An article examined why well-being had risen up the political agenda. In terms of decisive action there was some way to go before well-being could be described as 'an idea whose time had come'.
Source: Ian Bache and Louise Reardon, 'An idea whose time has come? Explaining the rise of well-being in British politics', Political Studies, Volume 61 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
A think-tank report brought together the findings from a range of earlier briefings on unemployment, neighbourhoods, transition to adulthood, raising a family and older age. It said that the studies had found a wealth of energy, creativity and resilience in families and neighbourhoods across Britain, but also evidence to suggest that household finances, family life, young people, neighbourhoods, and older people were experiencing degrees of strain. The think tank would aim to produce a second report in early summer 2014 to outline an agenda for reform.
Source: Kayte Lawton (ed.), The Condition of Britain: Interim report, Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: Report | IPPR press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Dec
A paper examined case studies from across the United Kingdom and Ireland of public service approaches that were illustrative of the 'enabling state'.
Source: Jenny Brotchie, The Enabling State: From rhetoric to reality – case studies of contemporary practice, Carnegie UK Trust
Links: Paper | Carnegie press release
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined income and expenditure poverty in Northern Ireland between 2007 and 2010. It noted a steady decline in household income, much greater than that seen in Great Britain as a whole. It said that real expenditure on most measures had declined, meaning that households were now spending less. It also said that pensioners over the period saw their standard of living improve, while the incomes and expenditures of lone parents fell, and the numbers of single people in both income and expenditure poverty worsened.
Source: Paddy Hillyard and Demi Patsios, Study of Income and Expenditure Poverty in Northern Ireland (2007-2010): Final report to OFMDFM Research Branch, Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Nov
A survey examined the impact of the economic crisis on the subjective well-being of Europeans. It concluded that the crisis might not have affected well-being equally, and may not have affected all aspects of well-being. Levels of well-being had fallen in many European Union countries, and had remained highest in northern countries. Reduced well-being was seen in many western European Union countries, but was matched by increases in eastern countries. People with disabilities or illness and unemployed people were found to experience low levels of well-being. The European Union simultaneously published related reports on: social inequality; household indebtedness; political trust and civic engagement; and perceptions of quality of life and public services.
Source: Saamah Abdallah, Laura Stoll, and Franz Eiffe, Quality of Life in Europe: Subjective well-being – 3rd European Quality of Life Survey, European Union
Links: Main report | Main summary | Related reports | European Union press release
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined data from the European Quality of Life Survey on social inequalities and the distribution of freedoms and opportunities. It looked at health, standard of living, productive and valued activities, and individual, family and social life. It assessed the role of gender, age, disability status, employment status, and citizenship status, as well as other drivers of inequality. The report said that there was some evidence that disadvantages were now more prevalent, and that social inequalities had widened between 2007 and 2011. The report made recommendations for addressing social inequalities by integrating well-being into policy at state and European levels.
Source: Ellie Suh, Tiffany Tsang, Polly Vizard, Asghar Zaidi, and Tania Burchardt, Quality of Life in Europe: Social inequalities, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Links: Report | Eurofound press release
Date: 2013-Nov
An article examined asset-based welfare policies pursued by the Welsh Government, as part of efforts to boost financial inclusion. These efforts had been constrained by both the ideology and austerity programme of the United Kingdom government.
Source: Rajiv Prabhakar, 'Asset-based welfare: financialisation or financial inclusion?', Critical Social Policy, Volume 33 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
An article examined the role of a pre-existing stock of social trust in explaining the long-run sustainability of comprehensive welfare states. It considered factors such as high levels of political confidence, strong legal institutions protecting private property rights, and low levels of bureaucratic corruption.
Source: Christian Bjornskov and Gert Tinggaard Svendsen, 'Does social trust determine the size of the welfare state? Evidence using historical identification', Public Choice, Volume 157 Issue 1-2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined the establishment of new official statistical indicators on quality of life and well-being in the European Union. It said that the statistics were a potentially important resource for researchers and policy-makers.
Source: Marleen De Smedt, 'Measuring subjective issues of well-being and quality of life in the European statistical system', Social Indicators Research, Volume 114 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
A paper examined the spatial and institutional conditions under which localized forms of social innovation could complement and strengthen existing institutionalized welfare programmes and schemes in Europe. It highlighted the main insights and concepts derived from the literature on state rescaling and multi-level governance that helped to shed light on the relationship between local social innovation and the welfare state. It explored how variations in territorial organization, mode of governance, and welfare regime could correspond to variations in the openness to (and capacity for) social innovation.
Source: Stijn Oosterlynck, Yuri Kazepov, Andreas Novy, Pieter Cools, Florian Wukovitsch, Tatiana Saruis, Eduardo Barberis, and Bernhard Leubolt, Exploring the Multi-Level Governance of Welfare Provision and Social Innovation: Welfare mix, welfare models and rescaling, ImPRovE Discussion Paper 13/12, Centre for Social Policy (Antwerp University)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Sep
A report examined the emerging evidence base on what predicted well-being. Levels of well-being varied across the life course, dipping in the mid teenage years, at midlife, and again among the oldest old. What predicted well-being could vary between groups, but many predictors remained consistent across the lifecourse and were common to both men and women. Social relationships were key: people with higher well-being had more positive relationships, and tended to have parents, partners, and children who also had higher well-being.
Source: Jenny Chanfreau, Cheryl Lloyd, Christos Byron, Caireen Roberts, Rachel Craig, Danielle De Feo, and Sally McManus, Predicting Wellbeing, National Centre for Social Research
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined the hypothesis that adult well-being was related to childhood experiences. Adult mental well-being, life satisfaction, life worth, and trust were all found to be significantly related to childhood violence and happiness – even after controlling for socio-demographic factors. These results strengthened the case for investment in interventions to improve childhood experiences.
Source: Mark Bellis, Karen Hughes, Alyson Jones, Clare Perkins, and Philip McHale, 'Childhood happiness and violence: a retrospective study of their impacts on adult well-being', BMJ Open, Volume 3 Issue 9
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Sep
A report examined national well-being in relation to six measures covering unemployment, employment, volunteering, leisure time, and participation in arts/culture, and participation in sports. It looked at associated data on issues such as stress at work, work-life balance, and free time activities.
Source: Chris Randall, Measuring National Well-being – What We Do, Office for National Statistics
Links: Report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined whether, in the context of multi-dimensional measures of well-being, particular groups had differing priorities and were therefore likely to react differently to given economic or social shocks.
Source: Luna Bellani, Graham Hunter, and Paul Anand, 'Multidimensional welfare: do groups vary in their priorities and behaviours?', Fiscal Studies, Volume 34 Issue 3, Institute for Fiscal Studies
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
An article sought to contribute to the debate on the 'dependent variable problem' in comparative welfare state analysis, by focusing on 'benefit recipiency' as a hitherto largely neglected type of indicator for understanding cross-national and longitudinal variation between welfare states. It used data for the European Union countries to calculate and compare rates of access to a series of benefits among working-age populations, as well as the relative amounts of benefits received. The main conclusion was that benefit recipiency data were a promising source for comparative welfare state analysis. However, like other data sources, they were not without problems, and more work needed to be done to assess their value, relative to more commonly used indicators.
Source: Wim Van Oorschot, 'Comparative welfare state analysis with survey-based benefit recipiency data: the "dependent variable problem" revisited', European Journal of Social Security, 2013 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
An article presented some of the main features of recent work by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on people's well-being and societies' progress. After discussing the main limitations of national income as a measure of 'welfare', it examined the multi-dimensional framework and rationale underpinning the OECD 'Better Life Initiative', and described how this framework aimed to overcome the limitations of national income. It also presented some of the evidence from an index that allowed citizens to compare countries according to their own views and preferences on the relative importance of the different aspects of human well-being.
Source: Romina Boarini and Marco Mira D'Ercole, 'Going beyond GDP: an OECD perspective', Fiscal Studies, Volume 34 Issue 3, Institute for Fiscal Studies
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
A paper said that mental health was the biggest single predictor of life-satisfaction: it explained more of the variance of life satisfaction in the population of a country than physical health did, and much more than unemployment and income. Income explained 1 per cent of the variance of life satisfaction or less. Depression and anxiety disorders affected about 10 per cent of all the world's population, with prevalence similar in rich and poor countries, and imposed major economic costs and financial losses to governments: yet even in rich countries, under one-third of people with diagnosable mental illness were in treatment. Cost-effective treatments existed, with recovery rates of 50 per cent or more. In rich countries treatment was likely to have no net cost to the government due to savings on benefits and lost taxes.
Source: Richard Layard, Dan Chisholm, Vikram Patel, and Shekhar Saxena, Mental Illness and Unhappiness, Discussion Paper 1239, Centre for Economic Performance
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined the impact of selected labour market and health policies on subjective well-being, using well-being data for developed (OECD) countries. The generosity of unemployment benefits and the strictness of employment protection legislation affected life satisfaction positively, whereas out-of-pocket health expenses significantly reduced subjective well-being.
Source: Romina Boarini, Margherita Comola, Femke de Keulenaer, Robert Manchin, and Conal Smith, 'Can governments boost people s sense of well-being? The impact of selected labour market and health policies on life satisfaction', Social Indicators Research, Volume 114 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined the approach taken by the Office for National Statistics to measures of subjective well-being. These estimates were considered experimental, and further testing and development were under way: but such measures had a potential role in the policy-making process.
Source: Stephen Hicks, Lucy Tinkler, and Paul Allin, 'Measuring subjective well-being and its potential role in policy: perspectives from the UK Office for National Statistics', Social Indicators Research, Volume 114 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined whether public policy in Europe should focus on minimizing unhappiness rather than maximizing happiness. Unhappiness varied a great deal more across social groups than (high levels of) happiness did. Although misery appeared to strongly relate to broad social issues (such as unemployment, poverty, and social isolation), bliss might be more of a private matter hidden from policy-makers. The social cost of unhappiness might be also reflected in the immense cost of mental health problems. Preventing avoidable unhappiness, however, needed to be complemented by other strategies for promoting happiness, perhaps on a more decentralized level, given the different causes of bliss and of misery.
Source: Orsolya Lelkes, 'Minimising misery: a new strategy for public policies instead of maximising happiness?', Social Indicators Research, Volume 114 Number 1
Links: Abstract
See also: Orsolya Lelkes, Minimising Misery: A new strategy for public policies instead of maximising happiness?, MPRA Paper 45435, Munich Personal RePEc Archive
Date: 2013-Sep
A paper examined the 'hard' evidence on the effects of subjective well-being. Human well-being also affected outcomes of interest such as health, income, and social behaviour. There was a dynamic relationship between happiness and other important aspects of our lives, with influence running in both directions.
Source: Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Ed Diener, Louis Tay, and Cody Xuereb, The Objective Benefits of Subjective Well-Being, DP1236, Centre for Economic Performance (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Aug
An article examined evidence of adaptation in well-being to major life events using British panel data. Adaptation to marriage, divorce, birth of a child, and widowhood appeared to be rapid and complete: but this was not so for unemployment.
Source: Andrew Clark and Yannis Georgellis, 'Back to baseline in Britain: adaptation in the British Household Panel Survey', Economica, Volume 80 Issue 319
Links: Abstract
See also: Andrew Clark and Yannis Georgellis, Back to Baseline in Britain: Adaptation in the BHPS, Discussion Paper 6426, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Date: 2013-Jul
A new book examined the normative and legal evolution of the 'social dimension' – labour law, social security law, and family law – in both the European Union and its member states.
Source: Ann Numhauser-Henning and Mia Ronnmar (eds), Normative Patterns and Legal Developments in the Social Dimension of the EU, Hart Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jul
An article proposed a framework composed of seven dimensions for evaluating European welfare states, based on the opinions of the public. Attitudes to the welfare state were multi-dimensional: in general, people were very positive about the welfare state's goals and range, while simultaneously being critical of its efficiency, effectiveness, and policy outcomes. Eastern/southern Europeans combined a positive attitude to the goals and role of government with a more critical attitude to the welfare state's efficiency and policy outcomes. In contrast, western/northern Europeans' attitudes were based partly on a fundamentally positive or negative stance towards the welfare state.
Source: Femke Roosma, John Gelissen, and Wim van Oorschot, 'The multidimensionality of welfare state attitudes: a European cross-national study', Social Indicators Research, Volume 113 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jun
A report examined how well-being was measured in Scotland, and what needed to be done to embed well-being into Scottish Government policies. It called on the Scottish Government to legislate to ensure that well-being was at the heart of all government policy.
Source: Jennifer Wallace, Shifting the Dial in Scotland: How Scotland performs on wellbeing and what it should do next, Carnegie UK Trust
Links: Report | Carnegie press release
Date: 2013-Jun
A report analyzed, by age and other variables, two of the measures of national well-being – 'satisfaction with health' and 'evidence of mental ill-health' – and their relationship to well-being. In 2010-11, for people aged 16 and over: 66 per cent were satisfied with their health, with a slightly higher proportion of men than women; satisfaction decreased to 53 per cent of those aged 80 and over; 19 per cent had some indication of anxiety or depression, with a higher proportion of women than men, and a higher proportion of those aged 40-59 or 80 and over.
Source: Jen Beaumont and Helen Lofts, Measuring National Well-being – Health, 2013, Office for National Statistics
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jun
An article examined the relationship between the objective and subjective side of the quality of life in European countries. It said that the linkages between them were not strong. Answers to questions about the connexions between material conditions (financial situation) and overall feeling of happiness were strongly influenced by context.
Source: Virag Havasi, 'Financial situation and its consequences on the quality of life in the EU countries', Social Indicators Research, Volume 113 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jun
Researchers found positive effects of comparison income on happiness for people aged under 45 in Britain and Germany, and negative effects for those over 45.
Source: Felix FitzRoy, Michael Nolan, Max Steinhardt, and David Ulph, Testing the Tunnel Effect: Comparison, age and happiness in UK and German panels, Discussion Paper 7452, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jun
A paper said that there was 'no robust evidence' for a relationship between national income per capita and life satisfaction in either Germany or the United Kingdom.
Source: Tobias Pfaff and Johannes Hirata, Testing the Easterlin Hypothesis with Panel Data: The dynamic relationship between life satisfaction and economic growth in Germany and in the UK, SOEPpaper 554, German Institute for Economic Research
Links: Paper
See also: Tobias Pfaff, Income Comparisons, Income Adaptation, and Life Satisfaction: How robust are estimates from survey data?, SOEPpaper 555, German Institute for Economic Research
Date: 2013-Jun
An article examined the political and intellectual influences behind the growth of interest in happiness and the emergence of the new 'science of happiness'. It offered a critique of the use of subjective well-being indicators within indexes of social and economic progress, and said that the proposed national well-being index was over-reliant on subjective measures.
Source: Michael Tomlinson and Grace Kelly, 'Is everybody happy? The politics and measurement of national wellbeing', Policy & Politics, Volume 41 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
A paper examined the impact of including the value of public healthcare, long-term care, education, and childcare on estimates of income inequality and financial poverty in 23 European countries. To account for the fact that the receipt of public services was associated with particular needs, a theory-based common equivalence scale was introduced, termed the needs-adjusted European Union scale. Even though the ranking of countries by estimates of overall inequality and poverty proved to be only slightly affected by the choice between the conventional scale (accounting only for the size of the household) and the adjusted scale, poverty estimates by household types were shown to be significantly affected by the choice of equivalence scale.
Source: Rolf Aaberge, Audun Langorgen, and Petter Lindgren, The Distributional Impact of Public Services in European Countries: 2013 edition, Eurostat (European Union)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-May
An article examined whether the structure of social policy institutions shaped the level of public support for the welfare state in 17 advanced capitalist democracies across three policy areas: healthcare, pensions, and unemployment. Important cross-programme variations were found in public attitudes and welfare state design, masked by traditional measures of universality and public support. There was evidence of policy feedback effects.
Source: Jason Jordan, 'Policy feedback and support for the welfare state', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 23 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
An article examined the social determinants of subjective well-being, and drew lessons for social policy. An examination of data from the official Measuring National Wellbeing Programme (launched in 2010) showed that well-being was not evenly distributed. Socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, employment, household composition, and housing tenure all mattered, as did health status.
Source: Christopher Deeming, 'Addressing the social determinants of subjective wellbeing: the latest challenge for social policy', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 42 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
An article examined whether the increased focus by European countries on new social risks and social investment had changed welfare states' commitment to redistribute from rich to poor groups. It compared the distribution of benefits from 'old' spending categories (such as retirement or unemployment) with those from 'new' ones (such as having care responsibilities). No evidence was found that new social spending would necessarily mean renouncing egalitarian ambitions. On the contrary, the distribution of new spending was more equal or pro-poor than the spending on old social risks. Different households benefited in distinct ways: elderly people benefited the most from traditional spending, and families with children from new spending.
Source: Maria Vaalavuo, 'The redistributive impact of "old" and "new" social spending', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 42 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
An article examined, with regard to three welfare state programmes, whether the provision of social rights in 18 western democracies since 1960 had been shaped by benefit generosity in other countries. Diffusion was found to be present: but it varied by programme and over time.
Source: Carina Schmitt and Herbert Obinger, 'Spatial interdependencies and welfare state generosity in western democracies, 1960-2000', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 23 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
The second edition was published of a handbook of comparative social policy, examining key concepts and issues such as globalization, crime, diversity, housing, child poverty, gender inequality, and social policy regimes.
Source: Patricia Kennett (ed.), A Handbook of Comparative Social Policy (Second Edition), Edward Elgar Publishing
Links: Summary
Notes: Individual chapters included:
Julia O Connor, 'Gender, citizenship and welfare state regimes in the early 21st century: "incomplete revolution" and/or gender equality "lost in translation"
Norman Ginsburg, 'Structured diversity: a framework for critically comparing welfare states?'
James Midgley, 'Social development and social welfare: implications for comparative social policy'
Jonathan Bradshaw, 'Child poverty and child well-being in comparative perspective'
Ray Forrest, 'The contours of the housing question'
Date: 2013-May
A European Commission report said that the worsening social situation, and problems over the sustainability of social protection systems, required action across Europe. It called for a 'social investment' approach, under which member states modernized their welfare systems by preparing people to confront lifetime risks, thus reducing the need to 'repair' the consequences.
Source: Investing in Social Europe, European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Apr
A new book said that the success of attempts to expand the boundaries of the post-war welfare state in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom had depended on organized labour's willingness to support redistribution of risk and income among different groups of workers. It traced the historical origins of 'inclusive' and 'dual' welfare systems, highlighting the fact that labour unions could either have a profoundly conservative impact on the welfare state or act as an impelling force for progressive welfare reform.
Source: Dennie Oude Nijhuis, Labor Divided in the Postwar European Welfare State: The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Apr
An article examined the linkage between institutional configuration and social trust in advanced industrial democracies, highlighting the role of welfare states in co-ordinating interests among different labour market actors. Public investment in skill provision prevalent in training-supplemented welfare states led to higher accumulation of social trust, whereas passive social transfers resulted in lower social trust.
Source: Cheol-Sung Lee, 'Welfare states and social trust', Comparative Political Studies, Volume 46 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
A new book sought to combine the two most important typologies of capitalist diversity. It was possible to distinguish 'liberal', 'social democratically co-ordinated', and 'conservatively co-ordinated' capitalism, because production systems and welfare states formed a coherent whole, so that neither of the two aspects could be studied in isolation. Such a unified typology could explain trajectories of liberalization.
Source: Martin Schroder, Integrating Varieties of Capitalism and Welfare State Research: A unified typology of capitalisms, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Apr
A research note examined the conceptual framework for delineating public/private boundaries in welfare provision. It said that a framework based on three dimensions – finance, provision, and decision – continued to be suitable, with some modifications.
Source: Tania Burchardt, Re-Visiting the Conceptual Framework for Public/Private Boundaries in Welfare, Research Note RN002, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (London School of Economics)
Links: Note
Date: 2013-Apr
A paper examined whether public policy in Europe should focus on minimizing unhappiness rather than maximizing happiness. Unhappiness varied a great deal more across social groups than (high levels of) happiness did. Although misery appeared to strongly relate to broad social issues (such as unemployment, poverty, and social isolation), unhappiness might be more of a private matter, hidden from policy-makers. Preventing avoidable unhappiness, however, needed to be complemented with other strategies for promoting happiness, perhaps on a more decentralized level.
Source: Orsolya Lelkes, Minimising Misery: A new strategy for public policies instead of maximising happiness?, MPRA Paper 45435, Munich Personal RePEc Archive
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Apr
An article examined the role of the European Court of Justice in undermining the ability of states to retain their regulatory autonomy over labour or social welfare law and, arguably, speeding up the unravelling of the 'embedded liberal bargain' under which institutions of social citizenship at domestic level served to counter the liberalization of the internal market.
Source: Diamond Ashiagbor, 'Unravelling the embedded liberal bargain: labour and social welfare law in the context of EU market integration', European Law Journal, Volume 19 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
An article said that social market philosophy provided neither a useful analytical framework for understanding modern capitalism nor the policy tools to address the existing economic and social predicament. The market economy was a dynamic but not self-regulating system that had an impact on four other economies – of the natural environment, of family and care, of voluntary association, and of the public sector – all of which operated under different motivations and allocative principles. The role of government was to balance the values created by different kinds of institutions and to constrain the dynamic impacts of market forces.
Source: Michael Jacobs, 'Beyond the social market: rethinking capitalism and public policy', Political Quarterly, Volume 84 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Mar
A new book examined the crisis confronting the welfare state as a result of the coalition government's public spending cuts and its 'radical and divisive liberalism', which aimed at the fragmentation and privatization of the bulk of public services. It called for a more humane and generous welfare state that: limited child poverty; promoted more equal outcomes from healthcare and education; introduced a greater contributory element into social benefits; invested in better child and elder care; and addressed low wages and workplace rights. It analyzed the political forces that could be marshalled to support these shifts and said that, with political leadership, the welfare state could attract mass support.
Source: Peter Taylor-Gooby, The Double Crisis of the Welfare State and What We Can Do about It, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Mar
A paper examined the extent to which European welfare states had moved in the direction of social investment in terms of spending, and how well they were performing socio-economically – for instance in terms of unemployment, poverty reduction, and work-family life reconciliation. Countries with high(er) levels of social investment spending performed better in terms of unemployment and poverty reduction. However, the scope and timing of moves towards social investment varied considerably across countries, in the face of entrenched interests blocking fundamental reform. There was a need for an European Union social investment pact.
Source: Anton Hemerijck, Verena Drabing, Barbara Vis, Moira Nelson, and Menno Soentken, European Welfare States in Motion, Working Paper D5.2, NEUJOBS Research Project (European Commission)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Mar
An article examined the typology of welfare regimes developed by Gosta Esping-Andersen. It said that the seven indicators used did not form valid measures of welfare regimes. In addition to divergences in their measurement, the seven indicators were a mixture of institutional characteristics of welfare systems and outcome measures of social stratification. But a measurement model based on the five institutional characteristics of welfare regimes that pertained to social insurance did fit the data. The authors proposed a three-dimensional model of conservative and liberal social insurance, which treated universal insurance coverage as the third dimension, instead of Esping-Andersen's 'socialist' regime. Although this did not fundamentally alter the typology, it had implications for previous studies that employed country scores based on Esping-Andersen's method as independent variables in causal models.
Source: Robert Jan van der Veen and Wouter van der Brug, 'Three worlds of social insurance: on the validity of Esping-Andersen's welfare regime dimensions', British Journal of Political Science, Volume 43 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Mar
A think-tank report said that a new settlement was needed between the state, the individual, and communities in relation to social risks and responsibilities (in areas such as health and pensions). It set out the case for embracing so-called 'nudge-plus' proposals, incentivizing healthy behaviour, and making it easier for people to make informed decisions and take greater responsibility. It called for the establishment of a 'Risk Commission', better use of data, and rewards for 'proactive' local authorities via a community cashback scheme. People who made healthier life choices should be prioritized for non-emergency hospital appointments. Such measures would allow the government to support individuals, families, and communities to make better choices without being 'heavy handed'.
Source: Max Wind-Cowie, Control Shift, Demos
Links: Report | Summary | Demos press release | Daily Mail report | Public Finance report
Date: 2013-Mar
An article examined the existing theory and measurement of subjective well-being (SWB). It discussed growing efforts in many countries to measure and monitor national well-being, particularly in the United Kingdom, and the novelty and controversies about SWB research. A critical approach was essential in evaluating SWB research: but dismissing it offhand or framing it as antithetical to objective well-being was misconceived. The pressing issue for poverty research and public policy was to determine which insights about SWB were worth using, and how much space within conceptions of well-being used in public policy should be given to SWB.
Source: Sridhar Venkatapuram, 'Subjective wellbeing: a primer for poverty analysts', Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, Volume 21 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Mar
A new book examined the trend since the mid-1990s for European welfare states to put less emphasis on income protection and more on the promotion of labour market participation. The shift towards an active social policy was only in part a response to a changed economic environment: it was also the result of political competition, and particularly the extent to which active social policy could be used for 'credit claiming' purposes.
Source: Giuliano Bonoli, The Origins of Active Social Policy: Labour market and childcare policies in a comparative perspective, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Mar
A comprehensive framework was published for internationally comparable and 'intellectually robust' data on subjective well-being.
Source: OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-Being, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Links: Guidelines | OECD press release
Date: 2013-Mar
An article examined the relationship between law, society, and economy in the context of the contemporary British welfare state. It identified the 'constitutive' role of contemporary social policy and law in the creation and maintenance of markets and opportunities for the private sector in the field of welfare, focusing on the institutional mechanisms being put in place to encourage this. The welfare state was no longer predominantly driven by a logic of social protection via redistribution to those in need, but instead increasingly reflected the state's desire to create openings for the private sector within welfare. The institutions that once contributed to ensuring the embeddedness of the market economy in society now played an important role in processes of 'disembedding' – with potentially detrimental consequences for those seeking assistance from the welfare state.
Source: Kenneth Veitch, 'Law, social policy, and the constitution of markets and profit making', Journal of Law and Society, Volume 40 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
A paper examined the ascent and decline of the neo-liberal approach to welfare in Europe, and an emerging 'liberal neo-welfarism' based on the values of human dignity, freedom, equality, and solidarity.
Source: Maurizio Ferrera, Liberal Neo-Welfarism: New perspectives for the European social model, Opinion Paper 14, European Social Observatory (Brussels)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Feb
The European Commission called on member states to prioritize social investment and to modernize their welfare states. It said that this meant improving the performance of active inclusion strategies, and a more effective use of social budgets. The social investment package included a Commission recommendation against child poverty, calling for an integrated approach to child-friendly social investment. A series of linked working documents examined the related issues of active inclusion policies, homelessness, long-term care, and investment in health.
Source: Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion: Including implementing the European Social Fund 2014–2020, European Commission | Investing in Children: Breaking the cycle of disadvantage, European Commission
Links: Communication | Child poverty recommendation | Working documents (links) | European Commission press release | EAPN press release | EPHA press release | ETUC press release | Eurochild press release
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined recent research on party politics and the welfare state that differed from traditional 'partisan politics theory'. The traditional approach stated that left-wing and right-wing parties held contrasting positions on welfare issues, depending on the interests of their respective electorates. This view had recently been challenged by three strands of research, which emphasized: the effects of electoral change on parties' policy positions; the role of context, notably electoral institutions, party competition, and the configuration of party systems; and the impact of different linkages between parties and electorates (particularistic versus programmatic).
Source: Silja Hausermann, Georg Picot, and Dominik Geering, 'Rethinking party politics and the welfare state – recent advances in the literature', British Journal of Political Science, Volume 43 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
A report advocated an approach to decision-making in Europe based on shared social responsibilities. It said that it was essential to reformulate existing social choices, ensuring that social, intergenerational, and environmental justice lay at their heart.
Source: Shared Social Responsibility: Putting theory into practice, Council of Europe
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Feb
An article tested the capability approach to well-being (advanced by Amartya Sen) using 25 years of German and 18 years of British data. The findings strongly supported Sen's capabilities framework and provided evidence on the way in which capabilities, choices, and constraints mattered for objective and subjective well-being. Capabilities (relating to human capital, trust, altruism, and risk taking) and choices (relating to family, work-leisure, lifestyle, and social behaviour) were shown to strongly affect long-term changes in subjective and objective well-being – though in different ways, largely depending on the type of well-being measure used.
Source: Ruud Muffels and Bruce Headey, 'Capabilities and choices: do they make Sen se for understanding objective and subjective well-being? An empirical test of Sen s capability framework on German and British panel data', Social Indicators Research, Volume 110 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined the impact of European Union membership on the per capita income, longevity, and welfare of the member states. There was convergence among EU countries in per capita income, expected lifetime, and welfare. Convergence speed was highest for per capita income and slowest for welfare. EU membership positively affected income, longevity, and welfare growth rates.
Source: Ender Sevinc and Abdulkadir Civan, 'The effect of European Union membership on welfare', Review of European Studies, Volume 5 Number 1
Date: 2013-Feb
A paper examined the typology of welfare states, and surveyed the challenges facing them. It said that previous approaches had tended to leave out the question of how political forces worked within the frame of different welfare regimes. There had been a significant trend to convergence between developed nations as regards the proportion of national income spent on welfare: but political factors determined whether this was state-provided or private welfare.
Source: Jorgen Goul Andersen, Welfare States and Welfare State Theory, Working Paper, Centre for Comparative Welfare Studies (Aalborg University, Denmark)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jan
An article examined the debate on gendering welfare states. It criticized typologies based on the differentiation between degrees of familialization and defamilialization, and proposed a new typology based on the notion of genderization and degenderization. It also argued against the notion of regime types, which included outputs in their classification systems. Instead it argued that typologies should concentrate on policies to make it possible for researchers and policy-makers to analyze the influence of different types of policies on different societies. It was important to know whether similar policies would lead to different outcomes under different socio-economic or cultural conditions. The author showed it was possible to analyze family policies using a typology based on genderization and degenderization.
Source: Steven Saxonberg, 'From defamilialization to degenderization: toward a new welfare typology', Social Policy and Administration, Volume 47 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan
An article examined whether voters in developed countries would punish their governments for cutting welfare state entitlements. Most parties with a positive welfare image lost support after they implemented cutbacks, whereas most parties with a negative welfare image did not.
Source: Gijs Schumacher, Barbara Vis, and Kees van Kersbergen, 'Political parties welfare image, electoral punishment and welfare state retrenchment', Comparative European Politics, Volume 11 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan
A new book examined health and well-being during each life stage.
Source: Mary Larkin, Health and Well-Being Across the Life Course, SAGE Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jan
The European Commission published an annual review of social and employment developments, highlighting a 'deepening economic and social crisis'. A new divide was emerging between (on the one hand) countries that seemed trapped in a downward spiral of falling output, massively rising unemployment, and eroding disposable incomes and (on the other) those that had at least so far shown some resilience – partly thanks to better functioning labour markets and more robust welfare systems. The crisis had affected groups already at heightened risk, notably young adults, children, and to some extent migrants, thus contributing to social polarization. Europe had been struggling to find appropriate policy responses. There was a need to modernize social protection systems and create better and fairer taxation systems. An effective social protection system that helped those in need was not an obstacle to prosperity, but was in fact an indispensable element of it.
Source: Employment and Social Developments in Europe 2012, European Commission
Links: Report | European Commission press release
Date: 2013-Jan
A paper examined age-related changes in subjective well-being in later life. Older people had better subjective well-being than younger ones for each well-being measure, except at the oldest age for quality of life. Nonetheless, deterioration in well-being was greater at older ages, even when adjusting for age-related changes in later life, including widowhood, retirement, and declining health.
Source: Stephen Jivraj, Bram Vanhoutte, James Nazroo, and Tarani Chandola, Age, Ageing and Subjective Wellbeing in Later Life, Working Paper 2013-05, Centre for Census and Survey Research (University of Manchester)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jan
An article examined recent research on party politics and the welfare state. The traditional approach stated that left-wing and right-wing parties held contrasting positions on welfare issues, depending on the interests of their respective electorates. This view had recently been challenged by three strands of research, which emphasized: the effects of electoral change on parties' policy positions; the role of context – notably electoral institutions, party competition, and the configuration of party systems; and the impact of different linkages between parties and electorates (particularistic versus programmatic).
Source: Silja Hausermann, Georg Picot, and Dominik Geering, 'Rethinking party politics and the welfare state – recent advances in the literature', British Journal of Political Science, Volume 43 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan
An article examined partisan effects on welfare state retrenchment. It said that partisan effects were found in programmes protecting against social risks that were disproportionally distributed among social strata.
Source: Michael Baggesen Klitgaard and Christian Elmelund-Praestekaer, 'Partisan effects on welfare state retrenchment: empirical evidence from a measurement of government intentions', Social Policy and Administration, Volume 47 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan