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Author: Marica Frangakis
Publisher: Springer
Published: 2009-11-05
Total Pages: 280
ISBN-13: 0230250688
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis 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.
Author: Marica Frangakis
Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
Published: 2009-11-05
Total Pages: 296
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis book presents a comprehensive overview and critical analysis of the processes of liberalization and privatization, and their consequences for economic performance, social cohesion and political democracy in the European Union. It examines the main drivers and the various theoretical rationales for privatisation in the context of different schools of thinking. It argues on the basis of broad empirical evidence that privatisation in Europe, particularly the ongoing privatization of social services, undermines the basic elements of the different social models that have developed in Europe. These arguments are supported by a number of in-depth case studies, with specific focus on health care, education and finance. The authors of this volume advance from this critique and explore the basic requirements for a progressive public sector and its role for economic, social and democratic development. This book will be indispensable reading for all interested in Economic Policy, Public Sector Economics, European Integration and Political Science.
Author: Birgit Bütow
Publisher: Verlag Barbara Budrich
Published: 2015-05-04
Total Pages: 167
ISBN-13: 3847404547
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThere 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.
Author: Dagmar Schiek
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2016-02-11
Total Pages: 224
ISBN-13: 1317033434
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis 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.
Author: Christoph Hermann
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2013-02-15
Total Pages: 226
ISBN-13: 1136316183
DOWNLOAD EBOOKPublic 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.
Author: Judith Clifton
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Published: 2013-03-09
Total Pages: 178
ISBN-13: 1475737335
DOWNLOAD EBOOKJudith 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.
Author: Sven Hessle
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2016-04-22
Total Pages: 265
ISBN-13: 1317127277
DOWNLOAD EBOOKGlobal 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.
Author: Serrano Pascual, Amparo
Publisher: Policy Press
Published: 2006-07-12
Total Pages: 273
ISBN-13: 184742161X
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe 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.
Author: James Wickham
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2020-06-01
Total Pages: 257
ISBN-13: 0429761252
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis 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.
Author: Irina Domurath
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2017-11-30
Total Pages: 223
ISBN-13: 1509913408
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis 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.
