The Handbook of European Welfare Systems

This book provides the first comprehensive information and detailed data on the welfare systems of all twenty-seven EU member states and offers the reader an invaluable introduction and basis for comparative welfare research. The introductory chapter summarizes the actual debate about welfare states and welfare (state) regimes, gives an overview on current welfare (state) research and analyses the main recent developments necessitating a new focus on European Welfare Systems. The twenty-seven chapters on the welfare systems of the member states are written on the basis of a common structure by experts from the individual states. An additional chapter analyses the current social and welfare policies of the EU and focuses on the interplay and limits between European and national social policies. Two concluding chapters provide (a) a first comparative analysis on the basis of all twenty-seven European Welfare Systems and (b) a theoretical reflection both arguing for and venturing the idea of politically limited pluralism in European welfare politics.

Dr. Klaus Schubert is Professor of German Politics and Policy Field Analysis at the Institute of Political Science, University of Münster, Germany
Dr. Simon Hegelich, is currently Research Fellow and Coordinator of the Graduate School of Politics at the Institute of Political Science, University of Münster, Germany
Dr. Ursula Bazant, is Counsellor at the Federal Chancellery of Austria, Department for Economic and OECD Affairs, Labour Market and Social Policy, Vienna, Austria

Part 1: Introduction 1. European Welfare Systems: Current State of Research and some Theoretical Considerations, Klaus Schubert, Simon Hegelich, Ursula Bazant Part 2: Country Studies 2. Welfare State Development in Austria: Strong Traditions Meet New Challenges, Karin Heitzmann, August Österle 3. Belgium: The Quest for Sustainability, Legitimacy and a Way out of “Welfare without Work”, Ive Marx 4. Impact of the Reforms of the Welfare State in Bulgaria after 1989 on Stratification, Solidarity and Integration of Groups at Risk, Rumiana Stoilova 5. Welfare Adaptation in a Divided State: The Cypriot Welfare System, Anthos I. Shekeris, Christina Ioannou, Christos Panayiotopoulos 6. The Czech Welfare System, Voitech Ripka, Miroslav Mareš 7. Conflict, Negotiation, Social Peace: The German Welfare System, Simon Hegelich, Hendrik Meyer 8. Between Economic Constraints and Popular Entrenchment – The Development of the Danish Welfare 1982 to 2005, Christoffer Green-Pedersen, Michael Baggesen Klitgaard 9. The Welfare System of Estonia: Past, Present and Future, Avo Trumm, Mare Ainsaar 10. The Welfare State in Spain: Unfinished business, Paloma de Villota, Susana Vázquez 11. The Welfare System of Finland, Olli Kangas, Juho Saari 12. The French Social Protection System: Current state and future Prospects, Camal Gallouj, Karim Gallouj 13. Inequalities and Deficiencies in Social Protection: The Welfare System of Greece, Christos Papatheodorou 14. From State Socialism to a hybrid Welfare State: Hungary, Katalin Tausz 15. The Irish Welfare System, Anthony McCashin and Judy O’Shea 16. The Italian Welfare State (still) in Transition: The Progressive Recalibration of Social Programmes and Greater Flexibility of Labour Market Policies, David Natali 17. The Welfare System of Lithuania, Jolanta Aidukaite 18. The Welfare System of Luxembourg. From Past Dependency to European Approach, Nicole Kerschen 19. The Welfare System in Latvia after Renewing Independence, Feliciana Rajevska 20. The Maltese Welfare State: Hybrid Wine in Rightist Bottles (with Leftist Labels)? Charles Pace 21. The Dutch Welfare System - From Collective Solidarity Towards Individual Responsibility, Wim van Oorschot 22. The Welfare State in Poland: Transformation with Difficulties, Renata Siemienska, Anna Domaradzka 23. The Portuguese Welfare System: From a Corporative Regime to a European Welfare State, José António Pereirinha, Manuela Arcanjo, Francisco Nunes 24. The Romanian Welfare State – Changing and Developing, Suzana Dobre 25. The Swedish Welfare State – A Model in Constant Flux? Sven E. O. Hort 26. The Slovene Welfare System: Gradual Reform instead of Shock Treatment, Zinka Kolaric, Anja Kopac, Tatjana Rakar 27. The Slovak Welfare System. Neo-liberal Nightmare or Welfare Pioneer of Middle-Eastern Europe? Olaf Wientzek, Hendrik Meyer 28. The British Welfare System: Marketisation from Thatcher to New Labour, Lavinia Mitton 29. European Union Social Policy. Towards a Post-national Welfare State? Wolfram Lamping Part 3: Comparative Analysis 30. European Welfare Systems: Diversity beyond existing Categories, Ursula Bazant, Klaus Schubert 31. Politically limited Pluralism as European Identity: European Welfare Systems, Simon Hegelich, Klaus Schubert