In most comparative studies of welfare states, the remit of social legislation is taken as given. Little attention is paid to political convention which determines the scope and viability of specific types of state intervention. By focusing on the conventions which underpinned broader labour market policies, this article demonstrates how established parameters of state action defined contrasting spheres of social protection in these two countries in a period of welfare reform. In France, state regulation of the labour market emerged as the source of social protection and equity; in Britain, continuities rooted in a liberal pol itical economy meant that industrial relations and social welfare remained separate spheres. Using legislative provision (such as social insurance) as a basis for comparative studies distorts academic analysis because the contex tual significance of such provision varies - not only between countries, but also within dif ferent industrial and regional contexts as well as over time.
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