Uwe Becker
Brief CV
Uwe Becker is associate professor in the department of Political Science and the ASSR at the University of Amsterdam. His work focuses on comparative politics and comparative political economy. He studied at the Free University Berlin and the Universityof Amsterdam and took his PhD (1986) from Nijmegen University. He was a visiting scholar at Harvard University, the New School for Social Research, San Francisco State University, the University of New South Wales, Uppsala University, the European University Institute and the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin. He is a member ofthe IPSA research groups on Comparative Politics and Power Analysis, of SASE, the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics, and of the Council for European Studies (CES).
Research
In the 1980s his research topics were social structure, social theory (e.g. PhD dissertation), women on the labour market, and the welfare state. Main publications were a book on class theory (1986), the participation in the 'Debate on Classes' (1989) as well as articles in i.a. Politics & Society, Theory and Society, Journal of Social Policy and Politische Vierteljahresschrift. In those years he has - with Kees van Kersbergen - introduced the now widely accepted concept of the Christian welfare system.
After the publication of Political Science and Dutch Politics textbooks in the early 1990s he has concentrated since the mid-1990s on the multi-dimensional (formal structure, political culture, real political process, political economy) comparison of western, particularly European, democracies in historical perspective (book publication in 1999; in Dutch) as well on the comparative political economy of welfare and employment in the small Northwest European countries, particularly in the Netherlands. Both aspects were brought together in the 5 th Framework research project (comprising participant universities from Austria, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland) The Consensual Political Cultures of the Small West European States in Comparative and Historical Perspective. A Framework for Socio-Economic Development in Europe? (Smallcons; 2003-2006) of which he was coordinator. Thereafter he concentrated on politico-economic topics and contributed to the theoretical discussion on varieties of capitalism and socio-economic models. Main results of the work in the 2000s have been articles in i.a. the Journal of European Social Policy, New Political Economy, Economic and Industrial Democracy, Journal of European Public Policy and Socio-Economic Review, Leviathan, Acta Politica and Review of International Political Economy, the edited volume (with Herman Schwartz, University of Virginia) on the small countries’ ‘ Employment Miracles’ (Amsterdam University Press 2005) and a monograph on Open Varieties of Capitalism. Continuity, Change and Performances (published in 2009 by Palgrave-Macmillan). An edited volume on The Changing Political Economies of Small West European Countries followed in the early summer of 2011 (Amsterdam University Press; see the table of contents). Moreover, with the assistance of three students a book in Dutch on Obama's first year (Het Obama experiment) was published in January 2010. In 2010 he also started to switch his focus from Western to emerging political economies, particularly to the so-called BRICs.
Smallcons, WP 1
Contents Changing Political Economies (2011)
Teaching
Uwe Becker is involved in teaching activities for the Amsterdam Institute for Social Sciences Education(AISSE) of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Teaching in 2010/2011 consists of courses on:
´Political Structures & Processes' (Introductory Political Science lectures'; 1st sem.)
'Tolerance' (BA, 1st. sem.)
'Types of Capitalism and Democracy outside the West' (MA, 1th sem.)
'Cases of Capitalism and Democracy in Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America' (MA research project; 2nd sem.)
'American Politics after the midterm elections' (BA; 2e sem.)
'One welfare state, two care regimes. Understanding developments in child and elderly care policies in the Netherlands', Social Policy & Administration. Vol. 46, 2012, no. 1, pp. 83-107 (together with Franca van Hooren)
Comparing institutional change in the BRICs and Central European political economies. Theoretical considerations and first empirical results, paper to be presented at the SASE Annual Meeting in Madrid, June 2011
The Changing Political Economies of Small West European Countries (ed)., Amsterdam University Press 2011, 240 pp
Het Obama-experiment. Hoop in tegenslag, Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis 2010; 152 pp. (with contributions of E.Cartens, J.Rischen and E. v. Schaik)
Open Varieties of Capitalism. Continuity, Change and Performance, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan 2009, 232 pp.
'Innovation and Competitiveness: a Field of Sloppy Thinking', International Politics and Society 3/2009: 117-138.
'TheScandinavian Model: Still an Example for Europe?', pp. 191-209 in N.K.Agarwal and M.I.Srinivasa (eds.), Economic Development Strategies: Concepts and Experiences, Hyderabad, India: Icfai Books 2009.
'"As the Central Planning Bureau says". TheDutchWage Restraint Paradigm, Its Sustaining EpistemicCommunity and its Relevance for Comparative Research', Review of International Political Economy 15,5(2008): 824-848 (together with CorinaHendriks).
'The Politics of Welfare State Reform in the Netherlands. Explaining a Never-Ending Puzzle', Acta Politica. International Journal of Political Science 43, 2-3, 2008: 333-356 (with B.Vis and K.van Kersbergen).
'Was ist dran am Skandinavischen Modell? Eine vergleichende Betrachtung', Leviathan. Berliner Zeitschrift für Sozialwissenschaft 2/2008: 229-248.
Kontrolle versus Vertrauen. Eine vergleichend-historische Studie niederländischer und deutscher Rechts-kultur als Aspekt politischer Kultur, pp. 159-176 in Jahrbuch 2007 des Zentrums für Niederlandestudien, Münster, Aschendorff Verlag 2008.
“A European Variety of Capitalism as Normative Socio-Economic Construction”; paper presented at the 9 th ESA conference, RN06 Critical Political Economy, Lisbon, September 2–5, 28 pp.'The Smalls' Performances and the EuropeanSocio-economicModel' (2009; with Kees van Kersbergen), mimeo for U.Becker (ed.), Change and Continuity in the Small West European Countries' Capitalisms, 25 pp.
'Introduction to Change and Continuity in the Small West European Countries' Capitalism' (mimeo; 2009), 40 pp..'Comparative Democratic Governance. BeyondInferences from Formal Structures'; paper presented at the meeting of the section 'Demokratieforschung' of the DVPW at the Leuphana University Lüneburg, October 12-13, 2007; 24 pp.
Obamabookcover
Central PlanningBureau paper
Leviathan paper
Rechtskultur paper
Open Varieties: Jacket
Open Varieties: Table of Content
European Socio-Economic Model
Cover Changing Political Economies
SASEpaper 2011
Selected publications since 2000
Books
Politicologie. Basisthema's en Nederlandse Politiek (ed.), Amsterdam 2006, Het Spinhuis (co-editor Ph. van Praag), 330 pp.
Employment‘Miracles’ in Critical Comparison. TheDutch, Scandinavian, Swiss, Australian and Irish casesversus Germany and the US, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press 2005 (co-editor Herman Schwartz), 288 pp.
Europese democratieën. Vrijheid, gelijkheid & soevereiniteit in praktijk, Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis 1999/2000, 250 pp.
Articles and book chapters
'The Scandinavian Model. Still an Example for Europe?', International Politics and Society/Internationale Politik und Gesellschaft 4/2007: 41-57.
'Open Systemness, Contested Reference Frames and Change. A Reformulation of theVarieties of Capitalism Theory', Socio-Economic Review 5 (2), 2007: 261-286.
'An Example of Competitive Corporatism? The Dutch Political Economy 1983-2004 in Critical Examination', Journal ofEuropean Public Policy 12, 6 (2005 ):1078-1102.
'Introduction: Miracles, Mirages and Markets', pp. 11-38 in U.Becker and H.Schwartz(eds.), Employment 'Miracles'. A Critical Comparison of the Dutch, Scandinavian, Swiss, Australian and Irish Cases versus Germany and the US, Amsterdam:Amsterdam University Press2005 (with H.Schwartz).
'The Swiss Miracle: Low Growth and High Employment', pp. 111-132 in U.Becker and H.Schwartz (eds.), Employment 'Miracles' (with F.X Merrien).
'The German Contrast. On Bad Comparisons, Special Circumstan-ces, Luck and Policies that Turned out tobe Wrong', pp. 205-230 in U.Becker and H.Schwartz (eds.), Employment 'Miracles'.
'Conclusion: The importance of lucky circumstances, and still the liberal-social democratic divide', pp. 231-247 in U. Becker and H. Schwartz(eds.), 'Employment Miracles'. The Dutch, Scandinavian, Swiss, Australian and Irish cases versus Germany and the US, (with Herman Schwartz) (for available text follow link below)
‘Miracle by consensus? Consensualism and Dominance in Dutch Employment Development’ , Economic and Industrial Democracy 22, 4, 2001, pp.453-483.
‘A Dutch'Miracle'? Employment Growth by Corporatist Consensus and Wage Restraint?’ New Political Economy4, 1, 2001, pp. 19-43.
‘Welfare State Development and Employment in theNetherlands’, Journal of European Social Policy 11, 3, 2000, pp. 219-239.
"Employment Miracles", concluding chapter
Older publications of relevance
Kapitalistische Dynamik und politischesKräftespiel , Frankfurt/M.: Campus 1986; 288 pp.
'Akkumulation, Regulation und Hegemonie. Logische Korrespondenz oder historische Konstellation?', in:Politische Vierteljahresschrift 30 (2), 1989: 230-253.
'From Social Scientific Functionalism to Open Functional Logic',in: Theory & Society 17 (6), 1988: 865-883.
'Der christliche Wohlfahrtsstaat der Niederlande. Ein kritischer Beitrag zur vergleichenden Politikforschung', in: Politische Vierteljahres-schrift 27 (1), 1986: 61-77 (with K.v.Kersbergen).
Complete list of publications