Solidarity without the state? : business and the shaping of the Swiss welfare state, 1890-2000 / Matthieu Leimgruber.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: The emergence of a pension fund champion: Switzerland in the worlds of welfare -- The dress rehearsal for pension politics (1890-1914) -- Laying the foundations of a divided pension system (1914-1938) -- Nomonster like the Beveridge Plan. The wartime breakthrough of social insurance (1938-1948) -- The three-pillar doctrine and the containment of social insurance (1948-1972) -- Epilogue. Aging in the shadow of the three pillars (1972-2006) -- Conclusion -- Appendix. A statistical overview of the second pillar.

This book presents the first comprehensive history of the interplay of public and private provision that made the Swiss 'three-pillar' pension system into a model for the World Bank and other pension reformers during the last two decades of the twentieth century. Through a study of business federations', private pension lobbyists' and insurance companies' archives, Matthieu Leimgruber charts the century-long battle waged over the boundaries of state and private pensions. He shows how a distinctive path towards social provision has laid the foundation for a pension fund industry rivalling that of the United States and the United Kingdom. Through this comparative approach Matthieu Leimgruber is also able to question current assumptions about the strict dichotomy between 'Anglo-Saxon' and 'continental' models of welfare provision. This study will appeal to scholars of twentieth-century European history, economic history, political economy and welfare economics.

English.

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