be brought into an accountable arena.