The dynamics of welfare state regime development in the global south: structures, institutions, and political agency

Abstract

Why do some developing countries develop generous welfare state regimes (WSR), while others do not? Which factors lead to varieties in welfare regimes in developing countries? We explain the development of different welfare state regimes (WSR) in the Global South based on the findings of WSR classification. We conduct inductive typological theory on the basis of the structure-institution-agency (SIA) framework and use positive and negative cases selected through a Most-Different-Systems-Design. Our analysis shows that a developing country that satisfies three necessary but insufficient conditions (1. having implemented a prolonged ISI period, 2. having experienced organized contentious politics of the poor, and 3. having developed adequate state capacity) is anticipated to have developed a Populist Welfare State Regime that is more generous and extensive than other welfare state regimes in the Global South. This article contributes to the long-standing debates of Southern WSRs by taking a nuanced and interactive approach that considers the interactions among structures, institutions, and political agency.