Uneven social policies: the politics of subnational variation in Latin America

Social policies can transform the lives of the poor and marginalised, yet inequitable implementation often limits their access. 'Uneven Social Policies' shifts the focus of welfare state analysis away from policy design and toward policy implementation.

By examining variation in political motivations, state capacity and policy legacies, it explains why some policies are implemented more effectively than others, why some deliver votes to incumbent governments while others do not, and why regionally elected executives block the implementation of some but not all national policies.

Niedzwiecki explores this variation across provinces and municipalities by combining case studies with statistical analysis of conditional cash transfers and health policies in two decentralised countries, Argentina and Brazil.