Overall, the chapters provide interesting perspectives on particular aspects of
the evolution of social policy in the region. The book would have benefited from
drawing together some conclusions on the themes raised in the Introduction,
but still provides a useful starting point for work on a number of key issues that
require more systematic comparative analysis—such as gender, inequality and
the different institutional arrangements and relationships between state, market
and household across countries within the region. The chapters contain relatively
little analysis of the politics of social policy, or of political legitimacy and social
stability as possible drivers of policy change. Given the historical sequencing of
development in the countries covered, it would also be interesting to learn from
scholars in the region how ideas travel and are shared among these countries.