The State after Statism: New State Activities in the Age of Liberalization

by Jonah D. Levy

Overview

This book assesses the changing nature of state intervention in the economies of the affluent democracies. Against a widespread understanding that contemporary developments, such as globalization and new technologies, are pressing for a rollback of state regulation in the economy, the book shows that these same forces are also creating new demands and opportunities for state intervention. Thus, state activism has shifted, rather than simply eroded.

State authorities have shifted from a market-steering orientation to a market-supporting one. Chief among the new state missions are: repairing the main varieties of capitalism (liberal, corporatist, and statist); making labor markets and systems of social protection more employment-friendly; recasting regulatory frameworks to permit countries to cross major economic and technological divides; and expanding market competition at home and abroad.

Because the changes from market steering to market support are so controversial and far-reaching, state officials often find themselves making choices that produce clear winners and losers. Such choices require a capacity to act unilaterally and decisively, even in the face of substantial societal opposition. As a result, state activism, autonomy, and occasionally imposition remain essential for meeting the challenges of today's globalizing economy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674022775
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	10/01/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	488
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.25(d)

About the Author

Jonah D. Levy is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures

Preface

Introduction: The State also Rises: The Roots of Contemporary State Activism Jonah Levy

I. VARIETIES OF STATISM

1. The Transformation of the British State: From Club Government to State-Administered High Modernism
Michael Moran

2. The Forgotten Center: State Activism and Corporatist Adjustment in Holland and Germany Anton Hemerijck and Mark Vail

3. Exiting Etatisme? New Directions in State Policy in France and Japan Jonah Levy, Mari Miura, and Gene Park

II. THE STATE AND SOCIAL GROUPS

4. The State and the Reconstruction of Industrial Relations Institutions after Fordism: Britain and France Compared
Chris Howell

5. Building Finance Capitalism: The Regulatory Politics of Corporate Governance Reform in the United States and Germany
John Cioffi

6. From Maternalism to "Employment for All": State Policies to Promote Women's Employment across the Affluent Democracies
Ann Shola Orloff

III. THE MARKET-MAKING STATE

7. The State in the Digital Economy John Zysman and Abraham Newman

8. Building Global Service Markets: Economic Structure and State Capacity Peter Cowhey and John Richards

9. The Transformation of European Trading States Richard Steinberg

Conclusion: The State after Statism: From Market Direction to Market Support Jonah Levy

Notes

References

Contributors

Index

Editorial Reviews

In what many have dubbed a "neo-liberal age," the state remains surprisingly powerful, argue the contributors to an intriguing new anthology entitled The State After Statism...While not light reading, [it] is highly recommended for those with a strong academic interest in limited government and the evolving role of government.

Jurgen Reinhardtn.com

In what many have dubbed a "neo-liberal age," the state remains surprisingly powerful, argue the contributors to an intriguing new anthology entitled The State After Statism...While not light reading, [it] is highly recommended for those with a strong academic interest in limited government and the evolving role of government.

American.com - Jurgen Reinhardt

In what many have dubbed a "neo-liberal age," the state remains surprisingly powerful, argue the contributors to an intriguing new anthology entitled The State After Statism...While not light reading, [it] is highly recommended for those with a strong academic interest in limited government and the evolving role of government.
— Jurgen Reinhardt

American.com