Protecting outsiders? Corporatism and the dualisation of unemployment protection in Germany and Austria

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bastian Betthäuser
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Systems Design ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
The Social ◽  
Cross National ◽  
The Way

Recent research has found that much of the social protection retrenchment since the early 1990s has been targeted at workers with low or unstable incomes, resulting in a ‘dualisation’ of social protection. However, little is known about the causes for cross-national variation in the way that different welfare states have reformed unemployment protection for these ‘labour market outsiders’. This article sheds light on the potential causes for this variation by considering the cases of Germany and Austria, two countries that have diverged markedly in their reforms of unemployment protection for non-standard workers. Based on a ‘most-similar-systems’ design and an analysis of the reform trajectories of the two countries, the power of unions to influence the policy process through corporatist institutions and through their ties to political parties is identified as an important factor in this divergence—one that has received surprisingly little attention in the dualisation literature thus far.

The Political Economy of Work and Welfare

2021 ◽  
pp. 422-444
Author(s):  
Micheál L. Collins ◽  
Mary P. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Full Employment ◽  
The Political ◽  
Welfare Regime ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sectoral Composition ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Institutional Architecture

The political economy of Irish work and welfare has dramatically changed over recent decades. Since the 1980s, Ireland has experienced two periods of high unemployment followed by two periods of full employment. Alongside this, we see considerable shifts in both the sectoral composition of the workforce and in the institutional architecture underpinning the labour market. Focusing on the last decade, this chapter contextualizes the Irish labour market in the Irish growth model, highlighting issues including occupational upgrading, low pay, gender composition, and migration. The chapter then explores links between this employment structure and Ireland’s changing welfare regime. It considers recent institutional changes, as the welfare regime shifted to a work-first form of activation, and the long-term sustainability of the social protection system. The chapter concludes by highlighting what we see as the core challenges for the political economy of work and welfare in Ireland.

Economic Vulnerability and Partisanship in Latin America

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (03) ◽  
pp. 80-103
Author(s):  
Melina Altamirano
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Economic Vulnerability ◽  
Social Security Benefits ◽  
Cross National

ABSTRACTA significant proportion of the population in Latin America depends on the informal economy and lacks adequate protection against a variety of economic risks. This article suggests that economic vulnerability affects the way individuals relate to political parties. Given the truncated structure of welfare states in the region, citizens in the informal sector receive lower levels of social security benefits and face higher economic uncertainty. This vulnerability makes it difficult for voters to establish strong programmatic linkages with political parties because partisan platforms and policies do not necessarily represent their interests and needs. Using cross-national microlevel data, this study shows that individuals living in informality are skeptical about state social policy efforts and exhibit weaker partisan attachments. The findings suggest that effective political representation of disadvantaged groups remains a challenge in Latin American democracies.

scholarly journals Mapping Different Worlds of Eco-Welfare States

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1819
Author(s):  
Katharina Zimmermann ◽  
Paolo Graziano
Keyword(s):  
Social Protection ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Social Deprivation ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Environmental Performance Index ◽  
The Social ◽  
Ecologically Sustainable ◽  
Sustainable Action ◽  
Ecological Dimension ◽  
European Welfare States

Attention towards topics such as environmental pollution, climate change, or biodiversity has strongly increased in the last years. The struggles to balance market powers and ecological sustainability somehow evoke memories of the early days of European welfare states, when social protection emerged as a means to prevent industrial capitalism from disruptive social tensions due to excessive social inequalities. In fact, social and environmental crises are inseparably intertwined, as ecological destruction is likely to be followed by social deprivation, and a lack of social security can be a crucial barrier for ecologically sustainable action. Our paper seeks to provide a step towards such an integrated perspective by studying problem pressure and public interventions in the area of green welfare, that is, in social and environmental protection. By using available data from Eurostat and Environmental Performance Index (EPI) databases, we contrast environmental and social performances to detect links between the social and the ecological dimension in these areas and unearth different configurations of green welfare among European countries. Our findings suggest that there are different “worlds of eco-welfare states” which only partially overlap with the more conventional “world of welfare states” but show how the Nordic countries are in the relatively-better performing cluster.

Cross-National Variation in Socioeconomic Status and Delinquency: A Comparative Study of Adolescents from 26 European Countries

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 677-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jukka Savolainen ◽  
Jukka Savolainen ◽  
Lorine A. Hughes ◽  
Jukka Savolainen ◽  
Lorine A. Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Stratification ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Class Differences ◽  
National Differences ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Cross National

Abstract This research examined cross-national differences in the association between social class and delinquency. The poverty hypothesis expects socioeconomic disadvantage to exert a causal influence on delinquent behavior. This expectation implies that the individual-level association between family SES and delinquent offending will be attenuated at increased levels of collective social protection. The social selection perspective also assumes a negative relationship between SES and delinquency but explains it away as a spurious consequence of intergenerational transmission of antisocial propensity. In light of comparative research on social stratification, the selection perspective suggests that the association between low parental SES and offspring criminality may be stronger in advanced welfare states due to reduced influence of ascribed characteristics on socioeconomic attainment in these countries. Survey data from 26 European countries (n=78,703) were used to evaluate the validity of these conflicting hypotheses. In support of the selection perspective, results showed that class differences in delinquent offending are larger in more advanced welfare states.

scholarly journals From Social Protection to Social Investment

2021 ◽  
pp. 343-394
Author(s):  
Olaf van Vliet ◽  
Vincent Bakker ◽  
Lars van Doorn
Keyword(s):  
Technological Change ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Social Investment ◽  
Investment Policies ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Eastern European Countries ◽  
European Welfare States

Globalization, technological change, and migration form three major challenges for European welfare states in the 21st century. These challenges are regarded as important sources of inequality on the labour market. Whereas the existing literature has mainly been focused on the sectors and occupations affected by globalization and technological change, the authors of this chapter argue that, via job polarization, these phenomena also affect the type of contract that workers have. They hypothesize that increased competition for low-paying jobs is associated with labour market flexibilization. Another major trend that they analyse is the free movement of labour. New data illustrate that labour migration from Central and Eastern European countries to Western European countries has grown slowly but substantially following recent enlargements of the Union. It has been considered a challenge for welfare states as it might contribute to feelings of economic insecurity and might erode solidarity, which forms the basis for the provision of social policy. Subsequently, the authors analyse how European welfare states have evolved over the past decades. They show that in spite of budgetary pressure stemming from globalization and migration, most countries have increased social expenditure. Furthermore, they analyse to what extent the focus has shifted from classical social protection to social investment policies to enable workers to adapt themselves to new labour market transformations. They contribute to the existing literature by covering years after the financial crisis for all EU member states and by demonstrating a novel way of correcting social expenditures for the number of recipients.

Religione, valori e welfare state: il caso italiano

2013 ◽  
pp. 45-73
Author(s):  
Ivo Colozzi
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Religious Culture ◽  
Italian Population ◽  
Social Doctrine ◽  
The Social

The article aims to analyze which aspects of the Italian welfare system are influenced (shaped) by the dominant religious culture, i.e. Catholicism. It also investigates whether the mechanism through which this influence has been able to shape the social legislation is represented by religion-inspired political parties or by the capacity of the religious culture to directly influence the value system of the majority of the Italian population. In the latter case even lay political parties and governments did contribute to implement in their social policy choices orientations referable to the dominant religious culture. Our argument unfolds through the following steps: 1) a short reconstruction of the Italian welfare state model; 2) an outline of the main principles of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church on welfare issues and social policy topics; 3) an account of the prevailing values on social issues according the Italian population; 4) an evaluation of how much both the principles and the values are incorporated in the present Italian welfare state system; 5) some final remarks on the mechanism through which the Italian Catholic Church has contributed to determine the social protection system.

Wohlfahrtsstaat und Interessenorganisationen im Wandel

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Interest Groups ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Labour Unions ◽  
Interest Representation ◽  
Social Risks ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Welfare State

Interest groups within the context of changing welfare states have gained widespread attention within the social sciences. Welfare states and interest groups are being faced with new challenges (e.g. in the context of several changes, such as new social risks). Schwache Interessen (weak interests) (such as poorly qualified ones) are also gaining more attention. This book discusses several different fields of interest representation in the welfare state. It analyses in what way constellations of interest representation have changed in modified welfare state environments. Several different organisations are analysed, including labour unions, the employers’ association and political parties. Moreover, the book also takes umbrella organisations of municipalities, social courts and educational policymakers into account. Until now, they have gained little attention from scholars. With contributions by: Lena Brüsewitz, Imke Friedrich, Sascha Kristin Futh, Tanja Klenk, Ulrike A.C. Müller, Frank Nullmeier, Sabine Ruß-Sattar, Friedbert Rüb, Wolfgang Schroeder, Benedikt Schreiter, Michaela Schulze, Florian Steinmüller, Christoph Strünck, Felix Welti

scholarly journals Pressures and transformations of the Turkish welfare regime

Argumentum ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-233
Author(s):  
Carlos Soto
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Private Insurance ◽  
Protection System ◽  
Welfare Regime ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family

The state, the family and the market are the main pillars of welfare regimes that have different configurations from one country to another. In Turkey, these mechanisms are under increasing pressure today. The family seems unable to extend protection beyond the nuclear household. In addition to that, support to rural employment and urban housing, deployed through clientele networks, decline. Wage insurance, as a way of accessing the social protection system, is also challenged by the characteristics of the labour market. We argue that the structure of employment is increasingly incompatible with the existing welfare system framework, which is mainly centred on formal workers insurance. In this context, will the current pensions and health reforms lead to a better articulation between employment forms and the social protection system? The first part of the article analyzes the evolution of the labour market since the 1990s. Recent adjustments of this market take place in the context of structural changes in the regulation of labour relations and of the economic model. The second part of the article examines social protection reforms. We analyse first parametric adjustments in the case of pensions (retirement age, period of contribution and replacement rates), and secondly, measures adopted to ensure universal access to health care and services. We argue that other forms of insurance and/or assistance might be necessary to increase the scope and depth of coverage. The last section explore three possible transformations of the Turkish welfare regime: increased labour market flexibility, a more important role of private insurance and the scope of social assistance mechanisms. 

scholarly journals Which Roads (if any) to Social Investment? The Recalibration of EU Welfare States at the Crisis Crossroads (2000–2014)

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEFANO RONCHI
Keyword(s):  
Social Protection ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Euro Crisis ◽  
Social Investment ◽  
Lisbon Strategy ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Social ◽  
Fiscal Space ◽  
European Welfare States ◽  
Welfare Expenditure

AbstractThe social investment approach has been advocated as a blueprint for recasting European welfare states since the years of the Lisbon Strategy. After the Euro crisis squeezed the fiscal space available for welfare recalibration, the question has been raised as to whether social investment could withstand the economic turmoil. Relying on a new welfare expenditure dataset constructed from various Eurostat sources, this article looks at the budgetary recalibration of 27 EU welfare states from the launch of the Lisbon Strategy to the aftermath of the Euro crisis (2000 to 2014). It compares the financial efforts that governments have put into social investment- and social protection-oriented policies, highlighting the different trajectories taken by EU welfare states at the crisis crossroads. Four scenarios for welfare recalibration are put forward, based on the social investment perspective and its critiques. The results show that the overall progress made by social investment in welfare budgets since 2000 came to a halt with the outbreak of the crisis. Bleaker scenarios materialised, whereas EU welfare states pursued retrenchment rather than investment, or had to face harsher budgetary trade-offs, expanding social investment to the detriment of social protection.

scholarly journals EXPERIENCE OF THE DEPUTIES OF THE SECOND STATE DUMA IN THE COMMISSIONS ON COMBATING HUNGER AND UNEMPLOYMENT (FEBRUARY-JUNE 1907)

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-31
Author(s):  
N.F. Bannikova ◽  
◽  
V.S. Minyashev ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Protection ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Legislative Branch ◽  
The Government ◽  
The City ◽  
The Way

The authors show the complexity of the work of the deputies of the Second State Duma (February-June 1907) on the acute issues of combating hunger and unemployment. In the conditions of the unfinished term of the Duma, since it was dissolved, the deputies tried to expand the work of the commissions for the social protection of the disadvantaged strata of the population. The authors note that the priority of the legislative branch in the draft work of the commissions was more clearly manifested by the socialist factions than by the liberal ones. Representatives of the left-wing factions tried to involve the city Dumas and public organizations in work on important issues, but the center-right and the government posed all sorts of obstacles to them. However, even in such difficult conditions, the deputies used every opportunity to strengthen the positions of the people's representation on the way to deepening democratic reforms in the country.

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