How is the Dutch population faring? That is the central question addressed in The Social State of the Netherlands 2009. This book describes the present status of the Netherlands and the Dutch in a number of key areas of life, and also highlights the changes that have taken place in people's life situation over the last ten years.

It devotes attention to separate groups based on age, sex, whether or not a person is disabled, ethnic origin, and financial position. The impact of the financial crisis that began in 2008 is also described for those themes for which data were...

This book examines the performance of the public sector of twenty-eight OECD countries between 1995 and 2009. Outcomes in the fields of education, health, housing, and safety are related to the amount of public spending. Special attention is paid to the viewpoint of the individual citizen. Observed differences in the productivity and effectiveness of public services logically lead to the question of how they come about. Can countries learn from each other and can they improve their public sector performance by adopting best practices found in other nations?

Europe is in flux. The economic crisis, large migration flows, and terrorist attacks have put pressure on international solidarity and attitudes towards civil liberties such as freedom of movement. To what extent do European countries favor immigration and receiving refugees? To what extent do they trust policymakers and one another? Are there shared values, beliefs, and attitudes among Europeans from different countries? This report analyzes the most recent data from the European Social Survey (ESS), a large-scale biennial study of attitudes and values in 15 European countries, with...