Welfare Reform in Rural Places: Comparative Perspectives

National welfare systems in most developed countries have witnessed significant transformations in recent years. The universalism of welfare assistance has been steadily eroded as the welfare system has been restructured by the state to meet the needs of the neo-liberal economy. A key dimension of recent welfare reform has been the decentralisation of welfare production and distribution, with an increasingly broad range of non-state sector organisations now enrolled into the welfare system at the regional and local levels. Such changes have created new spaces for welfare.

This book explores the impact of welfare reform in rural places. It consists of 11 commissioned chapters that examine different aspects of rural welfare in the United States, Canada, the UK, Finland, Australia and New Zealand. The chapters provide comparative material on the changing nature of national welfare systems in these countries, the welfare contexts of rural places, and the specific impacts of welfare reform in rural areas.

The contributors come from the fields of human geography, sociology, anthropology, political science and social policy, with each an expert in the area of rural welfare. The book is relevant to academics and policy-makers with interests in the geographies of social welfare in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.