Politics, Development and Social Policy: A Cross-National Analysis

Social policies, of the type examined in this study, are greatly shaped by a nation's level of socioeconomic development rather than by political conditions. The socioeconomic variables that best account for policy differentials among nation-states are wealth and literacy. On the whole, wealth is the best predictor of social policy output. Ceteris paribus , political variables which seem to be important for social policy are political competition and political stability, despite the generally weaker relations between political system characteristics and policy outputs. Generally, it could be predicted with a high degree of probability that nation-states which are stable and which enjoy a high per capita income would also have a comprehensive system of social welfare measures.