Van Kersbergen and Vis provide a documented outlook and some new insights into the vast literature surrounding the ‘politics of welfare state reforms’. As they suggest: ‘The book is explicitly conceived and designed as a cross between a text- or reference book, that informs the reader comprehensively about the state of the art in the field of the welfare state studies and an academic research monograph that aims to contribute theoretically and empirically to the on-going debate on the politics of welfare state reform’ (p. 4 ).