Continuities and Discontinuities: The Political Economy of Social Welfare and Labour Market Policy in Canada

Joseph Garcea is an assistant professor of political studies at the
University of Saskatchewan.

This book “assesses the making of Canadian social and labour market
policy in the context of two factors—globalization and
neo-conservatism.” The various essays, organized into three major
sections, critique the effects of the neo-conservative agenda on changes
in public policy.

The first section examines changes in the national and international
political economy and their implications for the Canadian welfare state.
The second and third sections examine the continuities and
discontinuities in social welfare policy and labor market policy,
respectively. Among the key policy issues addressed are health, poverty,
child welfare, labor market policies, and guaranteed annual income.

The book provides a useful crash course on concepts and theoretical
perspectives for making sense of current debates on social policy
reform. Unfortunately, most of the authors decided to engage in
conceptualizing and theorizing for the benefit of others within their
academic circles; by doing so, they missed an excellent opportunity to
make sense of complex issues for a wider audience.