This book examines the ways in which the welfare state impacts levels and distributions of political participation and democratic support in Western democracies. Going beyond the traditional contextual accounts of political behaviour, which primarily focus on political institutions or the socio-economic climate, this book looks specifically at the impact of public policy on a variety of political behaviours and attitudes.

Drawing on the theoretical insights from the policy feedback approach, the author argues and empirically demonstrates that generous social policy offerings can not only foster democratic citizenship by promoting a more inclusive political culture, but are most beneficial to citizens who are otherwise excluded from political life in many other societies.

This book will appeal most to scholars in the fields of political science and sociology who are especially interested in the welfare state, public policy, political sociology, and inequality.

Jennifer Shore is Postdoctoral Fellow at the Mannheim Center for European Social Research at the University of Mannheim, Germany. 

1. Introduction.- 2. Democracies and Their Citizens.- 3. Why Context Matters: The Role of Public Policy.- 4. Empirical Approaches to the Study of Democratic Citizens and Welfare States.- 5. The Impact of Social Policy on Democratic Citizenship.- 6. Consequences of Unequal Citizenship