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Welfare, gender and fatherhood

Michael Rush

in Between Two Worlds of Father Politics: USA or Sweden?

Chapter one links the decline of patriarchal legitimacy over the course of the 20th century to welfare state expansion. It highlights that chapter one shows that the renaissance of the ‘welfare ... More

Chapter one links the decline of patriarchal legitimacy over the course of the 20th century to welfare state expansion. It highlights that chapter one shows that the renaissance of the ‘welfare modelling business’, was in a large part, driven by the growth of gender and feminist analysis in welfare state debates. Chapter one also shows that Nordic feminism historically promoted critical thinking about men's social-citizenship roles as fathersLess

Economic Crisis, Country Variations, and Institutional Structures

Gallie Duncan

in Economic Crisis, Quality of Work, and Social Integration: The European Experience

The chapter provides an overview of the findings of the research presented in the individual chapters. It considers first the general effects of the economic crisis for the quality of work in Europe ... More

The chapter provides an overview of the findings of the research presented in the individual chapters. It considers first the general effects of the economic crisis for the quality of work in Europe and then examines variations in experiences between the different regions. Finally it considers the usefulness of the major theories of institutional variation within capitalism in accounting for these differences.Less

State–religion relations and welfare regimes in Europe

José Luis Romanillos, Justin Beaumont, and Mustafa Şen

in Faith-based organisations and exclusion in European cities

Chapter Two provides an introduction to the key terms, concepts and debates useful in describing political and ethical FBO activities. The chapter examines these activities and their relation to ... More

Chapter Two provides an introduction to the key terms, concepts and debates useful in describing political and ethical FBO activities. The chapter examines these activities and their relation to secularism, welfare and citizenship. It is divided into two sections. The first section explores historical and conceptual frameworks for thinking about FBO activity in Europe and the second looks at the neoliberal ideologies and the political promise of FBOs.Less

Housing and support in Britain and Sweden

David Clapham

in Accommodating difference: Evaluating supported housing for vulnerable people

Chapter five begins the examination of particular supported housing models by explaining the focus of the book on two particular countries. It explains the reasons for choosing an international ... More

Chapter five begins the examination of particular supported housing models by explaining the focus of the book on two particular countries. It explains the reasons for choosing an international comparative approach and justifies the choice of Britain and Sweden as the two countries studied here. Reference is made to the welfare regimes approach that seeks to identify and explain the differences in welfare expenditures and policies between countries. A description is made of the main support and housing policies in the two countries. There are many similarities in support policies, although Britain has gone further in the directions of marketisation and personalisation. In housing, both systems are ‘monstrous hybrids’ with elements of market and state provision and regulation that often combine to create problems, such as low housing supply and inadequate accommodation, as well as unequal distribution and segregation, that can make life difficult for some vulnerable households.Less

What do people want? Leave policy preferences in different countries1

Isabel Valarino

Peter Moss, Ann-Zofie Duvander, and Alison Koslowski (eds)

in Parental Leave and Beyond: Recent International Developments, Current Issues and Future Directions

Leave schemes vary considerably across countries, notably regarding their duration and the extent to which mothers and fathers are encouraged to share them. This chapter analyses individuals’ ... More

Leave schemes vary considerably across countries, notably regarding their duration and the extent to which mothers and fathers are encouraged to share them. This chapter analyses individuals’ attitudes toward leave duration and gender division of leave in 27 countries to examine whether these different institutional contexts influence leave policy preferences. It draws on representative sample data from the period 2012-2014 and uses descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses. Results show that paid leave is a well-accepted family policy instrument in Europe and beyond, but that stark differences exist across welfare regimes regarding what is considered a ‘good’ leave. Leave duration preferences range from about six months in liberal regimes, to roughly one year in social democratic and conservative ones, and up to two and three years in some post-communist regimes. Consensus is highest in post-communist and social democratic regimes, where leave has the longest history and is most institutionalised.Less

European Welfare Programs in the Era of Immigration

Dennis C. Spies

in Immigration and Welfare State Retrenchment: Why the US Experience is not Reflected in Western Europe

As mass immigration is a relatively recent phenomenon in Europe, it encounters states in which mature welfare regimes have already been in place for several decades. Therefore, the chapter starts ... More

As mass immigration is a relatively recent phenomenon in Europe, it encounters states in which mature welfare regimes have already been in place for several decades. Therefore, the chapter starts with an overview of the most important welfare programs in Europe, according to their degree of universalism, the generosity of their replacement rates, means testing, and their redistributive character—asking how much they resemble the welfare or social security part of the US regime. It is shown that the institutional indicators explain a lot about the size of social expenditure budgets, and that programs with high middle-class involvement spend significantly more. Using EU-household survey data, Chapter 3 also offers an overview of how immigrants fare in the different programs, including immigrants’ welfare dependency, and discusses how this is related to the share of benefits they receive compared with the native population.Less

Labour Markets, Welfare States and the Dilemmas of European Social Democracy

Martin Rhodes

in The Crisis of Social Democracy in Europe

The author surveys contrasting models of political economy and social democratic efforts to reform labour markets and welfare states. The paradoxical conclusion is that social democratic parties have ... More

The author surveys contrasting models of political economy and social democratic efforts to reform labour markets and welfare states. The paradoxical conclusion is that social democratic parties have lost less electorally in countries where welfare states have been weaker and labour markets less regulated - the liberal welfare state countries. The severest challenges are faced by those social democratic parties that, historically, were builders or co-builders of large, highly decommodifying welfare states, as in the Nordic and continental-conservative countries. In Germany, social democrats have lost votes to the Greens and the Left Party while in the Nordic countries they have been outflanked by the mainstream conservatives, while losing to the populist right, both of whom have embraced welfarism.Less

From black hole to spring: the coming of age of social policy in the Arab countries?

Rana Jawad

in Social Policy Review 24: Analysis and debate in social policy, 2012

The chapter gives an overview of the mechanics and dynamics of the social policies and welfare regimes of the region of the Middle East with a particular focus on the Arab countries. It characterises ... More

The chapter gives an overview of the mechanics and dynamics of the social policies and welfare regimes of the region of the Middle East with a particular focus on the Arab countries. It characterises these countries as having a mixture of corporatist and residual welfare policies which emphasise contribution-based social insurance and one-off social assistance. Although the oil producing economies in the region have a high degree of dependence on oil revenues to fund social and welfare services, other sources of funding stemming from religious welfare institutions and practices such as the zakat (obligatory tax on assets) and waqf (religious endowments) also play a major role in helping people in need. Support provided by next of kin or charitable non-governmental and para-state organisations also play a key role in welfare provision. Social policies in Arab countries do not convey a strong sense of citizenship or social rights and the Arab spring is unlikely to bring about dramatic changes to welfare provision in the near future thought it has undoubtedly raised the importance of issues of social justice further.Less

The sociodemographic obstacles to participating in lifelong learning across Europe

Péter Róbert (ed.)

in Lifelong learning in Europe: Equity and efficiency in the balance

Based on large scale survey analysis, this chapter argues that there is a relationship between overall levels of participation and the level of inequalities that exist in access to formal adult ... More

Based on large scale survey analysis, this chapter argues that there is a relationship between overall levels of participation and the level of inequalities that exist in access to formal adult education. In countries where overall levels of participation are high, there are fewer socio-economic and demographic barriers than in countries with overall low levels of participation. There is strong support for the idea of bounded agency, in which individual biographies, including decisions to return to education, are strongly shaped by the over-arching social structures, including the welfare regime, within particular countries.Less

Ageing and employment in the Mediterranean: old and new challenges

Annamaria Simonazzi and Fiorenza Deriu

in Ageing in the Mediterranean

Population ageing is both a challenge and an opportunity. A challenge to the various welfare regimes, an opportunity to move towards a more comprehensive, sustainable and integrated life-course ... More

Population ageing is both a challenge and an opportunity. A challenge to the various welfare regimes, an opportunity to move towards a more comprehensive, sustainable and integrated life-course approach to active ageing. Moving from the premise that a high employment rate is the only way to secure long-term sustainability for any welfare system, this chapter focuses on the policy reforms that have been devised and implemented, at both the national and the local level, to increase the employment rate of elderly people, highlighting the possible trade-offs. While attention is paid to the institutional and economic realities of the Southern European countries, the final section will consider the extent to which the results and recommendations drawn from the analysis of the ageing question in the countries of the Northern Rim can provide a guide to policy for the other Mediterranean countries.Less

Housing and the living environment

Glen Bramley

in Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK: Vol. 2: The Dimensions of Disadvantage

Housing affordability problems are exacerbating poverty, particularly for working age households increasingly reliant on private renting, and housing needs have increased, reversing long-standing ... More

Housing affordability problems are exacerbating poverty, particularly for working age households increasingly reliant on private renting, and housing needs have increased, reversing long-standing trends. UK housing still partially insulates the poor from bad housing experience but this tendency is weakening. Fuel poverty has significantly worsened and the poor are 6-10 times more likely to experience its adverse impacts. The poor are also more likely to experience neighbourhood social and other problems. Less

Structural reforms in Europe: a comparative overview

Chiara Agostini and David Natali

in Labour Market Policies in the Era of Pervasive Austerity: A European Perspective

This chapter provides an overview of structural reforms (SRs) - measures to improve economic growth prospects and the ability of economies to adjust to economic shocks - introduced in Europe between ... More

This chapter provides an overview of structural reforms (SRs) - measures to improve economic growth prospects and the ability of economies to adjust to economic shocks - introduced in Europe between 1999 and 2012 and, in particular, during the Great Recession (2008-12). Starting from two organising principles of contemporary welfare capitalism, namely investment and protection, the chapter proposes a new typology of SRs for a more detailed analysis of SRs trends in Europe. Through the analysis of reforms in five policy areas (labour market policies, pensions, education, innovation/R&D, and public sector reforms) and across five country clusters pertaining to the different welfare/labour market regimes in Europe between 1999 and 2012 we address two key questions: Is there a common reform trend of a ‘race to the bottom’ in relation to social and employment rights? What has been the impact of the Great Recession: Do we see overall continuity or a shift between the pre- and post-crisis?Less

Family as a socio-economic actor in the political economy of welfare

Theodoros Papadopoulos and Antonios Roumpakis

Elke Heins, Catherine Needham, and James Rees (eds)

in Social Policy Review 31: Analysis and Debate in Social Policy, 2019

After years of neoliberal restructuring of social welfare, families are under pressure to act more strategically in absorbing the ever-increasing social risks and costs associated with social ... More

After years of neoliberal restructuring of social welfare, families are under pressure to act more strategically in absorbing the ever-increasing social risks and costs associated with social reproduction. Thus, we consider it imperative to expand our theoretical understanding of the family as a socio-economic actor whose agency extends beyond the realm of care provision. Drawing upon Karl Polanyi’s work on the variety of moral rationalities of economic action and upon critical realist sociological literature on the family as a relational subject this chapter conceptualizes the family as a collective socio-economic actor that deploys a portfolio of moral ‘rationales’ and practices (householding, reciprocity, redistribution and market exchange) to enhance the welfare of its members. We conclude by arguing for a new research agenda that treats the terrain of family’s collective agency as a separate level of analysis, where intersections of class, racial, gender and generational inequalities can be re-imagined in studying how different welfare regimes institutionalize the conditions for families to act as socio-economic agents. Less