An article examined the 'one-stop shop' for social welfare provision in three European countries (including the United Kingdom).
Source: Jostein Askim, Anne Lise Fimreite, Alice Moseley, and Lene Holm Pedersen, 'One-stop shops for social welfare: the adaptation of an organizational form in three countries', Public Administration, Volume 89 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A new book examined the impact of different institutions (the familial household, commercial enterprises, and welfare state institutions) on well-being in European countries, focusing on gender issues. The proper balance of these institutions was a prerequisite of well-being – for both care givers and care receivers, and also for satisfactory gender relations.
Source: Elisabetta Addis, Paloma de Villota, Florence Degavre, and John Eriksen, Gender and Well-Being: The role of institutions, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Dec
A new book examined varying notions of happiness and how these were being widely used in economics, sociology, psychology, and political science. It explored the relationship between happiness and public policy.
Source: Bent Greve, Happiness, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Dec
An article said that European social models were being asked to extend social support to meet new needs associated with the ageing society, changes in citizens' aspirations and behaviour, and the reduced reliability of support from employers and the family. Most states had been expanding their range of social interventions, sometimes leading to hybridization of their traditional social models. At the same time, deconstruction of social models to implement neoliberalism, and reconstruction to meet new needs, were often two sides of the same process: reforms to meet new needs might take a neoliberal form, and neoliberal reforms might generate new needs. European social models might have to respond to these pressures, because European citizens still looked to the state to ensure their social citizenship rights.
Source: Jill Rubery, 'Reconstruction amid deconstruction: or why we need more of the social in European social models', Work, Employment and Society, Volume 25 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined the different welfare state typologies proposed in the literature. It elaborated new directions for research along three dimensions: improving measurement validity by linking macro and micro data to overcome assumptions, largely based on the average (production) worker; assessing the reliability of typologies over time; and systematically integrating both the work-welfare and the care-welfare dimensions.
Source: Emanuele Ferragina and Martin Seeleib-Kaiser, 'Welfare regime debate: past, present, futures?', Policy & Politics, Volume 39 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Nov
A new book examined the recent, extensive reforms in European countries to the delivery of income protection and activation programmes for unemployed people. These governance reforms had included: the creation of markets for the provision of activation and employment services; the promotion of co-operation between benefit and employment agencies; processes of decentralizing policy-making authority; and the introduction of new public management in the public sector.
Source: Rik Van Berkel, Willibrord de Graaf, and Tomas Sirovatka (eds.), The Governance of Active Welfare States in Europe, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Nov
A new book examined how the Nordic welfare model had coped with recent external and internal pressures. It compared its outcomes to those in countries with alternative welfare models, such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany.
Source: Jon Kvist, Johan Fritzell, Bjorn Hvinden, and Olli Kangas (eds.), Changing Social Equality: The Nordic welfare model in the 21st century, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Nov
An article examined patterns of welfare spending across 28 European countries using a 'disaggregated expenditure' approach. Welfare states differed primarily in their emphasis on cash transfers for the elderly as against social services and cash transfers for the working-age population. Clustering along these two spending dimensions largely coincided with the well known delineation of welfare regimes based on institutional characteristics.
Source: Kati Kuitto, ' More than just money: patterns of disaggregated welfare expenditure in the enlarged Europe', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 21 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Oct
A report examined 11 specific aspects of life in developed countries – including income, jobs, housing, health, education, and the environment – as part of an effort to devise new measures for assessing well-being that went beyond gross domestic product.
Source: How's Life? Measuring well-being, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Links: Summary | OECD press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Oct
A paper examined the links between age, life satisfaction, and relative income, drawing on survey data from the United Kingdom and Germany.
Source: Felix FitzRoy, Michael Nolan, and Max Steinhardt, Age, Life-Satisfaction, and Relative Income: Insights from the UK and Germany, Discussion Paper 6045, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Oct
A new book examined how the right to the free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital in the European Union legal order affected member countries' welfare state systems.
Source: Christoffer Eriksen, The European Constitution, Welfare States and Democracy: The four freedoms vs national administrative discretion, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Oct
A report presented new estimates of the 'Index of Economic Well-Being' (IEWB) and its four domains (consumption flows, stocks of wealth, economic equality, and economic security) for 14 developed (OECD) countries for the period 1980-2009. In all 14 countries the rate of advance of the IEWB had been less than that of national income per capita.
Source: Lars Osberg and Andrew Sharpe, Moving from a GDP-Based to a Well-Being Based Metric of Economic Performance and Social Progress: Results from the Index of Economic Well-Being for OECD countries, 1980-2009, Research Report 2011-12, Centre for the Study of Living Standards (Ottawa)
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Sep
An article examined the immediate policy responses to urgent social matters under conditions of economic crisis, focusing on social and unemployment policies in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Sweden. Governments seemed to have fallen back on 'old habits' by adopting reactive policies that were based on their institutional legacies.
Source: Heejung Chung and Stefan Thewissen, 'Falling back on old habits? A comparison of the social and unemployment crisis reactive policy strategies in Germany, the UK and Sweden', Social Policy and Administration, Volume 45 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Aug
An article examined the extent to which the global financial crisis had intensified pressure to 'reform' the welfare state, based on a comparison of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. Initial responses had been surprisingly similar, with continuing public support for the welfare state the main explanatory factor.
Source: Barbara Vis, Kees van Kersbergen, and Tom Hylands, 'To what extent did the financial crisis intensify the pressure to reform the welfare state?', Social Policy and Administration, Volume 45 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Aug
A new book examined public attitudes in Europe towards healthcare, family policy, and social security benefits. It said that the institutional design of social policies had a great impact on inequalities among social groups, and provided best practice for gaining public support for social policy reform.
Source: Claus Wendt, Monika Mischke, and Michaela Pfeifer, Welfare States and Public Opinion: Perceptions of healthcare systems, family policy and benefits for the unemployed and poor in Europe, Edward Elgar Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jul
An article used data from the 2008 European Social Survey to examine whether the shift in responsibility for outcomes more towards individuals might threaten the political legitimacy of welfare states. A corresponding 'proactivity' by governments was required in securing good access to more equal opportunities for vulnerable groups.
Source: Peter Taylor-Gooby, 'Opportunity and solidarity', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 40 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jul
An article examined the association between national welfare state regimes and public insecurities about crime across Europe. There was a 'strong relationship' between insecurities about crime and national levels of social expenditure and decommodification of social welfare policy. State-level social protection might buffer the development of widespread fear of crime by increasing self-efficacy and thereby mitigating various social and economic fears.
Source: Dina Hummelsheim, Helmut Hirtenlehner, Jonathan Jackson, and Dietrich Oberwittler, 'Social insecurities and fear of crime: a cross-national study on the impact of welfare state policies on crime-related anxieties', European Sociological Review, Volume 27 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jun
A paper provided a framework for the analysis of quality of life in Europe, based on the available datasets for the European Union member states.
Source: Patrik Vesan and Giulia Bizzotto, Quality of Life in Europe: Conceptual approaches and empirical definitions, Working Paper 2011.5, WALQING project (European Commission)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jun
A paper examined new empirical evidence on the quality of life reported by the European population in 2006-2007. Unemployed people reported greater deprivation in terms of income, commodities, living conditions, and health. Low-educated employees, employees born outside the European Union, and manual workers reported higher levels of deprivation, poorer health, and lower social integration. Young employees (aged 16-29) and single employees reported higher levels of deprivation in terms of income, commodities, and living conditions.
Source: Ambra Poggi, Giulia Bizzotto, Francesco Devicienti, Patrik Vesan, and Claudia Villosio, Quality of Life in Europe: Empirical evidence, Working Paper 2011.4, WALQING project (European Commission)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jun
A new book examined public attitudes in Europe toward healthcare, family policy, and benefits for unemployed people and those living in poverty. It highlighted the importance of the institutional design of social policies for inequalities among social groups, and set out best practice for gaining public support for social policy reform.
Source: Claus Wendt, Monika Mischke, and Michaela Pfeifer, Welfare States and Public Opinion: Perceptions of healthcare systems, family policy and benefits for the unemployed and poor in Europe, Edward Elgar Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jun
An annual report examined social policy developments in the European Union in 2010. It considered the Europe 2020 strategy, and the response to the social and economic impact of the global recession.
Source: Christophe Degryse and David Natali (eds.), Social Developments in the European Union 2010, European Social Observatory (Brussels)/European Trade Union Institute
Links: Report
Date: 2011-May
A paper examined the 'conventional wisdom' that the welfare state foundations of European Union member states had been fatally eroded by globalization, European integration, demographic change, and individualization processes in society.
Source: Arne Heise and Hanna Lierse, The European Social Model Under Pressure: The effects of European austerity programmes on social security systems, Working Papers on Economic Governance 37, Department of Socio-Economics, Hamburg University
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-May
An article examined intergenerational mobility of economic well-being for the countries of the European Union. Income well-being was much more persistent across generations in southern European countries than in Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Source: Jose Alberto Molina, Maria Navarro, and Ian Walker, 'Intergenerational well-being mobility in Europe', Kyklos: International Review for Social Sciences, Volume 64 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-May
A new book examined recent developments in welfare policy in the United Kingdom and Germany. It considered the similarities and differences between the two countries, and analyzed the degree to which social attitudes towards welfare provision, fairness, and social justice had changed. It focused on three public policy domains: family policy, pensions, and policies aimed at social and labour market integration.
Source: Jochen Clasen (ed.), Converging Worlds of Welfare? British and German social policy in the 21st century, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-May
An article used data from the 2008 European Social Survey to consider whether citizen attitudes would provide continuing support for the welfare state in more difficult times. Pressures on state welfare might diminish the feeling of security so that support for state provision grew: but they did so in a climate of more equivocal trust in government services.
Source: Peter Taylor-Gooby, 'Security, equality and opportunity: attitudes and the sustainability of social protection', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 21 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-May
A report (by a network of independent experts) examined the social impact in Europe of the global economic crisis. It also put forward a series of suggestions for monitoring and strengthening the social inclusion dimension of fiscal consolidation measures at both national and European Union level.
Source: Hugh Frazer and Eric Marlier, Social Impact of the Crisis and Developments in the Light of Fiscal Consolidation Measures, Peer Review in Social Protection and Social Inclusion and Assessment in Social Inclusion (European Commission)
Links: Report
Date: 2011-May
An article said that there was 'very strong evidence' of welfare state convergence among developed countries. The speed of convergence was driven by globalization and European Union membership, and shaped by existing welfare state structures.
Source: Carina Schmitt and Peter Starke, 'Explaining convergence of OECD welfare states: a conditional approach', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 21 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-May
A new book (the second volume of two) examined the connexions between religion and welfare in 8 European societies (including England), from three perspectives – sociology, gender, and theology.
Source: Anders Backstrom, Grace Davie, Ninna Edgardh, and Per Pettersson (eds.), Welfare and Religion in 21st Century Europe – Volume 2: Gendered, Religious and Social Change, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-May
A paper examined how a renewed 'social investment' perspective could be rescued from 'one-sided' policy orientations in Europe prompted by the economic crisis. A European-wide 'Social Investment Pact' should be established to support member states that wished to pursue social investment despite their budgetary difficulties.
Source: Frank Vandenbroucke, Anton Hemerijck, and Bruno Palier, The EU Needs a Social Investment Pact, Opinion Paper 5, European Social Observatory (Brussels)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-May
A report presented comparative information on the conditions of people's lives in developed market economies. It focused on the well-being of people in each country, rather than on the macro-economic conditions of economies. On most measures the United Kingdom was ranked in the six 'intermediate' deciles of the distribution.
Source: Compendium of OECD Well-Being Indicators, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Links: Report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2011-May
A paper said that political and fiscal decentralization had a positive and significant effect on individuals' overall happiness in European countries.
Source: Luis Diaz-Serrano and Andres Rodriguez-Pose, Decentralization, Happiness and the Perception of Institutions, Working Paper 2011/07, Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Apr
A special journal issue examined the Nordic welfare model.
Source: Social Policy and Administration, Volume 45 Number 2
Links: Table of contents
Date: 2011-Apr
An article said that left-wing governments in Europe remained the motor behind the expansion of social spending: but that their success depended on labour market corporatism. Corporatism allowed for negotiation with – and the socialization of – the employers who were enjoying an increasingly strong bargaining position due to globalization. In countries with extensive corporatism, left-wing governments continued to increase social spending, whereas such expansion was rendered impossible in countries with limited corporatism.
Source: Carsten Jensen, 'Negotiated expansion: left-wing governments, corporatism and social expenditure in mature welfare states', Comparative European Politics, Volume 9 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Apr
A new book said that the development of the European Union since 1957 – based on the free movement of capital, goods, services, and people – was 'fundamentally at odds' with the creation of an interventionist regime that the construction of a 'social Europe' would require.
Source: Philip Whyman, Mark Baimbridge, and Andrew Mullen, The Political Economy of the European Social Model, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Apr
An article examined the 'repositioning' of some European countries under a typology of welfare state regimes, in the light of the wide-reaching social changes introduced since the 1990s.
Source: Manuela Arcanjo, 'Welfare state regimes and reforms: a classification of ten European countries between 1990 and 2006', Social Policy and Society, Volume 10 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Apr
A paper examined how different European countries performed on social, economic, and environmental issues during the period of the Lisbon Strategy (2005-2010), based on a typology of different social models. Countries following the 'Nordic' model did best, and those following the 'Anglo-Saxon' model performed worse overall than the 'Mediterranean' model.
Source: Paola Bertolini and Francesco Pagliacci, Lisbon Strategy and EU Countries Performance: Social Inclusion and Sustainability, Discussion Paper 648, Department of Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Apr
A paper examined the trend for western European welfare states to move towards policies of cost-containment, activation, social investment, and the 'flexicurity' model.
Source: Giuliano Bonoli and David Natali, The Politics of the New Welfare States in Western Europe, Working Paper 2011/17, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute (Florence)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Mar
A new book critically examined conventional welfare state models. Welfare states were not created in national isolation, but were heavily influenced by transnational economic, political, and cultural interdependencies.
Source: Pauli Kettunen and Klaus Petersen (eds.), Beyond Welfare State Models: Transnational historical perspectives on social policy, Edward Elgar Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Feb
A paper examined the role of work ethics and the strength of family ties in determining the well-being of unemployed people in Europe. People living in countries with stronger family ties, and in those declaring stronger norms for family support, were observed to suffer less from being unemployed.
Source: Malgorzata Mikucka, Unemployment and Well-Being in Europe: The effect of country unemployment rate, work ethics and family ties, Working Paper 2011/014, Centre for Population, Poverty and Public Policy Studies (CEPS/INSTEAD)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Feb
A report examined income and living conditions in Europe. Separate chapters covered: household structure; income poverty and income inequality; characteristics of the income-poor and the materially deprived; socio-economic determinants of health; social participation and social isolation; the distribution of employees' labour earnings; educational intensity of employment; in-work poverty; the impact of basic public services on the distribution of income; distributional effects of direct taxes and social transfers; and measuring broader well-being.
Source: Anthony Atkinson and Eric Marlier (eds.), Income and Living Conditions in Europe, Eurostat (European Union)
Links: Report | Eurostat press release
Date: 2011-Feb
A report examined the Nordic social model as an alternative form of capitalism, prosperity, and welfare.
Source: Atle Midttun and Nina Witoszek (eds.), The Nordic Model: Is It Sustainable and Exportable?, Research Council of Norway
Links: Report | Research Council of Norway press release
Date: 2011-Feb
A survey examined the state of people's mental well-being in European Union countries. It also investigated what help and treatment people had sought to ameliorate any mental health conditions they had experienced; and how comfortable people felt about interacting with those with a mental health problem. People reported generally feeling more positive than negative about their mental well-being. Those with the most negative experiences were those for whom life was more socio-economically difficult.
Source: Mental Health, European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined the macroeconomic performance of 12 European Union member countries over the period 1990-2002 from the point of view of people's subjective well-being. Life satisfaction was found to be negatively associated with the unemployment rate and inflation, but positively associated with the growth rate.
Source: Heinz Welsch, 'The magic triangle of macroeconomics: how do European countries score?', Oxford Economic Papers, Volume 63 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
A paper examined the relationship between analytical life satisfaction measures and a general well-being indicator, based on the 2008 wave of the European Values Study.
Source: Paul Dickes and Carlo Klein, Satisfaction in Life Conditions and Well-Being, Working Paper 2011/03, Centre for Population, Poverty and Public Policy Studies (CEPS/INSTEAD)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jan
A paper examined the results of several social surveys that sought to establish the kind of social Europe that European citizens wanted in order to maximize their future well-being.
Source: Eric Harrison, Elissa Sibley, Sotiria Theodoropoulou, and Benedetta Guerzoni, What Do Citizens Want? What survey results reveal about values, attitudes and preferences, Issue Paper 62, European Policy Centre (Brussels)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jan
