Download or read book Privatisation against the European Social Model written by Marica Frangakis and published by Springer. This book was released on 2009-11-05 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses the EU as powerful driver of the wave of privatizations in the network industries and public services since the early 1990s. Based on theoretical arguments and empirical studies it examines the impact of these policies on what is regarded as the normative pillars of the European Social Model.

Download or read book Liberalisation and Privatisation in the EU written by European Commission and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This monograph gives an overview of the privatisation process in services of general interest in Europe and its outcomes, elaborating in particular on its consequences for the European social model. In the first parts, the history of privatisation is discussed, including its timing, rationale and drivers. An overview of different types of privatisation is also given as well as of the accompanying processes. Then the publication looks in detail into the economic outcomes, especially in the context of the underlying assumptions which justified decisions to launch the privatisation processes. It finds that most of the positive effects expected did not materialise at all or were very minor. As regards the creation of competitive markets, for example, increased competition was only achieved in countries and sectors that had a state monopoly at the outset. On the other hand, when a number of regional or local monopolies existed, market concentration increased as larger companies bought up their smaller competitors. Liberalisation and privatisation of public services also fundamentally challenged the traditional labour relations regime in the public sector, resulting in a two-tier system of stable bargaining structures within the incumbent firms, and decentralised and fragmented bargaining structures among new competitors, leading to lower employment standards. The advocates of shifting from public monopoly promised cheaper and better services, and that reduced prices would boost demand and create more jobs. However, the reality proved different, with rising atypical forms of employment and only minor productivity gains, driven mainly by lower labour input combined with other cost cutting strategies that led to a deterioration of employment and working conditions. Liberalisation and privatisation have also had some positive, as well as negative, effects on service quality. Furthermore, the publication argues that these processes have had adverse effects on the European Social Model as they resulted in lower social cohesion in access to good-quality public services. The publication draws implications for public policy, focusing in particular on the key phases of the privatisation process, the market regulation processes which need to be in place and the impact of privatisation on employment, industrial relations, productivity and profitability, and service quality -- EU Bookshop.

Download or read book Social Policy and Social Dimensions on Vulnerability and Resilience in Europe written by Birgit Bütow and published by Verlag Barbara Budrich. This book was released on 2015-05-04 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are two tendencies in present public discussions.Social problems have their causes in the individual, and are thus not a problem of socio-economic inequality. Consequently, we find an increasing policy in Europe of selfactivation and self-help as substitutes of social work. On the other hand, new types of social vulnerability and challenges for social work and social policy are detected which are discussed in the book in their European dimensions. Beginning in the last century in Europe, processes of social exclusion are discussed as common phenomena of the crisis in social welfare systems. They have their origins in the radical changes in paid employment, the weakening of family ties, and the increasing incapability of the welfare state to promote social inclusion. New types of ,social vulnerabilities’ are emerging - containing chances as well as risks. They are discussed in two ways. On the one hand the implementation of indicator-based management systems of social services is attempted, which implies a range of chances and risks in ethical and professional self-image. On the other hand there are self-help movements, social networks and other social types of resilience – which are often a complement or support to Social Work. Yet there is a policy to substitute Social Work by a strategy of self-activation. Both developments are signs of the present and indicators of the future of Social Work. They show the necessity of clarifying the social and political scopes and prospects of Social Work in societies at the crossroads of enhancing civility, human development and social security or overburden the vulnerable, who face new dimensions of psychological, ecological and economic distress. This book is an attempt to bring together several European discussions concerning Social Work and social politics.

Download or read book The EU Economic and Social Model in the Global Crisis written by Dagmar Schiek and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-02-11 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses the viability of the EU economic and social model within and after the global economic crisis. It identifies four key issues which warrant further discussion: (1) the asymmetry of the legal and policy framework of the euro and potential recalibration; (2) substantive tensions between the EU ’economic constitution’ and its normative aim of social justice and impacts on national policy; (3) the role of civil society, including the two sides of industry in overcoming these tensions; and (4) the EU’s global aspirations towards the creation of a viable socio-economic model. Its chapters offer two perspectives on each of the four main issues. In drawing these debates together, the book provides a broad understanding as well as starting points for future research. Bringing together different disciplinary approaches, ranging from legal studies to political economy, sociology and macroeconomics, it is a valuable contribution to the debate on the European social model and introduces new insights by focusing on legal and political tensions, the impact of the financial crisis and other economic contexts as well as global dimensions.

Download or read book Privatization of Public Services written by Christoph Hermann and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-02-15 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Public services throughout Europe have undergone dramatic restructuring processes in recent years in connection with liberalization and privatization. While evaluations of the successes of public services have focused on prices and efficiency, much less attention has been paid to the impacts of liberalization and privatization on employment, labor relations, and working conditions. This book addresses this gap by illustrating the ways in which liberalization has contributed to increasing private and foreign ownership of public services, the decentralization of labor relations has amplified pressure on wages, and decreasing employment numbers and increasing workloads have improved productivity partly at the cost of service quality. Examining diverse public-service sectors including network industries, public transportation, and hospitals, and using international case studies, Privatization of Public Services covers a wide range of aspects of service provision, with particular emphasis on companies and workers. The result is a unique picture of the changes created by the liberalization processes in Europe.

Download or read book Global Social Transformation and Social Action The Role of Social Workers written by Sven Hessle and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-22 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global social transformation calls for global social action. 2010 saw the launch of The Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development, which detailed how social workers can strive to bring about increased social justice. The time is right to start to address and demonstrate the actions that might be required to develop and accomplish the Agenda - with regard to methods in practice and research, in social policy and social work education, and in a broader discourse of global commitment and cooperation. This informative and incisively written edited collection brings together experts from around the world to discuss issues which the social work and social welfare sectors face every day and to ensure a closer link between evidence-based practice, policy objectives and social development goals. Furthermore, this book reveals how these may affect the conditions of people and demonstrate how the social work and social development community can contribute to sustainable development.

Download or read book Unwrapping the European social model written by Serrano Pascual, Amparo and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2006-07-12 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The notion of the European Social Model (ESM) has been one of the fastest growing in European political and academic discourse in recent years. It is conventionally used to describe the European experience of simultaneously promoting sustainable economic growth and social cohesion. However, the concept has suffered from a lack of clear definition. And where definitions have been found in the literature, they do not necessarily converge. This book presents the outcome of a project coordinated by the European Trade Union Institute in which experts from different countries and social scientific disciplines (sociology, political science and economics) were invited to reflect on both the meaning and political status of the concept of the ESM. In addition to analysing the ambiguities and multiple meanings attributed to the concept, the authors unpick the underlying assumptions and make use of a new approach - the ESM as political project - with which European countries can build consensus and share a common understanding. Offering a new analytical framework and with new empirical evidence, Unwrapping the European Social Model is essential reading for all those involved in European social policy research, education, policy and practice.

Download or read book European Societies Today written by James Wickham and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-06-01 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This accessible new text introduces students to contemporary European societies by examining structures of inequality, making sense of the empirical and historical contexts. Focusing on seven differing European societies (France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the UK), it examines the different ways in which sociology and political economy understand the social structure of contemporary Europe. Separate chapters outline key aspects of inequality, beginning with income, wealth and poverty, followed by occupation and social class, gender, regional inequality, ethnicity, and migration. By focusing on the role of the national welfare states of Europe in restraining economic inequality, the book enables a realistic appraisal of the ‘European Social Model’. Key features: Examines European ‘distinctiveness’ and difference; Visual presentation of data accessibly informs the reader about distinctive features of specific societies; Comparative approach extends to evaluate the extent to which Europe differs from the USA; Illustrates how the UK’s half-hearted relationship to ‘Europe’ is not just a matter of history or politics but also of contemporary social structure; Key in-text features include discussion topics and key readings. This textbook will be essential reading for students of European studies, European politics, European societies, social inequality/structure, European welfare and policy and more broadly to sociology and public policy and administration.

Download or read book Consumer Vulnerability and Welfare in Mortgage Contracts written by Irina Domurath and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-11-30 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book advocates a new way of thinking about mortgage contracts. This claim is based on the assumption that we currently live in a political economy in which consumer debt fulfils a social function. In the field of housing this is evidenced by the expansion of mortgage credit through which consumers are to purchase residential property as a means of social inclusion and personal welfare. It is suggested that contract law needs to adjust to this new social function in order to avoid welfare losses in terms of default, over-indebtedness, and possibly eviction. To this end, this book analyses theoretical contract law frameworks and makes concrete proposals for contract law in the EU legal order.

Download or read book Privatisation in the European Union written by Judith Clifton and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Judith Clifton, Francisco Comín and Daniel Díaz Fuentes in Privatisation in the European Union reject the two dominant explanations provided in literature, which include a simple 'Americanisation' of policy and a 'varied' privatisation experience without a common driving force. Using a systematic comparative analysis of privatisation experiences in each country from the 1980s to the beginning of the twenty first century, the authors show how the process of European integration and the need for internationally competitive industries have constituted key driving forces in the quest for privatisation across the EU. As privatisation slows down at the turn of the millennium, what future can citizens expect for public enterprises? Privatisation in the European Union is essential reading for researchers, students and policy-makers interested in privatisation, EU policy and the history of public enterprises.

Download or read book Unequal Europe written by James Wickham and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-03-02 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This wide-ranging and comparative text reviews the major theoretical and substantive debates on social inequality in Europe. It provides a valuable dual focus on European society and individual societies while placing Europe in its wider global context. Demonstrating the continued importance of national difference within Europe, the author argues that nonetheless the European Social Model has softened social inequalities such as those of wealth and income distribution, social class, gender and possibly even ethnicity. However these achievements are now being undermined, partially by the European Union itself. The book also challenges conventional wisdom on Europe’s alleged need for immigration and highlights the UK’s distinctiveness within Europe, explaining the country’s uneasy relation to the European project. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of Politics, European Societies, Social Policy and Comparative Studies.

Download or read book Social Housing in Europe written by Kathleen Scanlon and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2014-09-29 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All countries aim to improve housing conditions for their citizens but many have been forced by the financial crisis to reduce government expenditure. Social housing is at the crux of this tension. Policy-makers, practitioners and academics want to know how other systems work and are looking for something written in clear English, where there is a depth of understanding of the literature in other languages and direct contributions from country experts across the continent. Social Housing in Europe combines a comparative overview of European social housing written by scholars with in-depth chapters written by international housing experts. The countries covered include Austria, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, The Netherlands and Sweden, with a further chapter devoted to CEE countries other than Hungary. The book provides an up-to-date international comparison of social housing policy and practice. It offers an analysis of how the social housing system currently works in each country, supported by relevant statistics. It identifies European trends in the sector, and opportunities for innovation and improvement. These country-specific chapters are accompanied by topical thematic chapters dealing with subjects such as the role of social housing in urban regeneration, the privatisation of social housing, financing models, and the impact of European Union state aid regulations on the definitions and financing of social housing.

Download or read book The European Social Model Adrift written by Serena Romano and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-03-09 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume presents a new perspective for discussing the European social contract and its main challenges, bringing together single-nation and comparative studies from across Europe. Presenting both theoretical discussions and empirical case studies, it explores various aspects of social cohesion, including social protection, the labour market, social movements, healthcare, social inequalities and poverty. With particular attention to the effects of the international economic and financial crisis on social cohesion, particularly in the light of the implementation of so-called ’austerity measures’, authors engage with questions surrounding the possible fragmentation of the European model of social cohesion and the transformation of forms of social protection, asking whether social cohesion continues to represent - if it ever did - a common feature of European countries. Breaking new ground in understanding the future of Social Europe and its main dynamics of change, The European Social Model Adrift will appeal to scholars of sociology, social policy and politics, with interests in social cohesion, the effects of financial crisis and the European social model.

Download or read book The Dynamics of Welfare Markets written by Clémence Ledoux and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-02-03 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume represents the beginning of a 'cross pollination' of different social scientific disciplines, bridging the boundaries between national and disciplinary epistemic communities in the worlds of European welfare markets. It maps the common ground and uncovers new research directions for the future study of actors, policies and institutions shaping the growth and dynamics of European welfare markets. The book defines welfare markets as politically shaped, regulated and state supported markets that provide social goods and services through the competitive activities of non-state actors. The chapters focus on what happens after states have initiated welfare markets, with equal weight given to the analysis of the agency of state actors and non-state actors in the contraction, stabilisation, and disruption of welfare markets. By focusing the analysis on two cases of welfare markets, private pensions and home-based domestic/care work, the contributions explore and compare the dynamics of different types of markets. The research will be of use to sociologists and scholars of social policy interested in the social dimension of welfare markets, political scientists and political economists, as well as diverse epistemic communities across the social sciences. Chapter 1 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Download or read book Global Finance and Social Europe written by John Grahl and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'This book provides an excellent critical account of the relationship between global financial developments, the emergent European financial system, and the implications of the operation of these for the European social model and its future. The chapters carefully analyze the characteristics of current financial relationships and show how these impinge on a whole range of policy areas from employment and social protection thought to economic stability and retail financial markets. The book builds up a systematic picture of the pressures being experienced throughout European society as financial engineering has gathered pace, and provides telling suggestions as to how to combat the most threatening aspects of these developments for European policy makers. This book is a "must read" for anyone concerned about the possible consequences of recent tumultuous events that have shaken the global financial system.' – Grahame Thompson, The Open University, UK and Copenhagen Business School, Denmark With global finance reshaping the world economy, this insightful new book provides a full account of the EU's financial integration strategy, together with a critical assessment arguing the case for social control over global finance. Written by acknowledged experts in European finance, this book discusses key issues from finance to general social developments, encompassing social security systems, employment relations, household saving and borrowing, and the question of economic stability. Thus far, America has been pre-eminent both in global financial markets and international banking – so how should the European Union meet this challenge? Global Finance and Social Europe constructively argues that an active response is required and highlights the importance of an integrated European financial system. Aimed at an international audience, this book will strongly appeal to researchers, academics and readers who share an interest in European integration and global economic issues.

Download or read book Welfare Markets in Europe written by Amandine Crespy and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-06-23 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the European welfare model, arguing that the rollout of European policies for welfare services has led to increased marketization. The author argues that the rise of profit-making in utilities, transport, child and health care is exacerbating rather than reducing inequalities among citizens, demonstrating how the marketization of European welfare has taken place over successive rounds of policymaking for European integration. These rounds have motivated national level public services reform, as well as contestation over these measures from civil society groups. The study traces the developments of policymaking at EU level since the late 1980s, offers in-depth studies of contentious debates which have sealed the fate of welfare services at the turn of the century, and offers insights on the problems involved with prolonged austerity in Europe. This book therefore shows how European integration is provoking a democratic challenge to what kind of Europe citizens want.

Download or read book Human Rights Or Global Capitalism written by Manfred Nowak and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Human Rights or Global Capitalism examines the application of neoliberal policies from a human rights perspective and asks whether states, by outsourcing to the private sector many services with a direct impact on human rights, abdicate their responsibilities to uphold human rights and violate international law.