Are There Varieties of Capitalism in Developing Countries? Public Finance and Social Transfers in Türkiye and Poland

Abstract

Varieties of national capitalism research in comparative political economy predominantly depends on developed capitalist economies’ typologies in which capitalist mode of production complies with social reproduction in a fashion that translates into high national incomes with varieties of welfare regimes. Whilst these typologies may not be fully applicable as the institutional structures and social reproduction mechanism in these countries are relatively lagging behind in adapting to the capitalist mode of production, the common features used in creating these typologies can be helpful to understand the trajectories of capitalist development. Within this context, the chapter discusses varieties of capitalism in developing countries through welfare practices with a concentration on social transfer expenditures. Using the conceptual tools provided by the varieties of welfare capitalism approach, and Sanyal’s poverty governmentality concept derived from Foucoult’s theory, social protection structures and expenditures in Türkiye and Poland are analysed and compared. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.