This open access book consists of 39 short essays that exemplify how interactions between inter- and trans-national interdependencies and domestic factors have shaped the dynamics of social policy in various parts of the world at different points in time. Each chapter highlights a specific type of interdependence which has been identified to provide us with a nuanced understanding of specific social policy developments at discrete points in history. The volume is divided into four parts that are concerned with a particular type of cross-border interrelation. The four parts examine the impact on social policy of trade relations and economic crises, violence, international organisations and cross-border communication and migration. This book will be of interest to academics and postgraduate students in the field of social policy, global history and welfare state research from diverse disciplines: sociology, political science, history, law and economics.

Frank Nullmeier is Professor of Political Science and State Theory at SOCIUM - Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy, University of Bremen, Germany. Delia González des Reufels is Professor of Latin American History at the Institute of History, University of Bremen, Germany. Herbert Obinger is a Professor of Comparative Public and Social Policy at SOCIUM - Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy, University of Bremen, Germany.