The East Asian Welfare Model: Welfare Orientalism and the State

For many politicians and observers in the West, East Asia has provided a broad range of positive images of the state's intervention in society. Neoliberals grew excited by popular welfare systems that cost little in expenditure and bureaucracy. Social-democrats thought they had found a model for social cohesion and equality. In fact the reality in East Asia is rather different from these stereotypes.

In this book six specialists of six different societies in East Asia (Japan, South Korea, Ta...