Understanding the exact nature of the relationship between the family, the economy and the state is a major concern for a wide range of social scientists. This book explores different aspects of the social reproduction process, looking at the institutions, social processes and forms of state intervention that contribute towards the reproduction of households and working populations in the advanced industrial societies. The contributors build on recent scholarship to establish the reproductive sector as a series of interconnected private (family) and public (state) institutions, developing an analysis of the relationship between the welfare state and the imperatives of the wider economy. The book puts forward a great deal of new thinking and research findings on the topic, and develops new insights into the nature of the welfare state in North America and Europe. In addition, aspects of the social reproduction process not adequately addressed in the current literature are investigated. Issues and topics are analyzed in theoretical and empirical terms that are sensitive to the importance of the historical dimension.