Contesting contestation: Global social policy prescriptions on pensions and health systems

This article discusses the conceptualization of global social policy in its dimension of prescriptions on national social policy. By studying the global health systems discourse and comparing it to the discourse on pensions, the applicability and validity of common notions of contestation and struggle between global social policy actors and their ideas are discussed. On the basis of conceptual considerations on global social policy ideas and discourses, the reasons for the differences between the two discourses are elaborated on. The article offers conclusions as to the conceptualization of global social policy prescriptions with regard to notions of the 'war of positions' and the promises of the ASID (agency, structure, institution, discourse) framework.