Country Background
- CIA World FactbookThe CIA World Factbook is produced by the Central Intelligence Agency to provide comprehensive basic intelligence for the US Government. It contains extensive information on all the countries of the world, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe..."
- eiu.comBest for most current information. Follow link to EIU viewpoint. Search for individual countries under the Geography tab. Open the "one-click report." Tip: Search for the term 'social' in the document to find sections discussing social policy, social protection, social welfare.
- Europa World PlusEconomic, political, historical, and geographic profiles of 250+ countries and global regions. Also includes contact information for political, business, media, and cultural agencies and official, including international organizations. Search or browse by country, region, organization, or people.
- IPU - ParlineThe PARLINE database contains information on the structure and working methods of 266 parliamentary chambers in all of the 190 countries where a national legislature exists.
- Political Handbook of the WorldAvailable in the Sage Knowledge database, Political Handbook of the World provides updated political profiles of all of the world's countries and details the history and activities of a number of intergovernmental organizations. Each country profile provides basic facts about the country, detailed background information on the country's history, government and politics, and political parties. Use the Advanced Search to search by regime type, party system, electoral system, system of government, and by region.
Comparative social policy: Europe and Worldwide
- Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance"The encyclopedia provides a snapshot of the most current research in public administration and public policy, covering such important areas as: 1. organization theory, behavior, change and development 2. administrative theory and practice 3. bureaucracy 4. public budgeting and financial management 5. public finance and public management 6. public personnel and labor-management relations 7. crisis and emergency management 8. institutional theory and public administration 9. law and regulations 10. ethics and accountability." [publisher]
Handbook on social protection systemsPublication Date: 2021"...overview of the instruments, actors and design features of social protection systems, as well as their application and impacts in practice." [publisher]
Routledge Handbook of European Welfare Systems by Publication Date: 2019"... offers topical, and comprehensive information on the welfare systems of all twenty-eight EU member states and their recent reforms ... Additional chapters provide detailed information on EU social policy, as well as comparative analyses of European welfare systems and their reform pathways." [excerpt from publisher description]
The Routledge Handbook of Housing Policy and Planning by Publication Date: 2019Covering the United States, the United Kingdom, and Continental Europe, discusses housing, inequality, homeownership, rental housing, social housing, senior housing, gentrification, cities and suburbs, and the future of housing policies.
The Palgrave International Handbook of Basic IncomePublication Date: 2019"This Handbook brings together scholars from various disciplines and from around the world to examine the history, characteristics, effects, viability and implementation of Basic Income. A variety of pilot projects and ideological perspectives are considered in depth."
The Oxford Handbook of the Welfare StatePublication Date: 2021A survey of the welfare state written by scholars from across Europe, Australia, and North America. The first seven sections of the book cover the themes of Ethics, History, Approaches, Inputs and Actors, Policies, Policy Outcomes, and Worlds of Welfare. A final chapter is devoted to the future of welfare and well-being under the imperatives of climate change. [publisher] Table of Contents
Routledge Handbook of the Welfare State by Publication Date: 2018International, comparative.
"... analysis of the core issues related to the welfare state, including regional depictions of welfare states around the globe .... combines essays on methodologies, core concepts and central policy areas to produce a comprehensive understanding of what 'the welfare state' means around the world. ... include[s] an in-depth analysis of societal changes in recent years. New articles can be found on topics such as: the impact of ideas, well-being, migration, globalisation, India, welfare typologies, homelessness and long-term care." [excerpts from publisher description]
US Social Policy
Oxford Handbook of U.S. Social PolicyPublication Date: 2014"... offers a historical overview of U.S. social policy from the colonial era to the present ... followed by a set of chapters on different theoretical perspectives for understanding and explaining the development of social policy in the United States " Covers "concrete social programs for the elderly, the poor and near-poor, the disabled, and workers and families including health care, pensions, food assistance, housing, unemployment benefits, disability benefits, workers’ compensation, family support, and programs for soldiers and veterans. The final part of the book focuses on some of the consequences of the U.S. welfare state for poverty, inequality, and citizenship. Many of the chapters comprising this handbook emphasize the disjointed patterns inherent in U.S. policy-making and the public-private mix of social provision in which the government helps certain groups of citizens directly (e.g., social insurance) or indirectly (e.g., tax expenditures, regulations)." [publisher]
The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Healthcare Law by The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Health Law covers the breadth and depth of health law through the words and insights of the best scholars in the field. The content is valuable to readers with no background in the field and to those who write, teach, practice, or make policy in health law.
