This paper provides a brief discussion of the reasons why Japan's work-family policies, pursued a... more This paper provides a brief discussion of the reasons why Japan's work-family policies, pursued assiduously for 20 years now, have not had much impact in encouraging young women to have more babies. It focuses on contradictory aspects of Japan's social security system, the structure of the Japanese labor market, and expectations of intensive mothering.
This paper explores the problems and possibilities of teaching about an identity that the teacher... more This paper explores the problems and possibilities of teaching about an identity that the teacher does not share, drawing on Linda Alcoff's arguments about speaking with and speaking about, rather than speaking for a stigmatized or oppressed group.
This paper analyzes the reasons why Japan's work-family policy reforms have had much less effect ... more This paper analyzes the reasons why Japan's work-family policy reforms have had much less effect in reversing population aging and low fertility than hoped. It draws on comparisons between Japan and France to highlight differences between women's opportunity costs for having children in these countries.
I argue that the dominant approach to comparing work-family policies taken by sociologists for th... more I argue that the dominant approach to comparing work-family policies taken by sociologists for the last ten years falsely assumes that countries can adopt the best practices in this area, and emulate the work-family policies pursued by Nordic social democratic welfare states like Sweden. I show why the range of motion a country can develop with respect to political or policy approaches is limited by historical institutional forces that are not easy to overcome. The title of the last chapter, “Why the US can’t be Sweden” is evocative: this is where I show how the organization of the labor market and the political constraints and opportunities that invite certain policy repertoires and stymie others constrain what different countries are able to accomplish with respect to policies that support working parents. The book focuses particularly on Japan, offering original and insightful explanations for policy failure based on examination of insider sources over some fifteen years of policy evolution. It makes a significant contribution to the comparative public policy and welfare state literatures by investigating how political-institutional factors and political ones related to the structure of labor markets and labor market regulation account for more or less successful outcomes for policies that support working parents. It represents a synthetic approach to using the varieties of capitalism and historical institutionalist literatures to offer a compelling reading of policy change in an area especially important to countries facing falling fertility rates and declining populations.
This book explores public-private distinctions, arguing that how we translate matters that origin... more This book explores public-private distinctions, arguing that how we translate matters that originate in intimate life into negotiable political issues or demands is crucial. It attends to 3 policy areas, abortion, responsibility for housework and childrearing, and the closet, outing and coming out.
This paper provides a brief discussion of the reasons why Japan's work-family policies, pursued a... more This paper provides a brief discussion of the reasons why Japan's work-family policies, pursued assiduously for 20 years now, have not had much impact in encouraging young women to have more babies. It focuses on contradictory aspects of Japan's social security system, the structure of the Japanese labor market, and expectations of intensive mothering.
This paper explores the problems and possibilities of teaching about an identity that the teacher... more This paper explores the problems and possibilities of teaching about an identity that the teacher does not share, drawing on Linda Alcoff's arguments about speaking with and speaking about, rather than speaking for a stigmatized or oppressed group.
This paper analyzes the reasons why Japan's work-family policy reforms have had much less effect ... more This paper analyzes the reasons why Japan's work-family policy reforms have had much less effect in reversing population aging and low fertility than hoped. It draws on comparisons between Japan and France to highlight differences between women's opportunity costs for having children in these countries.
I argue that the dominant approach to comparing work-family policies taken by sociologists for th... more I argue that the dominant approach to comparing work-family policies taken by sociologists for the last ten years falsely assumes that countries can adopt the best practices in this area, and emulate the work-family policies pursued by Nordic social democratic welfare states like Sweden. I show why the range of motion a country can develop with respect to political or policy approaches is limited by historical institutional forces that are not easy to overcome. The title of the last chapter, “Why the US can’t be Sweden” is evocative: this is where I show how the organization of the labor market and the political constraints and opportunities that invite certain policy repertoires and stymie others constrain what different countries are able to accomplish with respect to policies that support working parents. The book focuses particularly on Japan, offering original and insightful explanations for policy failure based on examination of insider sources over some fifteen years of policy evolution. It makes a significant contribution to the comparative public policy and welfare state literatures by investigating how political-institutional factors and political ones related to the structure of labor markets and labor market regulation account for more or less successful outcomes for policies that support working parents. It represents a synthetic approach to using the varieties of capitalism and historical institutionalist literatures to offer a compelling reading of policy change in an area especially important to countries facing falling fertility rates and declining populations.
This book explores public-private distinctions, arguing that how we translate matters that origin... more This book explores public-private distinctions, arguing that how we translate matters that originate in intimate life into negotiable political issues or demands is crucial. It attends to 3 policy areas, abortion, responsibility for housework and childrearing, and the closet, outing and coming out.
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