Book review: The origins of active social policy: labour market and childcare policies in a comparative perspective

"The Origins of Active Social Policy: Labour Market and Childcare Policies in a Comparative Perspective." Giuliano Bonoli. Oxford University Press. March 2013. --- Since the mid 1990s, governments throughout Europe have invested massively in two areas: active labour market policy and childcare. The result, a more active welfare state, seems a rather solid achievement, likely to survive the turbulent post-crisis years. This book contains case studies of policy trajectories in seven European countries and advanced statistical analysis of spending figures. Giuliano Bonoli provides a rich and well-referenced narrative, which readers can use to scaffold their understanding of Western European social policies, writes Donna Peach.