FinCare - Analysing the financialisation of European care systems through a discursive institutionalism lens

Objective

FinCare investigates how the financialisation of long-term care is legitimised, normalised, or contested within European welfare states. Focusing on Austria, Ireland, and the Netherlands as contrasting but comparable cases, the project applies a Discursive Institutionalist framework and a multi-method qualitative design combining historical policy analysis, discourse analysis, and elements of social network analysis. By mapping the discourses of care financialisation, identifying enabling or constraining institutional mechanisms, and comparing patterns of political (de-)legitimation, FinCare will generate the first comparative account of how discourses and coalitions shape the financialisation of care. The project will advance scholarship by filling a critical gap in the literature on the role of institutions in the financialisation of welfare states, producing novel theory and conceptual tools adaptable to other policy domains, and strengthening interdisciplinary links between political sociology, social policy, and the political economy of care. Its findings will contribute to ongoing debates on equity, accountability, and sustainability in long-term care, directly informing policymaking through collaboration with European and international policy bodies. FinCare will also enhance the researcher’s career trajectory by consolidating expertise in comparative policy analysis and stakeholder engagement, positioning her as a recognised expert at the interface of research and policymaking. Societal impact will be achieved through open-access publications, targeted policy briefs, and wide dissemination to academic, policy, and civil society audiences.