This volume was prepared by Jens Ruhose while he was working at the Ifo Institute. It was completed in December 2014 and accepted as a doctoral thesis by the Department of Economics at the University of Munich. It includes four self-contained chapters that contribute to the understanding of the...

Within the social sciences, welfare state research is a very good example of how research questions have been adapted to changing circumstances and realities and how analyses have consistently built on previously accumulated knowledge. In this manner, welfare state research has become more and...