Big Data and the Welfare State: How the Information Revolution Threatens Social Solidarity (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781009151399)

A core principle of the welfare state is that everyone pays taxes or contributions in exchange for universal insurance against social risks such as sickness, old age, unemployment, and plain bad luck. This solidarity principle assumes that everyone is a member of a single national insurance pool, and it is commonly explained by poor and asymmetric information, which undermines markets and creates the perception that we are all in the same boat. Living in the midst of an information revolution, this is no longer a satisfactory approach. This book explores, theoretically and empirically, the consequences of 'big data' for the politics of social protection. Torben Iversen and Philipp Rehm argue that more and better data polarize preferences over public insurance and often segment social insurance into smaller, more homogenous, and less redistributive pools, using cases studies of health and unemployment insurance and statistical analyses of life insurance, credit markets, and public opinion.

Author: Torben Iversen, Philipp Rehm
ISBN-10: 1009151398
ISBN-13: 9781009151399
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 05/19/2022
Pages: 230
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.84lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.58d