The concept of governance is intrinsically connected to the study of change. The relations between state and society are changing, and as the boundaries between the two become more blurred, governing societal affairs is getting more complex. Not surprisingly, over recent years, there has been a growing literature on welfare governance and change. Building on this body of literature, the contribution of this e-book is two-fold: (1) Using elderly care as a case study, the issue analyses the complexity of welfare governance by looking at changes in both the vertical and the horizontal dimensions of governing; (2) Focusing on Nordic countries, the special issue assesses the substantive implications of shifts in welfare governance, notably in terms of universalism.