From an Ordoliberal idea to a Social‐Democratic ideal? The European Parliament and the institutionalization of ‘social market economy’ in the European Union (1957‐2007)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Canihac ◽  
Francesco Laruffa
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Market Economy ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
Social Market Economy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Democratic Ideal ◽  
Social Democratic ◽  
Social Market

Ideas, Institutions and Organized Capitalism: The German Model of Political Economy Twenty Years after Unification

2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher S. Allen
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Market Economy ◽  
German Economy ◽  
First Century ◽  
Social Market Economy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
German Model ◽  
Severe Recession ◽  
Social Market

For much of the past two decades since unification, the literature on the German economy has largely focused on the erosion of the German model of organized capitalism and emphasized institutional decline and the corresponding rise of neoliberalism. The first part of the article analyzes the strains unification placed on German economic performance that caused many observers to call for modification of the model in a more neo-liberal direction. The second part takes a different focus and lays out the main rationale of the paper. It inquires why such a coordinated market economy was created in the first place and whether a renewed form of it might still be useful for Germany, the European Union, and other developed democracies in the early twenty-first century. The third section articulates the origins of the institutional and ideational components of these coordinated market economy models, during both the Bismarckian and Social Market Economy periods. The final portion inquires whether the failure of the contemporary liberal market economy approach in the wake of the worldwide financial crisis and severe recession represents a possible opening for the creation of a third coordinated market economy not only for Germany but for a redesigned European Union.

Balance-Sheet of European Social Policy

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-598
Author(s):  
José Mª Gil Robles
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Social Model ◽  
Social Market Economy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Social Policy ◽  
Subsidiarity Principle ◽  
Social Market

Specific competence of the European Union in the field of social security and social protection has been quite limited, as the Member States consider these two items as core subjects of national policies and appeal earnestly to subsidiarity principle to avoid European regulation. Influence of the E.U. has nevertheless been gradually and considerably increasing through the implementation of the Community rules on the internal market and competition. European social model is the so called “social market economy”, which means, in short, an economy ruled by a market whose transparency and fairness are guaranteed and controlled by the public powers. There is the will, at European level, to be able to achieve high economic and productivity growth, necessary to fuel recovery from crisis damages, while at the same time minimising so-called social failures, such as unemployment, poverty and social exclusion. The European Union addresses these areas as a matter of common concern and has a role in facilitating the exchange of information, data, best practices and research. The balance of European policies is in overall terms rather positive from the social point of view.

scholarly journals Combating Unemployment through Social Entrepreneurship in the European Context

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 85-98
Author(s):  
Loredana Nicoleta Zainea ◽  
Sorin-George Toma ◽  
Paul Marinescu ◽  
Andrea Chițimiea
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Social Market Economy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The People ◽  
Social Market

Сonsideration of the dynamic changes from the socio-economic environment, social entrepreneurship plays an essential role in the labour market as it creates new jobs, contributes to the improvement of the economic and social position of vulnerable groups in society, and stimulates economic development. The financial crisis from 2008 and the current health crisis, which generated a significant economic crisis and the specific social context existing in each member state, constitute the leading causes that led to a slow convergence rhythm of the labour market at the European Union level. Unemployment and non-employment have a significant impact on the people affected by poverty and the disadvantaged people. A coherent, systematic and sustainable approach to social entrepreneurship is required to generate significant change at the European level. Innovative solutions to current economic, social and environmental challenges are needed since the private or/and public sectors do not fully meet the communities’ existing needs. The aim of the paper is to analyze how social entrepreneurship contributes to the reduction of the unemployment rate, by meeting the objectives set out in the Europe 2020 Strategy, to create a sustainable and inclusive social market economy, and to improve social cohesion. The quantitative method, based on the data found in various international journals, statistical reports and electronic databases, was used by the authors to accomplish the objective of the paper. The paper illustrates that social entrepreneurship is a complex process in which resources are used in an efficiently and effectively way, new skills, competences, and knowledge are accumulated, which turn into social and economic innovation, having a positive impact on productivity and the creation of highly skilled jobs, as well as maximizing the opportunities which lead to social change. Keywords: Social Entrepreneurship, Unemployment, European Union, Education.

scholarly journals Economic Constitution of the European Union, before and after Lisbon (between the principle of Competition and the “Social Market Economy”)

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-129
Author(s):  
Pedro Madeira Froufe
Keyword(s):  
European Integration ◽  
Market Economy ◽  
Internal Market ◽  
Social Market Economy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Economic Constitution ◽  
The Social ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Social Market ◽  
The Eu

This paper registers some notes and interrogations concerning the express legal enshrinement of the concept of Social Market Economy. It highlights the ordoliberal origin of this concept and questions its meaning – associated with a certain loss of intensity from the clear proclamation of the principle of Competition – in terms of the economic ordination of the Internal Market and European integration. However, the question to be asked brings us back to the effective and contextualised characterisation in the current moment of European integration – the economic Constitution of the EU. Will there be, then, a change of the ideological referential in the economic constitution of the EU and, consequently, in the paths that are intended to be trailed in the future? Or, instead, is the emergence of the express enshrinement in the Treaty of the “Social MarketEconomy” not indicative of a shift of perspective (sense of direction) of the economy in the Internal Market, but only an evolution in continuance?

scholarly journals EU as a Highly Competitive Social Market Economy –Goal, Options, and Reality

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Václav Šmejkal ◽  
Stanislav Šaroch
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Market Economy ◽  
Internal Market ◽  
Present Form ◽  
Social Market Economy ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
Political Analysis ◽  
Social Market ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Eu

Abstract In paragraph 3 of its Article 3, the Treaty on European Union (TEU) requires the EU to go after the goal of a highly competitive social market economy for the first time. It is noticeable in the aforementioned Treaty clause that although it deals with the EU internal market, its authors burdened it with a mission that is far more socially-oriented than market-oriented. However, is „a highly competitive social market econo-my“ of today a meaningful goal and does the EU in its present form have the project and powers to achieve such an objective? The paper is a combination of economic and legal -political analysis through which the authors try to answer three main questions: What is the contemporary meaning of the term “social market economy” in the both economic and EU-law academic theory? Can the EU within the powers conferred to it positively fulfill such an objective, or can it just approach it by weakening the still pre-vailing tendency towards liberalization and deregulation brought about by the construc-tion of the EU internal market and by the promotion of its freedoms?

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