Innovations in Comparative Welfare Study
A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Policy and Welfare".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 21
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Comparative welfare studies are central to understanding how societies organize social protection and respond to inequality across diverse political, institutional, and cultural contexts. Today, welfare systems face growing pressures stemming from demographic change, migration, labor market transformation, digitalization, and environmental risk. These challenges call for innovative analytical frameworks and comparative approaches that move beyond established welfare typologies and nation-centered perspectives.
In this Special Issue, “Innovations in Comparative Welfare Study,” we invite theoretical and empirical contributions that advance innovation in comparative welfare research. We encourage studies that explore new units of analysis, multi-level governance, transnational dynamics, and intersectional perspectives on welfare state development and policy change. Submissions may address emerging social risks such as precarity, population aging, care deficits, digital exclusion, and climate-related vulnerabilities.
Moreover, we welcome diverse methodological approaches, including mixed-methods designs, longitudinal and life-course analyses, comparative qualitative research, and the use of new data sources. Contributions may focus on specific policy domains—such as social assistance, healthcare, family policy, housing, employment, or long-term care—or offer broader reflections on welfare regime transformation across regions of the Global North and South.
By highlighting innovative comparative approaches, the aim of this Special Issue is to advance theory, methodology, and policy-relevant knowledge on the future of welfare systems in an increasingly interconnected world.
Dr. Tae Kuen Kim
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- comparative welfare
- social policy
- welfare state transformation
- methodological innovation
- social inequality
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