The end of the twentieth century saw an unprecedented coincidence of electoral success for social democratic parties in western Europe leading to intensive discussion on the future of this new European left. The debates often centred on the notion of a 'Third way' and generated major expectations for policy change among social democratic politicians and voters. The authors collected here examine the recent social and employment policies of these progressive parties, looking for change in the guiding principles of policy and on actual policy decisions. They show how the maxims of demand...

This new study assesses the welfare state to ask key questions and draw new conclusions about its place in modern society.
It shows how the welfare states that we have inherited from the early post-war years had one main objective: to protect the income of the male breadwinner. They secured his place in the labor market and provided a replacement income when work was not possible because of old age, invalidity, sickness or unemployment. Today, however, massive social change, in particular the shift from industrial to post-industrial societies and economies, have resulted in new demands...

European pension systems are increasingly under pressure. In this book Giuliano Bonoli examines policymakers' efforts to cope, caught between public support for existing pension schemes and the expected inability to sustain current arrangements in the context of an aging population. This book compares and assesses the process of pension policy-making in the UK, France and Switzerland, examining the factors that influence pension reform. The book looks at new pension legislation, demographic change, and pension financing, and will be of interest to policymakers as well as students of the...

European Welfare Futures presents a clear and up-to-date analysis of developments in social policy in the main EU member states. It provides a systematic account of welfare retrenchment and assesses the competing explanations of this process. The authors provide convincing evidence for the view that an 'ever closer union' in social policy will require a much more difficult process than that which led to monetary union.

The book makes a major contribution to understanding how welfare policy in Europe will develop over the next few years. It offers an original and wide-ranging...

European pension systems are increasingly under pressure. In this book Giuliano Bonoli examines policymakers' efforts to cope, caught between public support for existing pension schemes and the expected inability to sustain current arrangements in the context of an aging population. This book compares and assesses the process of pension policy-making in the UK, France and Switzerland, examining the factors that influence pension reform. The book looks at new pension legislation, demographic change, and pension financing, and will be of interest to policymakers as well as students of the...

Since the early 1990s, European welfare states have undergone substantial changes, in terms of objectives, areas of intervention, and instruments. Traditional programmes, such as old age pensions have been curtailed throughout the continent, while new functions have been taken up. At present, welfare states are expected to help non-working people back into employment, to complement work income for the working poor, to reconcile work and family life, to promote gender equality, to support child development, and to provide social services for an ageing society. The welfare settlement that is...

Since the mid-1990s European welfare states have undergone a major transformation. Relative to the post-war years, today they put less emphasis on income protection and more on the promotion of labour market participation. This book investigates this transformation by focusing on two fields of social policy: active labour market policy and childcare. Throughout Europe, governments have invested massively in these two areas. The result, a more active welfare state, seems a rather solid achievement, likely to survive the turbulent post-crisis years. Why? Case studies of policy trajectories in...