Social Policy in Times of Austerity
Social Policy in Times of Austerity

Author: Kevin Farnsworth

Publisher: Policy Press

Published: 2015-09-15

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 144731915X

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The 2008 global economic crisis was unprecedented in living memory and its impact on economic and social life immense. Large-scale social policy interventions played a crucial role in helping to mediate the crisis, and yet the welfare state continues to come under attack. A new age of austerity, based more on politics than economics, is threatening to undermine the very foundations of the welfare state. However, as this important book illustrates, there is still room for optimism - resistance to the logic of austerity exists within organisations and governments, and among peoples, demonstrating how essential social policies remain to human progress. The second of a three-book series covering the post-2008 global economic crisis and the period of austerity, this volume draws together edited chapters from leading scholars engaged in the debate and will be equally suitable for academics and other researchers studying international and comparative social policy, as well as upper level undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Welfare State Legitimacy in Times of Crisis and Austerity
Welfare State Legitimacy in Times of Crisis and Austerity

Author: Tijs Laenen

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2020-08-28

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1788976304

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Has there been change or continuity in the welfare attitudes of Europeans since the 2008 financial crisis? Using data from the European Social Survey, this book reveals how various types of welfare attitudes evolved between 2008, when the crisis triggered economic recessions and welfare reforms across Europe, and 2016, when most countries had largely recovered from that crisis.

Social policy in challenging times
Social policy in challenging times

Author: Farnsworth, Kevin

Publisher: Policy Press

Published: 2011-09-21

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 1847428290

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There is no precedent to the current economic crisis which looks set to redefine social policy debate throughout the globe. But its effects are not uniform across nations. Bringing together a range of expert contributions, the key lesson to emerge from this book is that 'the crisis' is better understood as a variety of crises, each mediated by national context. Consequently, there is an array of potential trajectories for welfare systems, from those where social policy is regarded as incompatible with the post-crisis economy to those where it is considered essential to future economic growth and security.

Politics in the Age of Austerity
Politics in the Age of Austerity

Author: Wolfgang Streeck

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2013-05-09

Total Pages: 465

ISBN-13: 0745670083

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In a world of increasing austerity measures, democratic politics comes under pressure. With the need to consolidate budgets and to accommodate financial markets, the responsiveness of governments to voters declines. However, democracy depends on choice. Citizens must be able to influence the course of government through elections and if a change in government cannot translate into different policies, democracy is incapacitated. Many mature democracies are approaching this situation as they confront fiscal crisis. For almost three decades, OECD countries have - in fits and starts - run deficits and accumulated debt. As a result, an ever smaller part of government revenue is available today for discretionary spending and social investment and whichever party comes into office will find its hands tied by past decisions. The current financial and fiscal crisis has exacerbated the long-term shrinking government discretion; projects for political change have lost credibility. Many citizens are aware of this situation: they turn away from party politics and stay at home on Election Day. With contributions from leading scholars in the forefront of sociology, politics and economics, this timely book will be of great interest to students and scholars throughout the social sciences as well as general readers.

Austerity, Welfare and Work
Austerity, Welfare and Work

Author: Etherington, David

Publisher: Policy Press

Published: 2020-09-15

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1447350081

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David Etherington provides bold and fresh perspectives on the link between welfare policy and employment relations as he assesses their fundamental impact on social inequalities. Exploring how reforms, including Universal Credit, have reinforced employment and social insecurity, he assesses the role of NGOs, trade unions and policymakers in challenging this increasingly work-focused welfare agenda. Drawing on international and national case studies, the book reviews developments, including rising job insecurity, low pay and geographical inequalities, considered integral to neoliberal approaches to social spending. Etherington sets out the possibilities and challenges of alternative approaches and progressive new paths for welfare, the labour market and social rights.

Social Movements in Times of Austerity: Bringing Capitalism Back Into Protest Analysis
Social Movements in Times of Austerity: Bringing Capitalism Back Into Protest Analysis

Author: Donatella della Porta

Publisher: Polity

Published: 2015-05-04

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780745688589

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Recent years have seen an enormous increase in protests across the world in which citizens have challenged what they see as a deterioration of democratic institutions and the very civil, political and social rights that form the basis of democratic life. Beginning with Iceland in 2008, and then forcefully in Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, Greece and Portugal, or more recently in Peru, Brazil, Russia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Ukraine, people have taken to the streets against what they perceive as a rampant and dangerous corruption of democracy, with a distinct focus on inequality and suffering. This timely new book addresses the anti-austerity social movements of which these protests form part, mobilizing in the context of a crisis of neoliberalism. Donatella della Porta shows that, in order to understand their main facets in terms of social basis, strategy, and identity and organizational structures, we should look at the specific characteristics of the socioeconomic, cultural and political context in which they developed. The result is an important and insightful contribution to understanding a key issue of our times, which will be of interest to students and scholars of political and economic sociology, political science and social movement studies, as well as political activists.

Social Services Disrupted
Social Services Disrupted

Author: Anneli Anttonen Anttonen

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Public social services are a key component of the welfare state in most of Europe, although their development trajectories, coverage and legal status still vary considerably among countries. How such services are provided and for whom impacts significantly on social and territorial cohesion, gender balance and, ultimately, on the development of any society. However, while much is discussed and written about social policy and welfare systems, social services remain somewhat neglected. Although they have gained a stronger foothold in national legislations and social policy agendas, their status remains weaker compared to education or health. Moreover, because of the austerity measures following the 2008 financial crisis, they have been subject to cuts and reorganisation, which have brought about significant disruption. This book revives the discussion on public social services and their redesign, with a focus on services relating to care and the social inclusion of vulnerable groups. Conveying the main findings of the EU-funded COST Action IS1102 Social Services, Welfare States and Places, the book provides rich information on the changes that occurred in the organisation and supply of public social services over the last thirty years in different European places and service fields. Despite the persisting variety in social service models, three shared trends emerge: public sector disengagement, 'vertical re-scaling' of authority and 'horizontal re-mix' in the supply system.

SOCIAL RIGHTS IN EUROPE IN AN AGE OF AUSTERITY
SOCIAL RIGHTS IN EUROPE IN AN AGE OF AUSTERITY

Author: Stefano Civitarese Matteucci

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-08-07

Total Pages: 334

ISBN-13: 1351791427

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This collection of essays examines the promise and limits of social rights in Europe in a time of austerity. Presenting in the first instance five national case studies, representing the biggest European economies (UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain), it offers an account of recent reforms to social welfare and the attempts to resist them through litigation. The case studies are then used as a foundation for theory-building about social rights. This second group of chapters develops theory along two complementary lines: first, they explore the dynamics between social rights, public law, poverty and welfare in times of economic crisis; second, they consider the particular significance of the European context for articulations of, and struggles over, social rights. Employing a range and depth of expertise across Europe, the book constitutes a timely and highly significant contribution to socio-legal scholarship about the character and resilience of social rights in our national and regional constitutional settings.

Austerity
Austerity

Author: Alberto Alesina

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2020-12

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 0691208638

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A revealing look at austerity measures that succeed—and those that don't Fiscal austerity is hugely controversial. Opponents argue that it can trigger downward growth spirals and become self-defeating. Supporters argue that budget deficits have to be tackled aggressively at all times and at all costs. Bringing needed clarity to one of today's most challenging economic issues, three leading policy experts cut through the political noise to demonstrate that there is not one type of austerity but many. Austerity assesses the relative effectiveness of tax increases and spending cuts at reducing debt, shows that austerity is not necessarily the kiss of death for political careers as is often believed, and charts a sensible approach based on data analysis rather than ideology.

Social Policies in Times of Austerity and Populism
Social Policies in Times of Austerity and Populism

Author: Natália Sátyro

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-07-12

Total Pages: 391

ISBN-13: 1040086845

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Featuring the latest research by Brazilian-based scholars previously inaccessible to an English-speaking audience, this book is a timely, authoritative, multidisciplinary overview of social policies in Brazil during the Temer austerity and the Bolsonaro populist presidencies. The breadth of policies studied herein provides clues on the political agenda, preferences, and strategies during this tumultuous period in Brazil’s history. Divided into four parts, Part I is a conceptualization: it brings basic understanding of Brazilian social policies, explains the trajectory of the Brazil political landscape, including the growth of a populist right-wing movement, the economic crisis and the increase in poverty and inequality in Brazil prior, and the threat to democracy brought about by the disinformation ecosystem. Part II discusses social security, social assistance, conditional cash transfers, and healthcare. Part III analyzes the neoliberal strategies to social investment policies, specifically labor, family, and education. In Part IV, the authors turn their attention to non-conventional topics that are not typically included in research on welfare state retrenchment, including the environment and indigenous rights, and police violence and gun control. Social Policies in Times of Austerity and Populism is unhesitatingly recommended to all those who teach welfare state politics, comparative public policy, development studies, Brazilian politics, and right-wing politics.