Distributive Effects of the Crisis in the European Periphery

2018 ◽  
pp. 133-153
Author(s):  
Manos Matsaganis ◽  
Chrysa Leventi

This chapter aims to provide an assessment of the distributional implications of the economic crisis in Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania in the period 2009−2013. On the one hand, the recession has caused unemployment to rise and household incomes to fall, which are both changes that raise the demand for social protection. On the other hand, austerity policies and program reforms affect the capacity of welfare states to provide social protection. We use a microsimulation model to disentangle the first-order effects of tax–benefit policies from the overall effects of the crisis. Moreover, we estimate how the burden of the crisis has been shared across income groups and how the differential impact of the crisis may have altered the composition of the population in poverty. We conclude by discussing the methodological pitfalls and policy implications of our research.

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 559-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Grimmer ◽  
Jennifer Hobbins

Purpose – With a particular focus on cultural understandings and the concepts behind welfare policies, the purpose of this paper is to analyse commonalities and dissimilarities in the patterns of social policy, and more precisely youth unemployment policies, in Sweden and Germany. Design/methodology/approach – A document analysis of Swedish and German youth unemployment policies was conducted with regard to how the two welfare regimes’ policies define the underlying problem, the instruments through which this problem is tackled, and the aim of youth activation policies. Findings – The findings show congruency concerning the definitions of the problem of youth unemployment, in which the unemployed are regarded as lacking in discipline, as well as in the policies through which the problem is tackled: through conditionality and pastoral power as policy tools. The solution of the problem on the other hand, found in the notion of the ideal worker to be produced, diverges between active entrepreneurs in one country, and blue-collar workers in the other. The authors conclude that the introduction of supranational policy concepts is not a matter of mere implementation, and that concepts like activation are reinterpreted according to differing cultural ideologies and accommodated into the context of particular welfare states. Originality/value – This paper provides an innovative framework for the understanding of the influence of cultural understandings on policy making, but also on challenges facing activation governance on the one hand and European Union policy initiatives and transnational policy diffusion on the other.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Isabel Clímaco ◽  
Luís Moura Ramos

The standard assumption of rational, forward looking behavior has been heavily questioned given the impossibility of understanding some risk consumption behaviors within such a framework. The Becker and Murphy theory of rational addiction made a start on this debate fostering new refinements within the original rational theory framework as well as promising approaches based on the latest developments of cognitive science.This paper makes an overview confronting two main approaches highlighting their different time preferences assumptions. On the one hand the debate assumes rationality even in extreme situations of risk consumption - addictive behavior. On the other, new developments in the explanation of habits and addictive behaviours take an economic-psychological approach into consideration and have substantially different policy implications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Bagus Yaugo Wicaksono

<div>The victims of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) -especially girls- both in Jakarta - and Lombok area are having unique characteristic of vulnerability, therefore in order to optimize supporting the victims, an understanding of these characteristics of vulnerability in both areas are required. The purpose of this article is to describe and analyze the implementation of Down to Zero Project conducted by Plan International Indonesia (PII) in North Jakarta, East Jakarta, West Lombok, and Central Lombok. By conducting desk review of documents and results of previous studies during the implementation of this project, this study argues that; first, on the one side, the vulnerability of CSEC victims in Lombok areas tends to have a relation with poverty, furthermore the strict norms and value of custom could be challenging. On the other side, ineffective protection from family or caregiver makes a huge challenge for CSEC victims in the Jakarta area, in addition a heterogenous society and individualist characters create ineffective social protection for them. Secondly, these differences showed that the existing child protection system for girl victims of CSEC is not fully able to support them to reach the quality of life.</div><p> </p>


2020 ◽  
pp. 70-75
Author(s):  
Karina Gnatenko

Problem setting. In recent years, as a result of legislative activity, many new legal principles have emerged that guide the legal regulation of the social sphere and indicate the general directions of the implementation of social rights. As a result, there is both a theoretical and a practical need to clarify their content and streamline the principles of social security law throughout the system. Characterizing the principles of social security, it should be noted that today there are many classifications of sectoral principles and those that were developed in Soviet times, and those that are more or less focused on the specifics of today. Some principles disappeared, losing their relevance and ceasing to affect all social security; others, on the other hand, have become more and more confident in the system of sectoral principles, having barely appeared in social security legislation. One such principle is the principle of targeting. Analysis of recent researches and publications. Problems of providing targeted assistance in their scientific works were studied by such scientists as O. O. Bogdanova, T. Z. Garasimov, A. Gladun, S. V. Kudlaenko, O. V. Moskalenko, I. Yu. Khomych, T. Yu. Khrenova, O. Chutcheva, O. M. Yaroshenko and others. Target of research – to find out the content of the principle of targeting in the law of social security and to determine its place in the mechanism of legal regulation of the law of social security in modern conditions in the implementation of social rights. Article’s main body. Targeted social protection in general is aimed at determining the real standard of living of persons seeking social assistance, their real need for social assistance. It is a characteristic tool of social programs to combat poverty, which allows to achieve a significant effect by qualitatively identifying the criteria characteristics of “beneficiaries”. The main advantage of the targeted social protection system is, firstly, the more efficient use of available limited budget funds to provide social assistance to the most vulnerable categories of citizens; secondly, most of such funds are spent on poor citizens. Therefore, addressing the system of social protection of vulnerable groups can, on the one hand, significantly increase the ability of this system to provide social assistance and services to those who really need it, and on the other – to prevent access to budget funds for state social assistance and provision of social services to those to whom it is not intended. This, in turn, will reduce the overall cost of social assistance programs at the state and regional levels, which is an important factor given the limited financial resources. Conclusions and prospects for the development. The principle of targeting social benefits, taking into account the financial situation of a particular person in a particular life situation, recognized by the state society as socially respectable, will contribute, on the one hand, more effective implementation of social rights, as it will take into account the specific life situation and, on the other hand, without limiting the volume and types of social benefits already provided by the current legislation, will promote a more rational distribution of funds from public consumption funds. Targeted social protection should be aimed at determining the real standard of living of persons seeking social assistance, their real need for social assistance


Author(s):  
William Chiaromonte

Abstract This chapter presents the main characteristics of the Italian social security system, on the one hand, and Italian migration history and key policy developments, on the other hand, in order to analyze the principal eligibility conditions for accessing social benefits (unemployment, health care, pensions, family benefits and guaranteed minimum resources) for national residents, non-national residents and non-resident nationals.


Author(s):  
K. Seeta Prabhu ◽  
Sandhya S. Iyer

The chapter presents an intersectional analysis of women’s human development outcomes through the lens of gender and social relations on the one hand, and the nature of public policies implemented on the other. Against the backdrop of women’s movements, this chapter explains women’s marginalization process, wherein critical gaps in the formation of basic capabilities across men and women in the society are identified. Differences in human development outcomes are not only due to differences in access and opportunity freedoms, but also in endowments and entitlements. Thus, real concerns about women’s human development achievements are regarding capability deprivation and inequalities in access to labour markets, social opportunities, political participation, and social protection. It is argued that purely entitlement transfers through state policy will not be able to resolve the issue. The numerous efforts to assess human development outcomes of both women and men in terms of quantitative and qualitative dimensions have been able to capture only some part of this multi-layered phenomenon.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 1148-1173 ◽  
Author(s):  
SUSAN VAN HEES ◽  
KLASIEN HORSTMAN ◽  
MARIA JANSEN ◽  
DIRK RUWAARD

ABSTRACTIn Western welfare states, notions of age-friendly communities and ageing-in-place are increasingly important in new health policies. In the Netherlands, care reforms are modifying the former welfare state to be more participatory; local governments are seeking collaborative solutions. Municipalities and housing, care and welfare organisations in the southern part of the country developed the concept of ‘lifecycle robust neighbourhoods’, envisioned as places where older people can age-in-place. Although many scholars have used the concept ageing-in-place in their studies of neighbourhoods, we aim to unravel this concept further by exploring how this particular ageing policy plays out in practice. This paper explores what the development of ‘lifecycle robust neighbourhoods’ means in relation to notions of ageing-in-place and age-friendly communities. We used ethnography (interviews, observations and focus groups) to reveal how, on the one hand, the policy makers, housing, care and welfare directors and representatives of older people, as developers of ‘lifecycle robust neighbourhoods’ and, on the other hand, older people, give meaning to places to age-in-place. It becomes clear that ageing-in-place has a different meaning in policy discourses than in practice. While developers mainly considered place as something construable, older people emotionally attached to place through lived experiences.


2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 286-287
Author(s):  
Valerie J. Grant

Although statistically significant correlations have been found among political, economic, and social indices, on the one hand, and measures of sociosexuality, on the other, it is likely that these correlations are second-order effects. Underpinning the reproductive freedom associated with higher sociosexuality are factors more closely related to biology, namely, easy access to safe, effective contraception and reproductive medical care.


1999 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose‐Marie B. Antoine

The principle of offshore financial confidentiality is a controversial issue in offshore law. On the one hand, offshore jurisdictions view confidentiality in financial matters as an essential ingredient in the offshore industry which deserves to be protected. On the other, onshore states are increasingly hostile to confidentiality and have been willing to take drastic measures to undermine it.


2006 ◽  
pp. 241-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janko Drca

The process of intensive ageing of the population of Vojvodina, present for a long time, and specially the problems and changes in contemporary family in Vojvodina, require and need a well designed comprehensive program - based on the needs of the old persons - to solve the basic social-protection problems of the population of old persons, specially the struggle for a quality life at old age. On the one hand, such an attitude implies equal significance of prevention - so that old persons do not find themselves in a situation needing social support - as well as protection when they do get in such a situation; on the other hand, it implies ensuring a full confirmation of the concept of the active old age. At the same time, such an approach requires the development of all forms of social protection and an active participation and cooperation of all subjects in the society.


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