Ideas and Welfare State Reform in Western Europe

Ideas and Welfare State Reform in Western Europe PDF

Author: P. Taylor-Gooby

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2005-08-02

Total Pages: 195

ISBN-13: 0230286011

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The new welfare settlement in Europe involves a re-direction of policy in the context of a unified market and currency system and of more stringent economic competition. Realignment of the policy assumptions and goals of the key actors is central to this process. This book reviews the main policy paradigms and analyzes the processes whereby they have changed in the most salient policy areas, and is based on recent interviews with more than two hundred and fifty senior policy actors in seven West European countries.

Combating Poverty in Europe

Combating Poverty in Europe PDF

Author: Gerhard Bäcker

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-01-18

Total Pages: 455

ISBN-13: 1351772953

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Title first published in 2003. This informative volume addresses the impact of the EU on national policies to combat poverty in European member states. The editors bring together leading academics to discuss the issue of and fight against poverty in Germany in particular, within the context of ongoing trends and debates across other European states.

The Activation Dilemma

The Activation Dilemma PDF

Author: Amilcar Moreira

Publisher: Policy Press

Published: 2008-06-20

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 9781847420466

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The activation of social welfare recipients has been, and still is, a central issue in the development of social and employment policies in Europe. This ambitious book explores the employment effectiveness of minimum income schemes, and provides the first comprehensive examination of its dependency on how the rights and obligations of the recipients are defined. The book argues that the right to a minimum income can only be adequately justified with reference to the individual's right to personal development. Combining political theory and policy analysis, the author draws on evidence from eight different European countries to illustrate how it is possible to combine higher levels of employment effectiveness with the respect for recipients' right to personal development. Exploring the balance between fairness and effectiveness in the activation of minimum income recipients and acknowledging that individuals have both rights and obligations, this book will provide a useful reference tool to students, researchers and policy-makers with an interest in the work versus welfare nexus.

Exploiting the Limits of Law

Exploiting the Limits of Law PDF

Author: Åsa Gunnarsson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-04-22

Total Pages: 267

ISBN-13: 1317137647

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Moving beyond the question of whether an area of scholarly investigation can truly be characterized as 'legal', Exploiting the Limits of Law combats the often unhelpful constraints of law's subject-matter and formal processes. Through a process of reflection on the limits of law and repeated efforts to redraw them, this book challenges the general sense of pessimism among feminists and others about the usefulness of law as an instrument of change. The work combines theoretical analysis of the law's boundaries with investigation of the practical settings for changing legal and policy environments. Both the empirical focus of this volume, and its underlying theoretical concern with the limits of the law and its gender implications, render it of interest to legal scholars throughout the world, whether of EU law, feminism, social policy or philosophy.

Labour and Employment Regulation in Europe

Labour and Employment Regulation in Europe PDF

Author: Jens Lind

Publisher: Peter Lang

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 420

ISBN-13: 9789052012469

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Since the 'golden age' of industrial employment peaked around 1970, the weakening of organised labour has continued in Europe and elsewhere. This text studies the conditions and development of trade union behavior and organisation in the 21st century, aswell as addressing the successes and failures of the European Employment Strategy.

Social Assistance Dynamics in Europe

Social Assistance Dynamics in Europe PDF

Author: Chiara Saraceno

Publisher: Policy Press

Published: 2002-01-30

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13: 1861343140

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Describing social assistance 'careers' in different national and urban contexts, this innovative book documents the strong interplay between personal biographies and policy patterns - a particularly useful perspective which complements the more structural, top-down approach of much international work in social policy.

Local Welfare and the Organization of Social Services

Local Welfare and the Organization of Social Services PDF

Author: Pietro Previtali

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-05-12

Total Pages: 123

ISBN-13: 3030661288

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book discusses local area planning in the Lombardy region of Italy. The book provides valuable insights about the development of local welfare systems and the territorial organization of social services through the analysis of the evolution of the Local Area Plan, which lies at the intersection of sub regional governance and of social services delivery models. Using Lombardy as a case study, this brief analyzes the structural conditions influencing the establishment of Local Area Plans, their effect on inter-municipal cooperation, and the need for possible reforms. The book is organized as follows: the first chapter presents a reconstruction of the national and regional framework, analyzing the structure of ties and opportunities within which Local Area Plans are called to act. The second chapter provides a review of the extant literature on Local Area Plans and introduces the theoretical framework used by the volume. The third chapter details legislation introduced in Lombardy to reform the governance structure of Local Area Plans by supporting a process of reorganization and aggregation. The fourth chapter presents some cases of Local Area Plan aggregation. The final chapter presents the conclusion and some brief considerations about the future of social planning. Providing an empirical analysis of local service delivery, this book will be useful to scholars and practitioners interested in public administration, welfare, local government, non-profit and public organizations, and management.

Active Social Policies in the EU

Active Social Policies in the EU PDF

Author: van Berkel, Rik

Publisher: Policy Press

Published: 2002-09-27

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1861342802

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The general objective of this book is to contribute to the debate on, as well as to the development and implementation of, EU social policies and social policies in EU countries, particularly the growing emphasis in these policies on 'activation' and 'participation' rather than income provision.

Basic Income Experiments

Basic Income Experiments PDF

Author: Roberto Merrill

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-11-30

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 3030891208

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book brings together insights and reflections following a set of interviews conducted with the main stakeholders involved in past, current, and future basic income experiments. It provides an analysis of some of the major elements and factors influencing experiments, as well of some of their most important outputs understood as results of their own experimental design, their sociological and political basis, and the epistemological status of their results. By pursuing a bottom-up strategy, where the interviews conducted take a pivotal role in the collection and analysis phase of the book, this book gathers key questions relating to policy experiments. Some questions reflected upon include the general idea of why one should engage and implement a basic income experiment, and the paradox consisting in the fact that most basic income experiments fall short of being closely considered “pure” basic income schemes. In facing the question and the paradox head-on, the book assesses questions of experimental design, the political and social context surrounding the policy, and the main results and what can they tell us about basic income.

Social Protection and Inclusion

Social Protection and Inclusion PDF

Author:

Publisher: International Labour Organization

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 9221191958

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This publication examines the role of social assistance programmes in the fight against poverty and combating exclusion, drawing on a number of case studies detailing innovative programmes from Europe, China, India, Brazil and Portugese-speaking African countries. Three key policy issues are identified: gearing social assistance towards social inclusion and employment; achieving universal coverage through a plurality of approaches to reach the excluded; and asserting social security as a human right under changing circumstances in the world of work.