A pioneering achievement (...) This edited volume stands out for its abundance of material results on the historical development and national differences in social policy language. Contributions to the History of Concepts Beland and Petersen's edited volume impresses not just by its vast spatial scope, but also by its analytical depth. Czech Sociological Review This collection ... Read morestarts from the observation that both concepts deployed by social policy communities vary across space and time and that the same word rarely has a consensual definition across national cases. Journal of Social Policy. -Jane Jenson, Universite de Montreal A must-read for all those interested in the political power of ideas. Both transnational and historical, these explorations of the languages of social policy and welfare reform are as innovative as compelling. Christoph Conrad, University of Geneva Together, Beland and Petersen draw attention to the foundations of social policy and sketch the rudiments of a new research agenda for social policy scholars. The book is a rich and useful volume for anyone interested in comparative social policy and for those concerned with the role of ideas in the history and politics of social policy. Journal of European Social Policy -Cecilia Bruzelius, University of Oxford, UK This collection provides a fine overview of a neglected area: the use of language in social policy, in which the authors ask what impact words and framing have on the substance of social policy. Mitchell A. Orenstein, Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Northeastern University, USA Show Less