Book Review: Welfare States in the 21st Century: The New Five Giants Confronting Societal Progress by Ian Greener
| Published date | 01 September 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/13882627231190495 |
| Author | Kristina Koldinská |
| Date | 01 September 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
However, he argues that there are certain elements which can be considered as important for citizens
in welfare states:a) employment and unemployment, including the efforts of welfarestates in relation
to this; b) inequality and poverty –and opportunities to tackle them; c) education (in relation to, but
not only, a) and b); d) social securityfor new risk groups (the solo self-employed, platform workers,
the lack of full-timejobs), which are covered by existing social securityonly to a rather limited extent;
e) the generosit y of benefits in relation to the old social risks (unemployment, sickness, old age and
accident at work); f) corewelfare services (healthcare, long-term care and day care for children); and
g) having a good life(p.116). He also proposes 16 indicators,including replacement ratepensions and
spending on healthcare per inhabitant. However, while proposing these indicators his main focus
remains that data relating to these indicators should easily be available for the EU Member State,
which will make it easier to measure the progress related to these elements (p.118).
The beauty of this synthesis of literature lies in the fact that it manages to cover almost all the
aspects of the welfare state over very few pages. All 13 chapters are short and concise. Readers who
are not familiar with the topic may find it difficult to connect and understand the arguments, but for
the academics, researchers and those with a basic understanding of the issue who want to keep up to
date the current debate, this book is very useful.
ORCID iD
abhishek Abhishek https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5118-4052
Ian Greener, Welfare States in the 21st Century: The New Five Giants Confronting Societal Progress.
Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022.
Reviewed by: Kristina Koldinská, Professorof Labour and Social Security Law, Charles University (Prague), Faculty
of Law
DOI: 10.1177/13882627231190495
As we know, history breaks in waves. Some come regularly (after about 20 years), and others come
unexpectedly.Ian Greener published his bookin search of new five giants to whichsocial policy must
respond, 80 years afterLord Beveridge wrote his famous report on whichthe UK’s welfa re state was
built. In 2022, the waves of history seem to have broken in many ways, just as in 1942. In 2022,
Europe was plagued by war, economic and political crisis. So, 2022 was a good year for Greener
to ask the key question of his book: are we still facing Beveridge’sfive giants? If not (which is
his response, in fact), which five giants must modern welfare states respond to in the 21st century?
According to Greener, there are five new giants, which can replace the traditional Beveridge’s
ones: Inequality, Preventable Mortality, Democratic Crisis, Job Quality and Environmental
Degradation. To each of those giants, one extensive chapter has been dedicated.
The author uses his extraordinary erudition and ability to compare (comparable) welfare states.
As he himself writes, it makes no sense to compare the social policies of Canada and Liberia. He
comes to the conclusion that some states respond better than others to the five new giants, and it is
therefore appropriate to learn about their experience and be inspired by it, even in countries that
have not yet been able to respond effectively to specific challenges.
Book Reviews 307
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