Families, States, and Markets

The primary objective in this chapter is to understand family as an object of state policy on the one hand, and market functioning on the other, in a range of countries today. This is accomplished through an analysis of the expansion and reform of family-related policies over the past ten years and a consideration of how these are to be explained, especially in light of the classical approaches to the family. The empirical line of analysis is to identify emerging policy approaches to the interrelations between family, state, and market, in their own right as they evolve in particular countries and in light of a seeming consensus on the part of the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) about the appropriate focus and organization of family and work life today.The chapter proceeds in four steps. The first introduces the field, outlining the main features of family policy as it has developed over time and the insights of scholarship. Following this, the piece moves on to consider the main contours of current reform, especially in light of the model(s) of family policy being promoted by the EU and the OECD. The third section considers explanatory factors and the utility of the main approaches to understanding family policy. A conclusion brings the piece to a close.