Table of Contents - 6 Acknowledgments - 8 1 The Crisis Imperative - 10 1.1 Welfare State Crisis in the Lowlands - 10 1.2 The Puzzle and Its Pieces - 11 1.3 The Theoretical Argument - 13 1.4 Analysis of Reform - 14 1.5 Purpose, Relevance and Limitations - 16 1.6 Book Plan - 18 2 Crisis and Change - 20 2.1 Introduction - 20 2.2 Welfare State Change in Belgium and the Netherlands: A Tough Nut to Crack - 21 2.3 An Alternative Explanation: Crises and Institutional Dynamics - 28 2.4 Conclusion - 36 3 Comparing Social Security Crises:Design and Method - 38 3.1 Introduction - 38 3.2 Similar Institutional Structures - 39 3.3 Differences - 44 3.4 Similar Predicaments - 46 3.5 Different Outcomes - 48 4 “Nothing as Permanent as a Temporary Arrangement”: Belgian Policy Making on Unemployment Benefits - 54 4.1 Introduction - 54 4.2 The Challenges of Post-Industrialism in Belgium - 56 4.3 Belgian Politics - 58 4.4 Power in Practice: Social Partners - 62 4.5 The Evolution of Social Security Policy - 69 4.6 Policy Reactions to Adversity - 73 4.7 Effects of Adjustments: Ever Deeper Trouble? - 77 4.8 Conclusion - 90 5 Global Pacts and Crisis Plans - 92 5.1 Introduction - 92 5.2 Contradictions and Crisis - 94 5.3 Actors’ Resources and Venues - 101 5.4 Institutional Obstacles to Change - 107 5.5 Conclusion - 115 6 The Sticky State and the Dutch Disease - 120 6.1 Introduction - 120 6.2 Post-Industrial Challenges to the Dutch Economy and Its Society - 122 6.3 Politics in the Netherlands - 123 6.4 The ‘Polder Model’: Industrial Relations and Socio-Economic Policy Making - 127 6.5 The Runaway Social Security System - 132 6.6 The Dutch Disease and Policy Remedies - 136 6.7 Reforms Enforced, Contradictions Reinforced - 138 6.8 Conclusion - 146 7 Crisis Narratives and Sweeping Reforms - 148 7.1 Introduction - 148 7.2 From Incubation to Open Crisis - 149 7.3 Access to Resources and Venues - 164 7.4 Triggers and Change Agents - 170 7.5 Conclusion - 176 8 The Politics of Crisis Construction - 180 8.1 Small Steps or Giant Leaps? - 180 8.2 The Crisis Stratagem - 181 8.3 Reform in Retrospect: Much Ado About Nothing? - 187 8.4 On Balance - 190 Notes - 194 List of Abbreviations - 208 List of Interview Respondents - 212 Bibliography - 216 Index - 230