American Foundations and the European Welfare States

In public debate and academic writings the American and European welfare states are often portrayed as inhabiting completely different welfare regimes. However, if we take a closer look at the historical development of the European welfare state we find that American philanthropic bodies such as the Rockefeller Foundation had a significant influence on the development in key areas of the European welfare states such as health care, social work, education and the disciplines of social science.

The contributions in this book explore the influence of American foundations from the interwar period to the 1950s in Denmark, Norway, Hungary, Austria, Germany, France, Spain and Sweden. The book offers new insights into the transnational history of European welfare states as well as the complicated process often labelled as Americanization.