De Gruyter Handbook of Contemporary Welfare States - Paperbackby Bent Greve (Author) Welfare States have evolved and developed over now close to the last 150 years, although not in all countries at all times in the same direction implying that they are still very diverse. There was a time of golden growth of the welfare states shortly after the second world war, and then after the oil price shock in 1th 1970's has, at least since OECD's pathbreaking book been argued to be in crisis. This has been followed up