The rising cost of illness and disability benefits poses one of today’s most pressing social and labor market challenges. The promise of activation-oriented work disability policies was to engage all people—regardless of illness, injury, or impairment—in productive activities. However, reality has proven more complex.

The Science and Politics of Work Disability Prevention delves into the social and political economic contexts driving state work disability reform in 13 countries. This groundbreaking book addresses new questions about policy design, focus, and effects. It explores how work disability policies have evolved within different jurisdictions, why they took their current form, and where they are headed.

Well-positioned authors draw on insider knowledge and expertise from law, medicine, and social science to provide detailed case studies of their respective regions. This volume will be invaluable to policymakers in social security systems, scholars, and students in the health and social sciences seeking insights into work disability policy.