Incremental Changes or Transformation? An fsQCA Ideal-Type Analysis of Latin American Care Regimes
摘要
This chapter analyzes the scope of changes in family policy witnessed in Latin American countries during the 2010s. The emphasis is on assessing whether these changes represent incremental adjustments or transformative shifts in the nature of the care regimes. This study uses fuzzy-set analysis (fsQCA) to evaluate the conformity of Latin American care regimes to four theoretical ideal types: familism by default, supported familism, defamilist regime, and optional familism. The results reveal that while most Latin American countries have implemented incremental improvements in family policies, these have not been sufficient to trigger a complete departure from the familism by default regime. In other words, most Latin American care regimes are closer to a theoretical ideal type characterized by the absence or weak provision of family policies. Uruguay stands out by moving closer to the defamilist regime featuring greater state co-responsibility for care services and regulatory measures promoting more gender equity roles within families.