Introduction

Abstract

This book has its origins in a conversation that began around ten years ago when two of us (John Hudson and Nam K. Jo) met for practically the first time and together pondered the foundations of social solidarity. More specifically, we wondered why some societies seemed to be more disposed towards the support of pro-welfare state political parties than others and, in particular, why such parties often seemed to struggle to gain traction among the electorate. This, in turn, reflected curiosity about the dominance of the right in our countries (the United Kingdom and South Korea, respectively) that had resulted in both of us looking outwards at other countries in order to help better understand our own. Over time this topic of discussion gradually evolved into a set of research projects examining societal values — as a proxy for national cultures — and their impact on welfare state politics. We were lucky to be joined for the work presented here by our colleague Antonia Keung who brought not only great methodological expertise to the project but also a great knowledge of policy areas excluded from our earlier work. The work presented here is a collective effort drawing on the contribution of all three of us.