Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy

Cover page of the Social Policy and Society article “LGBT+ Inclusion and Human Rights in Taiwan: A Scoping Review of the Literature” by Yu-Te Huang and colleagues, showing the title, authors and affiliations, abstract, and keywords on LGBT+ rights and same-sex marriage in Taiwan.

The blog post is based on an article by Yu-Te Huang, Chenxi Yang, Leo Zephyrus Chow, Suchon Tepjan, Holning Lau, Duy A. Dinh, and Peter A. Newman, published in Social Policy and Society.

doi.org/10.1017/S147...

LGBT+ Inclusion and Human Rights in Taiwan: Progress and Gaps Scoping review of 109 studies maps LGBT+ inclusion in Taiwan, showing progress since marriage equality and where policy and services still fall short.

New on the Social Policy Blog:

"LGBT+ Human Rights and Inclusion in Taiwan: Progress, Gaps, and the Road Ahead" by Yu-Te Huang et al.

socialpolicyblog.co.uk/2026/03/04/l...

Screenshot of the first page of a Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy article titled “Bottom-of-the-pyramid business model meets social assistance: Repurposing social protection in the Africa context” by Marion Ouma and Jimi O. Adesina, showing the abstract and keywords.

The blog post is based on an article by Marion Ouma and Jimi O. Adesina, published in the Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy (Open Access).

doi.org/10.1017/ics....

@jicsp.bsky.social

Front page of a journal article titled “Comparative pension reform pathways in Latin America and Southern Europe,” by Marina Angelaki and Leandro Nicolas Carrera, published in the Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy, showing the article title, authors, affiliations, and abstract.

The blog post is based on an article by Marina Angelaki and Leandro Nicolas Carrera, published in the Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy.

doi.org/10.1017/ics....

Screenshot of the first page of an academic journal article by Siena Cardi-Ross and Zahid Mumtaz on Iraq’s hybrid welfare regime, showing the article title, authors, abstract, and keywords

The blog post is based on an article by Siena Caridi-Ross and Zahid Mumtaz, published in the Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy (Open Access).

doi.org/10.1017/ics....

Iraq’s hybrid welfare regime and the limits of social protection This post explores Iraq’s fragmented welfare system, where state provision, informal support and insecurity coexist, and why this matters for policy reform.

New on the Social Policy Blog:

"Iraq’s Hybrid Welfare Regime: Understanding a Fragmented System of Social Protection" by Siena Caridi-Ross and Zahid Mumtaz.

socialpolicyblog.co.uk/2026/02/10/i...

Delighted to see Marion Ouma & Jimi Adesina’s important article beyond the journal pages. Their analysis of Kenya’s Inua Jamii programme challenges us to think critically about financialisation and the shifting role of the state in social assistance.

When Bottom of the Pyramid Models Reshape Social Assistance How Bottom of the Pyramid models and financial inclusion reshape cash transfers in Kenya, revealing the financialisation of social assistance.

New on the Social Policy Blog:

"What Happens When the Bottom of the Pyramid Meets Social Assistance?" by Marion Ouma and Jimi Adesina.

socialpolicyblog.co.uk/2026/02/12/w...

Here is a sneak peek from our forthcoming special issue on "social policy implementation in Southern Europe and Latin America" where Llorenç Soler-Buades and Francisco Ferraioli argue that rescaling of welfare can introduce additional burdens for claimants.

New paper in @jicsp.bsky.social on the implementation problems of the minimum income scheme in Spain: @emmaalcr.bsky.social and myself propose a typology of implementation problems in these programs and analyze the available evidence on the case of the Spanish IMV.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

The 25/26 SKAPE Seminar Series kicks off with:

Topic modelling UK science advisory committees during Covid-19

23 Oct, 1-2pm, VLR, Chrystal Macmillan Building / Online

More info and registration: edin.ac/46uJMGn

Honoured to receive the best paper award of @jicsp.bsky.social together with Sanni Välimäki, @jlammit.bsky.social and Johanna Närvi. Thank you🙏🏻

And thank you for an inspiring conference in York @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social !

@flux-consortium.bsky.social

🏆

Congratulations to the winners of the @universitypress.cambridge.org best article price for @jicsp.bsky.social at the @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social Conference at #York2025:

Sanni Välimäki
@jlammit.bsky.social
@merita.bsky.social
Johanna Närvi

See the paper here: tinyurl.com/d3u5ny4t

If you have any questions, get in touch with us

👇

jicsp.editors@social-policy.org
#York2025

Are you presenting a paper at the @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social Conference?

Does your paper take a comparative perspective or have an international dimension to its argument?

Then why not consider submitting it to @jicsp.bsky.social

@socialpolicyuk.bsky.social
@universitypress.cambridge.org

Very much looking forward to the start of the @easp-spa-2025.bsky.social EASP-SPA conference later today. 1 hour to go! #York2025

Title page "Shifting Paths? The Evolution of Southern European Growth Trajectories Between the Global Financial Crisis and the Covid Pandemic." Authors Fabio Bulfone, Mischa Stratenwerth, and Adrianna Tassinari

Abstract Keywords: Comparative political economy, economic sectors, export growth, growth models, post-austerity, Southern Europe This paper traces the growth trajectories of the Southern European economies (Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain) from the financial to the covid crisis. From a review of the comparative political economy literature focusing on Southern Europe, we derive three propositions regarding the growth profile, the development of high value-added services and manufacturing exports, and employment outcomes. To assess the accuracy of these propositions, we conduct growth decompositions based on import-adjusted demand components as well as on sectoral output and employment indicators. The data show that Southern European economies are similar in that export-led growth has not been sufficient to boost aggregate growth, stimulate high value-added services or manufacturing, reverse pro-cyclical employment declines, or create high-wage employment opportunities. But the Southern European economies also differ, both in terms of their sectoral growth profiles and their aggregate performance. In the second half of the decade, Portugal and Spain managed to combine domestic demand and exports to achieve stronger growth than Italy and Greece. Sectoral developments in Portugal and Spain (and to a lesser extent in Italy) tentatively suggest a potential “Iberian growth path” that is compatible with euro area constraints but ultimately peripheral. The paper concludes by considering the empirical and theoretical implications of these findings for the study of the Southern European model of capitalism.

In a new MPIfG Discussion Paper, @fbulfone.bsky.social, @m-stratenwerth.bsky.social, and @aritassinari.bsky.social trace the growth trajectories of Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain from the financial crisis to the covid pandemic. ‬

🔗 pure.mpg.de/pubman/faces...

American moves to Europe, experiences labour policy (protection), cleans a dataset of thousands of reforms, can now explain where they come from: Parties campaigning on left-leaning economic policies are more likely to implement pro-worker policies, but only during non-crisis economic conditions.

Pension Barometer: More than half of Finns consider the pension reform to be good - Finnish Centre for Pensions The Pension Barometer surveyed Finns aged over 18, asking them how they viewed the key measures of the pension reform proposal negotiated in January. Almost 60 per cent of respondents considered the…

🟦 The 2025 Pension Barometer is out! Trust in the Finnish pension system has declined. At the same time, most people still support the system’s core principles. Over half viewed the recent pension reform proposal positively. @sannatenhunen.bsky.social Read more 👇 www.etk.fi/en/topical-i...

Track Differences in Civic and Democratic Engagement During Secondary Education: A New Panel Study From the Netherlands Whether students educated in different ability tracks in secondary education develop different levels of civic and democratic engagement is yet unclear. To explore this issue, we focus on how schools...

New paper out with the @adkspanel.bsky.social team, in the @bjsociology.bsky.social. I was happy to lead this paper on track differences in civic engagement, using four-year panel data of the ADKS (DAPDV) project, from the start of the tracked system (roughly age 12-16) doi.org/10.1111/1468... >

Hello BlueSky! We're happy to be here! Please follow us for the latest research on international and comparative social policy, including new articles published in the Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy. Happy to be part of the #SocialPolicy conversation.