Introduction: Themed Section on the European Union and Social Policy: National and EU Policy Interaction

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-210
Author(s):  
Linda Hantrais
Keyword(s):  
Social Protection ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Third Wave ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Founding Member ◽  
The Social ◽  
Protection Systems ◽  
Social Protection Systems

When the European Economic Community was established in 1957, the six founding member states (Belgium, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands) had a shared interest, though each for their own reasons, in ensuring that provisions to promote the harmonisation of national social protection systems figured in the treaties. Progressively, and as membership of the Community expanded and diversified, the social dimension came to be accepted as a legitimate, albeit contested and subordinate, component in European law and policy. Whereas the social protection systems of the six original member states could be considered as variants of the continental model of welfare, the new waves of membership in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s brought different conceptions of social protection, making harmonisation ever-more difficult to achieve. Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom in the second wave were characterised by their universal welfare systems. Greece, Portugal and Spain in the third wave had less developed, minimalist provision for social protection. In the fourth wave, Austria was closer to the founding member states, whereas Finland and Sweden represented the Nordic model with their universalist system based on social democratic criteria.

The Slow Road to the Social Investment Perspective in the European Union

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Dinan
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Social Investment ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Member States ◽  
The Social

The European Union has no unilateral legislative capacity in the area of social policy. However, the European Commission does play the role of guide by providing a discursive framework and targets for its 28 Member States to meet. Since the late 1990’s, the EU’s ideas on social policy have moved away from the traditional social protection model towards promoting social inclusion, labour activation and investing in children. These new policies represent the social investment perspective, which advocates preparing the population for a knowledge-based economy to increase economic growth and job creation and to break the intergenerational transmission of poverty. The EU began the gradual incorporation of the social investment perspective to its social dimension with the adoption of ten-year strategies. Since 2000, it has continued to set goals and benchmarks as well as offer a forum for Member States to coordinate their social initiatives. Drawing on a series of interviews conducted during a research experience in Brussels as well as official documents, this paper is a descriptive analysis of the recent modifications to the EU’s social dimension. It focuses on the changes created by the Europe 2020 Strategy and the Social Investment Package. By tracing the genesis and evolution of these initiatives, the author identifies four obstacles to social investment in the European Union's social dimension.   Full text available at: https://doi.org/10.22215/rera.v10i1.263

scholarly journals The Slow Road to the Social Investment Perspective in the European Union

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Dinan
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Social Investment ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Member States ◽  
The Social

The European Union has no unilateral legislative capacity in the area of social policy. However, the European Commission does play the role of guide by providing a discursive framework and targets for its 28 Member States to meet. Since the late 1990’s, the EU’s ideas on social policy have moved away from the traditional social protection model towards promoting social inclusion, labour activation and investing in children. These new policies represent the social investment perspective, which advocates preparing the population for a knowledge-based economy to increase economic growth and job creation and to break the intergenerational transmission of poverty. The EU began the gradual incorporation of the social investment perspective to its social dimension with the adoption of ten-year strategies. Since 2000, it has continued to set goals and benchmarks as well as offer a forum for Member States to coordinate their social initiatives. Drawing on a series of interviews conducted during a research experience in Brussels as well as official documents, this paper is a descriptive analysis of the recent modifications to the EU’s social dimension. It focuses on the changes created by the Europe 2020 Strategy and the Social Investment Package. By tracing the genesis and evolution of these initiatives, the author identifies four obstacles to social investment in the European Union's social dimension.

scholarly journals A Picture of the Social Situation

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 76-85
Author(s):  
Ildikó Laki
Keyword(s):  
Social Protection ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Social Safety Net ◽  
The Social ◽  
Welfare Systems ◽  
Protection Systems ◽  
Institutional Network ◽  
Social Protection Systems

The main purpose of the current study was to outline and assess a picture of the Hungarian and international welfare systems. The social care system is an essential institutional network for the society, be it a system of specific institutions or legislation. The European Union’s approach mainly focuses on social responsibility and solidarity as its primary consideration. The European Union considers that social safety net and social protection systems cannot work without adopting this approach, and only the systems that offer true assistance to the members of the society can actually give assistance to the society. In addition to economic orientation, solidarity-based and socially inclusive attitude has a particularly important role to play, since it is much more than just funding to smooth out individual or social problems.

scholarly journals SISTEMAS DE PROTEÇÃO SOCIAL LATINO-AMERICANOS E RESPOSTAS À PANDEMIA DE COVID-19: Argentina, Brasil e México

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 263
Author(s):  
Mônica de Castro Maia Senna ◽  
Aline Souto Maior Ferreira ◽  
Valentina Sofia Suarez Baldo
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
The Political ◽  
Protective Measures ◽  
The Social ◽  
Protection Systems ◽  
America Latina ◽  
Social Protection Systems

O artigo analisa como sistemas de proteção social na América Latina têm respondido à grave situação social decorrente da pandemia de COVID-19. Pautado em estudo exploratório, o artigo toma como foco as experiências da Argentina, Brasil e México. A perspectiva de análise considera que as respostas produzidas por esses três casos às demandas sociais postas pela pandemia decorrem da interseção entre o legado prévio e estrutura institucional dos sistemas de proteção social existentes em cada país, a orientação política dos governos em exercício e a dinâmica social e política diante do contexto da crise sanitária. Verifica que nos três países, a despeito de medidas protetivas de maior ou menor abrangência e magnitude, que reforçam a proteção social existente ou introduzem novos mecanismos – todos eles temporários – a crise social própria às formações sociais latino-americanas se agravou.LATIN AMERICAN SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS AND RESPONSES TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: Argentina, Brazil and MexicoAbstractThe article analyses how social protection systems in Latina America have responded to the serious social situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Guided by an exploratory study, the paper focuses on the experiences of Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. The analysis considers that the responses produced by the three cases results from the intersection between the institutional structure’s previous legacy of the social protection systems existing in each country, the political orientation of the governments in exercise and the social and political dynamics in the sanitary crisis context. It seems that, despite protective measures of greater or lesser scope and magnitude, which either reinforce the existing social protections or introduce new mechanisms – all of them temporary – the social crisis specific to Latin American social formations has worsened in the countries studied.Keywords: Social protection. COVID-19. Brazil. México. Argentina

scholarly journals Comparative social policy in contemporary Latin America: Concepts, theories and a research agenda

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gibran Cruz-Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Protection Systems ◽  
Art Research ◽  
Social Protection Systems

This is the introductory chapter of the book Welfare and Social Protection in Contemporary Latin America. The purpose of the book is threefold: (i) to present a historical and theoretical analysis of social protection systems and welfare regimes in contemporary Latin America; (ii) to discuss the politics of contemporary social protection and how national/global actors and institutions shape social policy in the region; and (iii) to examine several debates on social protection and welfare systems in contemporary Latin America. The chapter presents state-of-the-art research in the areas of social policy and welfare that is examined in each of the three parts of the book. What do we know about welfare regimes in Latin America? What do we know about the role of (f)actors shaping social protection development and inclusion? What do we know about recent debates regarding social protection and welfare in Latin America? Particular attention is paid to the contribution made by chapters in this edited volume to the social policy literature. The chapter finishes with a description of the content and results of each chapter in this edited volume.

scholarly journals FACTORS THAT POTENTIALLY AFFECT THE FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PENSION SYSTEM IN ROMANIA

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Luise Mladen
Keyword(s):  
Social Protection ◽  
Pension System ◽  
Financial Sustainability ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Public Budget ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Protection Systems ◽  
Social Protection Systems

In Romania, the State Social Security Budget spending exceeds the revenues, and this situation leads to a growing deficit of the public budget. This evolution is the result of a complex of factors, more or less difficult to be managed, which we analyze in this article. The phenomenon of ageing has a significant role in increasing the pressure on the social protection systems, in general, and on the pension system, in particular. Also, the labour market related factors and the economic factors have an important impact on the sustainability of the pension system. The design of the pension system is equally important.

scholarly journals Social Protection and New Forms of Work: Expansion of Unemployment Insurance Benefits’ Coverage in Estonia

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-72
Author(s):  
Gaabriel Tavits
Keyword(s):  
Unemployment Insurance ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Protection System ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Pension Insurance ◽  
The Social ◽  
Protection Systems ◽  
New Forms Of Work ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Social Protection Systems

Ensuring social protection for people having lost their jobs is an important part of the social protection system. Although health insurance and pension insurance have traditionally been the most important social protection systems, then social guarantees (both passive and active measures) for the unemployed cannot be underestimated in the changed forms of employment. New forms of work necessitate attention to whether and how people working under new forms of employment, e.g. platform workers, can register as unemployed and whether short-term employment may worsen their standing compared to other unemployed. This article analyses the Estonian social protection system for the unemployed and the planned changes in connection with platform work.

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