Books by Torben (Harvard University Iversen

This book, first published in 2005, is based on the key idea that social protection, both inside and outside the state, can be understood as protection of specific investments in human capital. It offers a systematic explanation of popular preferences for redistributive spending, the economic role of political parties and electoral systems, and labor market stratification.

This book helps explain one of the most politically salient puzzles in comparative political economy: why some countries have much higher unemployment rates than others.