This new study assesses the welfare state to ask key questions and draw new conclusions about its place in modern society.

Part 1: Politics of the New Social Risk 1. New Social Risks and the Politics of Post-Industrial Social Policies 2. Political Parties and New Social Risks: The Double Backlash against Social Democracy and Christian Democracy 3. New Social Risk and Political Preferences 4. Public Attitudes and New Social Risk Reform 5. Reconciling Competing Claims of the Welfare State Clientele 6. The Politics of Old and New Social Risk Coverage in Comparative Perspective 7. Trade Union Movements in Post-Industrial Welfare States. Opening up to New Social Interests? 8. Combatting Old and New Social Risks Part 2: Patterns of Policy Adaption 9. New Social Risks and Pension Reform in Germany and Sweden: The Politics of Pension Rights for Child Care 10. New Labour Market Risks and the Revision of Unemployment Protection Systems in Europe 11. Child Care Policies in Diverse European Welfare States: Switzerland, Sweden, France and Britain 12. Providing Coverage against New Social Risks in Bismarckian Welfare States: The Case of Long Term Care 13. The EU and New Social Risks: The Need for a Differentiated Evaluation