The Comparative Political Economy of Childcare: Japan, U.S., and Europe

Abstract

Imperfections in the childcare market results in sub-optimal levels and quality of communal care for children. As a result, many women in industrialized democracies are opting out of motherhood. This project proposes to investigate the reasons behind those market deficiencies, as well as the political process for rectifying them. This project combines a large-n statistical analysis with in-depth process tracing in several countries: Japan, the U.S., Sweden, and Germany.