European Foundations of the Welfare State

European Foundations of the Welfare State PDF Author: Franz-Xaver Kaufmann
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 0857454773
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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Book Description
While social welfare programs, often inspired by international organizations, are spreading throughout the world, the more far-reaching notion of governmental responsibility for the basic well-being of all members of a political society is not, although it remains a feature of Europe and the former British Commonwealth. The welfare state in the European sense is not simply an administrative arrangement of various measures of social protection but a political project embedded in distinct cultural traditions. Offering the first accessible account in English of the historical development of the European idea of the welfare state, this book reviews the intellectual foundations which underpinned the road towards the European welfare state, formulates some basic concepts for its understanding, and highlights the differences in the underlying structural and philosophical conditions between continental Europe and the English-speaking world.

European Foundations of the Welfare State

European Foundations of the Welfare State PDF Author: Franz-Xaver Kaufmann
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 0857454773
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 406

Get Book

Book Description
While social welfare programs, often inspired by international organizations, are spreading throughout the world, the more far-reaching notion of governmental responsibility for the basic well-being of all members of a political society is not, although it remains a feature of Europe and the former British Commonwealth. The welfare state in the European sense is not simply an administrative arrangement of various measures of social protection but a political project embedded in distinct cultural traditions. Offering the first accessible account in English of the historical development of the European idea of the welfare state, this book reviews the intellectual foundations which underpinned the road towards the European welfare state, formulates some basic concepts for its understanding, and highlights the differences in the underlying structural and philosophical conditions between continental Europe and the English-speaking world.

Welfare and Families in Europe

Welfare and Families in Europe PDF Author: Peter Abrahamson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351143182
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
Originally published in 2005. The primary focus of this work is the relationship between family, work and the welfare system. Focusing on Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, the study draws comparisons between societies which represent different types of welfare mix between state, market and civil society. Three important issues in the transformation of the European welfare state systems are considered: The conditions for social citizenship in European welfare states and how they have changed in relation to family and work; Changes in the provision of social welfare and how they have affected the interrelationship between the welfare state, the market and civil society; The impacts of constraints on public expenditure and the financing of the welfare state. The authors discuss the question of whether the welfare states of these countries have profoundly changed over the last ten to fifteen years and examine how this might provide insights into the contemporary welfare state. The framework developed by the authors can be applied in other specific areas of the development and transformation of welfare states.

Family and the Welfare State in Europe

Family and the Welfare State in Europe PDF Author: Agnes Blome
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1849801878
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 349

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Book Description
The book offers a genuine and innovative research direction that explores the black box of intergenerational relations and in particular how institutions mediate families ability to offer financial resources as well as provide care services to their members. Antonis Roumpakis, Journal of Social Policy . . . the book is an impressive effort, from which both students and academics will benefit, as this reader indeed has. Svein Olav Daatland, Ageing and Society Most European countries are experiencing a dramatic demographic shift. A combination of falling birthrates and rising life expectancy leads to a significant aging of societies. The authors analyze how the state and the family shape generational living conditions in Germany, France, Italy and Sweden and how age-specific attitudes toward welfare policy are affected. One finding is that there is little evidence of conflict between the generations. The book is a very important contribution to a better understanding of the character of new challenges for European welfare states. Stein Kuhnle, The University of Bergen, Norway and the Hertie School of Governance, Germany This insightful book explores the role of both the family and the state in shaping the living conditions of the young and old in Europe. It provides a comparative theoretical and empirical analysis of age-related policies and welfare arrangements in Germany, France, Italy and Sweden. By combining institutional data on changes in public policies with longitudinal micro-data on living arrangements and informal support patterns in families, the authors are able to demonstrate the huge diversity in the organization of intergenerational relations and the changes that have occurred since the early 1990s. Age-specific differences in attitudes towards current social policy issues are also explored. The key finding is that intergenerational bonds of solidarity remain robust, meaning predictions of a potential conflict between the generations are vastly exaggerated. Providing up-to-date information on the perception of public policies and generational conflicts in different welfare states, this book is a must read for researchers in the field of comparative social policy and intergenerational relations. It will also benefit academics in sociology and political science, as well as policy-makers and consultants.

The Family in the Mediterranean Welfare States

The Family in the Mediterranean Welfare States PDF Author: Manuela Naldini
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135775699
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
This work analyses in a historical and comparative perspective the relationship between the family and the welfare state in two Mediterranean countries: Italy and Spain. Two aims form the focus of the book. Firstly, to open the black box of the family in welfare state analysis, introducing a focus on inter-generational and kin relations. Secondly, to explain why the southern welfare states have offered very low support to families with children by taking into account several factors: the legacy of fascism, the role of the Church, and the specific role played by leftist parties in defining family policy as labour policy.

Gender Inequality and Welfare States in Europe

Gender Inequality and Welfare States in Europe PDF Author: Mary Daly
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1788111265
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 269

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Book Description
Gender equality has been one of the defining projects of European welfarestates. It has proven an elusive goal, not just because of political opposition but also due to a lack of clarity in how to best frame equality and take account of family-related considerations. This wide-ranging book assembles the most pertinent literature and evidence to provide a critical understanding of how contemporary state policies engage with gender inequalities.

The Welfare State in Europe

The Welfare State in Europe PDF Author: Pierre Pestieau
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192549065
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Although in Europe there continues to be a large degree of consensus that it is the responsibility of government to ensure that nobody who is poor, sick, disabled, unemployed, or old is left deprived, there are mounting calls to roll back spending on the welfare state. It is argued that it fails to achieve its main objectives, that it is responsible for a decline in economic performance, and that it was conceived in a very different period and is therefore not adapted to modern realities. This second edition of The Welfare State in Europe: Economic and Social Perspectives provides an informed analysis of the key criticisms of the welfare state and examines the prospects of this system in an increasingly integrated world. It answers important questions regarding the current social situation of European countries, the performance of the welfare states, and the reforms that should be undertaken. It calls for fundamental changes in social policies in order to address the rising inequality that hampers social cohesion in Europe. Now focused on Europe in its entirety and including a new chapter on long term care, this new edition of an integral text on the welfare state places increased focus on social divisions and the populist vote to provide a balanced and up-to-date analysis of the performance of current systems.

Working Mothers and the Welfare State

Working Mothers and the Welfare State PDF Author: Kimberly J. Morgan
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 9780804754149
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
This book explains why countries have adopted different policies for working parents through a comparative historical study of four nations: France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States.

How Welfare States Care

How Welfare States Care PDF Author: Monique Kremer
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press
ISBN: 9053569758
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
Though women’s employment patterns in Europe have been changing drastically over several decades, the repercussions of this social revolution are just beginning to garner serious attention. Many scholars have presumed that diversity and change in women’s employment is based on the structures of welfare states and women’s responses to economic incentives and disincentives to join the workforce; How Welfare States Care provides in-depth analysis of women’s employment and childcare patterns, taxation, social security, and maternity leave provisions in order to show this logic does not hold. Combining economic, sociological, and psychological insights, Kremer demonstrates that care is embedded in welfare states and that European women are motivated by culturally and morally-shaped ideals of care that are embedded in welfare states—and less by economic reality.

New Risks, New Welfare

New Risks, New Welfare PDF Author: Peter Taylor-Gooby
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191533033
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
This book introduces the concept of new social risks in welfare state studies and explains their relevance to the comparative understanding of social policy in Europe. New social risks arise from shifts in the balance of work and family life as a direct result of the declining importance of the male breadwinner family, changes in the labour market, and the impact of globalization on national policy-making. They differ from the old social risks of the standard industrial life-course, which were concerned primarily with interruptions to income from sickness, unemployment, retirement, and similar issues. New social risks pose new challenges for the welfare policies of European countries, such as the care of children and the elderly, more equal opportunities, the activation of labour markets and the management of needs that arise from welfare state reform, and new opportunities for the coordination of policies at the EU level. The book includes detailed and up-to-date case studies of policy development across these areas in the major European countries. These studies, written by leading experts, are organized in a comparative framework which is followed throughout the book. They highlight the way in which national welfare state regimes and institutional arrangements shape policy-making to meet new social risks. A major feature of this volume is the analysis of developments at the EU level and their interaction with national policies. The EU has been largely unsuccessful in its interventions in old social risk policy, but appears to have more success in its attempts to coordinate policy for new social risks. Experience here may provide lessons for future developments in EU policy-making. The comparative framework of the book seeks to inform an understanding of the development of new social risks in Europe and of the particular political opportunities and challenges that result. It provides an original analysis of pressing issues at the forefront of European welfare policy debate and locates it at the heart of current theoretical debates.

Children, Changing Families and Welfare States

Children, Changing Families and Welfare States PDF Author: Jane Lewis
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1847204368
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
As welfare states grow up, they begin to think more carefully about their future. Jane Lewis is showing them how best to do so. This stellar collection of articles by top European scholars combines creative thinking about the new social investment state with impressive empirical research on specific forms of public support for family work. Nancy Folbre, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, US The nature of the relationship between children, parents and the state has been central to the growth of the modern welfare state and has long been a problem for western liberal democracies. Welfare states have undergone profound restructuring over the past two decades and families also have changed, in terms of their form and the nature of the contributions that men and women make to them. More attention is being paid to children by policymakers, but often because of their importance as future citizen workers . The book explores the implications of changes to the welfare state for children in a range of countries. Children, Changing Families and Welfare States: examines the implications of social policies for children sets the discussion in the broader context of both family change and welfare state change, exploring the nature of the policy debate that has allowed the welfare of the child to come to the fore tackles policies to do with both the care and financial support of children looks at the household level and how children fare when both adult men and women must seek to combine paid and unpaid work, and what support is offered by welfare states endeavours to provide a comparative perspective on these issues. The contributors have written a book that will be warmly welcomed by scholars and researchers of social policy, social work and sociology and students at both the advanced undergraduate and post-graduate level.