

Political Science
Main research areas
- Social policy
- Comparative politics
Current research
My research examines the determinants and consequences of social policies. A current research agenda on the determinants of social policies focuses on the relationship between voters and governments and seeks to isolate the vote-seeking incentives of governments to expand or retrench the welfare state. Other research examines the employment consequences of various social policies in order to explore the question of how to combine social equality and economic growth as harmoniously as possible in the current socio-economic environment.
Publications
Displaying of publications. Sorted by year, then title.
Handbook on Welfare State Reform
(2025)
Book18. Activation and flexibilization
Moira Nelson, Timo Weishaupt
(2025) Handbook on Welfare State Reform
Book chapterSocial investment by popular demand? The electoral politics of employment-centered family policy
Moira Nelson, Nathalie Giger
(2019) Comparative European Politics, 17 p.426-446
Journal articleSocial Investment in Latin America
Johan Sandberg, Moira Nelson
(2017) The Uses of Social Investment
Book chapterFrom Perspectives to Policy Contingencies: conditional cash transfers as social investments
Moira Nelson, Johan Sandberg
(2017) Global Social Policy, 17 p.21-37
Journal articleAddressing Human Capital Risks and the Role of Institutional Complementarities
Verena Dräbing, Moira Nelson
(2017) The Uses of Social Investment
Book chapterWomen’s Labour Market Participation – Continuing Challenges in Sweden
Dalia Mukhtar-Landgren, Moira Nelson
(2016) Aiming High: Progressive Politics in a High-Risk, High-Opportunity Era
Book chapterChapter 9: Non-standard employment across occupations in the United States: the role of replaceability and labour market flexibility
Moira Nelson
(2015) Non-Standard Employment in Post-Industrial Labour Markets An Occupational Perspective , p.240-268
Book chapterSkills Training: Public Policy Aspects
Moira Nelson
(2015) International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (Second Edition), 22 p.20-24
Article in encyclopediaCredit-Claiming or Blame Avoidance? Comparing the Relationship between Welfare State Beliefs and the Framing of Social Policy Retrenchment in France and Germany
Moira Nelson
(2015) Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis
Journal articleThe Origins of Active Social Policy: Labour Market and Childcare Policies in a Comparative Perspective
Moira Nelson
(2014) West European Politics, 37 p.1193-1194
ReviewNuanced negative result reporting.
Stefan K Lhachimi, David Lehrer, Janine Leschke, Moira Nelson, Brigitte Weiffen
(2014) Science, 346 p.308-308
Journal article (letter)Dismantling Public Policy: Preferences, Strategies, and Effects
Moira Nelson
(2014) Journal of Social Policy, 43 p.204-206
ReviewThe Welfare State or the Economy? Preferences, Constituencies, and Strategies for retrenchment
Nathalie Giger, Moira Nelson
(2013) European Sociological Review, 29 p.1083-1094
Journal articleMaking marketswith active labor market policies: the influence of political parties, welfare state regimes, and economic change on spending on different types of policies
Moira Nelson
(2012) European Political Science Review , p.1-23
Journal articleRevisiting the role of business in welfare state politics: Neocorporatist versus firm-level organization and their divergent influence on employer support for social policies
Moira Nelson
(2012) Comparative European Politics , p.1-27
Journal article