Welfare State Retrenchment under Autocratization Attempt: Austrian Family Policy Reforms of the First Kurz Government

Description

Fukuyama predicted the final triumph of liberal democracies, but the beginning of the new century has already shown a new wave of autocratization. These anti-democratic processes are most visible in the Global South or Central and Eastern Europe, but there is also evidence from Western Europe. For instance, the first Kurz government tried to undermine democratic institutions and processes in Austria’s liberal democracy. Although the government resigned in 2019, its autocratic legacy has had a negative impact on Austrian democracy since then. Countries such as Hungary, Poland, and Serbia demonstrate an additional aspect, namely that welfare state reforms are common in autocratizing regimes. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether the Austrian welfare state underwent significant changes during the first Kurz government between 2017 and 2019. Specifically, the family policy reforms of the coalition government of the ÖVP and the FPÖ will be analyzed to determine any changes in this aspect. The study focuses on family policy because of its strong politicization to changes in the democratic setting. It employs qualitative content analysis of laws, party manifestos, and political speeches of leading Austrian politicians from that period. The analysis aims to determine whether the changes that were enacted support autocratization attempts in some ways or may even be interpreted as contradicting to liberal democratic principles. The preliminary results suggest that the first Kurz government planned and implemented several family policy reforms intending to retrench the welfare state. This presents an opportunity to examine the link between autocratic tendencies and changes in the welfare state: Is there a correlation between the transformation of the welfare state and alterations in the practice and lived experience of liberal democracy? An explanation would provide valuable information about what to expect if autocratic tendencies continue or even accelerate

Period	04 Apr 2024
Event title	ESPAnet Austria 2024
Event type	Conference
Location	AustriaShow on map