Introduction: Labour market policy as a field of government action and an object of research

This chapter provides an introduction to the handbook as a whole. It starts by giving a stylised overview of the development over time of labour market policy in affluent democracies, emphasising the growing complexification of state intervention in this area. On this basis it then sets out the definition of labour market policy that has informed the organisation of the handbook. Section 1.3 discusses the disciplinary orientation of the contributions, mainly grounded in comparative social policy and comparative political economy. The final section of the chapter offers explains the organisation of the volume.