About

I study comparative political economy of industrial countries, comparative public policy, social investment policy, economic/welfare policy, and Japanese politics/economy. I am the author of Economic Policy and Performance in Industrial Democracies: Party Governments, Central Banks, and the Fiscal–Monetary Policy Mix (Routledge, 2008) and Japan since 1980 (Cambridge University Press, 2008, with Thomas F. Cargill). I have published in Comparative Political Studies, European Journal of Political Research, Party Politics, Social Forces, and others. My current research project investigates the social and economic effects of social investment policies pursued by different welfare states of Europe, North America, and Oceania. Governments hope that social investment policies will (1) promote productivity and economic growth by creating high-skilled labor forces that can adapt to the imperatives of the new knowledge economy and technological advances, and (2) meet the need to respond to new social risks, such as single-parent families and workers in unstable, precarious employment. I investigate whether these policies help achieve those goals. The social investment policies I examine are education, family support, labor market programs, redistribution, and research and development, among others. The outcomes of social investment policies that I examine are economic growth, unemployment, non-standard employment, income inequality, poverty, productivity growth, and innovation. Studying these policies and their effects is important for industrial democracies that need to ensure the well-being of citizens in an era of slow economic growth, fiscal austerity, and the increased economic competition resulting from globalization.

Research Interests

Comparative Politics, Political Economy, Political Parties, Social Policy, Social Welfare, Welfare State, Family, Investment, Education

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Standing Groups and Research Networks

• Political Economy and Welfare State Politics