Showing papers in "Journal of European Social Policy in 2017"
TL;DR: Key findings are that Sweden comes at the top of the country ranking, followed closely by Denmark, the United Kingdom, Finland, the Netherlands and Ireland, and many of the Central European countries are at the bottom, highlighting much greater untapped potentials of active and healthy ageing among older people in these countries and a need for greater policy efforts.
Abstract: The active and healthy ageing measure reported here is calculated for the 28 European Union countries, with a specific focus on the current generation of older people and by using the latest data f...
78 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors show that returns to the parental home represent a dramatic housing career interruption that can have significant social and economic implications, and the interaction of individual characteristics with turning poin...
Abstract: Returns to the parental home represent a dramatic housing career interruption that can have significant social and economic implications. Interaction of individual characteristics with turning poin...
57 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the potential cleavages and conflicts between political support coalitions of social investment versus classical social transfer policies are explored, and the authors analyse international coalitions and conflicts.
Abstract: This article explores potential cleavages and conflicts between political support coalitions of social investment versus classical social transfer policies. To that extent, we analyse international...
49 citations
TL;DR: The scientific debate on social investment (SI) is moving from an ideological and normative approach towards a more realistic one as mentioned in this paper, and scholars are paying closer attention to the actual developments in...
Abstract: The scientific debate on social investment (SI) is moving from an ideological and normative approach towards a more realistic one. Scholars are paying closer attention to the actual developments in...
43 citations
TL;DR: Two sharply contrasting accounts exist for the relationships between welfare generosity and immigrant social rights as discussed by the authors, and the dualization hypothesis argues that due to fiscal pressures and welfare chauv[1]
Abstract: Two sharply contrasting accounts exist for the relationships between welfare generosity and immigrant social rights. The dualization hypothesis argues that due to fiscal pressures and welfare chauv...
42 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the question to what extent Germany fits into the recent trend of credit-based social policy that has originated in Anglophone economies and found that Germany fit into the trend in the course of the financial crisis.
Abstract: This article investigates the question to what extent Germany fits into the recent trend of credit-based social policy that has originated in Anglophone economies. In the course of the financial cr...
38 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of the 2008 financial crisis on child poverty across the EU-27 countries was investigated, and the results showed that the economic crisis triggered the first contraction of the world economy in the post-war era.
Abstract: The 2008 financial crisis triggered the first contraction of the world economy in the post-war era. This article investigates the effect of the Great Recession on child poverty across the EU-27 plu...
30 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyse data collected from a survey of Northern Irish low-income households experiencing varying degrees of financial hardship and examine how debt affects health and health-related behaviours.
Abstract: We analyse data collected from a survey of Northern Irish low-income households experiencing varying degrees of financial hardship and examine how debt affects health and health-related behaviours....
28 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe vocational education and training as a mixed blessing, on the one hand, vocational qualifications facilitate the school-to-work transitions of the transition of students to work.
Abstract: Vocational education and training (VET) has been described in the sociological literature as a mixed blessing. On one hand, vocational qualifications facilitate the school-to-work transitions of yo...
26 citations
TL;DR: This paper analyzed associations between configurations of labour market and education institutions and relative youth unemployment by examining 30 countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and found that no single institution constitutes a sufficient or necessary condition for relative youth employment.
Abstract: Many institutional theories assume that institutions function in conjunction with each other and, therefore, constitute regimes. Moreover, when analysing institutional effects most researchers maintain a purely variable-oriented approach and its ceteris-paribus logic of causal association. This article analyses associations between configurations of labour market and education institutions and relative youth unemployment by examining 30 countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The analysis reveals that no single institution constitutes a sufficient or necessary condition for relative youth unemployment. Institutions unfold their effects only in combination with other institutions, that is, they are always conjunctural. Low relative youth unemployment cannot be explained adequately. Employment protection is only associated with high relative youth unemployment if vocational specificity, standardisation and stratification is low.
26 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors study individual policy preferences on education policy and find that the study of individual policy preference has received little scholarly attention at the moment, despite its salient topic both in political debates and in the scholarly literature.
Abstract: Education policy is a salient topic both in political debates and in the scholarly literature. Still, the study of individual policy preferences on education policy has received little scholarly at...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate how employers rate applications from Spanish newcomers compared to those from young immigrant descendants of Spanish origin and find that newcomers are substantially less preferred than immigrant descendants born in Germany.
Abstract: Owing to the recent recession, the German apprenticeship model is once again praised for smoothing out school-to-work transitions. In line with the social policy shift of favouring education as a key means to combat youth unemployment, European Union (EU) recommendations and German national policies encourage young Southern and Eastern EU citizens to apply for apprenticeship training abroad. Yet, young people wanting to go abroad are not only mobile young people but also immigrants. Given the prevalence of ethnic disparities in the German apprenticeship system, the question arises whether employers would be willing to hire these newcomers. Using a factorial survey experiment, we investigate how employers rate applications from Spanish newcomers compared to those from young immigrant descendants of Spanish origin. The results indicate that newcomers are substantially less preferred than immigrant descendants born in Germany. Employers’ expectations about newcomers’ language skills and employers’ interest i...
TL;DR: The authors investigated the redistributive effect of labour, consumption, and capital tax rates on income equality and found that what matters from the point of view of redistribution is the tax mix rather than the tax rates in isolation of the rest.
Abstract: Using a panel data set of effective tax rates that are directly comparable across OECD countries and over time, we investigate the redistributive effect of labour, consumption and capital tax rates. We show that what matters from the point of view of redistribution is the tax mix rather than the tax rates in isolation of the rest. We also find that as countries become more economically developed, and thus institutionally stronger, the adverse effects of relative tax rates on income equality diminish.
TL;DR: This paper assess the validity of the codings directly at the level of quasi-sentences by re-categorizing and subcategorising the originally coded statements on equality, social just...
Abstract: The Comparative Manifestos Project (CMP) data set quantifies how much parties emphasize certain topics and positions and is very popular in the study of political parties. The data set is also increasingly applied in comparative political economy and welfare state studies that use the welfare-specific items rather than the CMP’s left–right scale to test hypotheses on the impact of political parties on social policies, (in)equality and the welfare state. But do these items provide a valid basis for descriptive and causal inferences? What do the items precisely capture? To answer these questions on concept validity, we use the new manifesto corpus data for German parties 2002–2013 and, to provide a further test, for US parties 2004–2012. Corpus data are the digitalized, originally hand-annotated and coded texts of electoral programmes. We assess the validity of the codings directly at the level of quasi-sentences by re-categorizing and subcategorizing the originally coded statements on equality, social just...
TL;DR: The authors contributes to the growing literature on framing of deservingness as an alternative to "blame avoidance" strategies in the politics of welfare retrenchment. In particular, the article f...
Abstract: The article contributes to the growing literature on framing of deservingness as an alternative to ‘blame avoidance’ strategies in the politics of welfare retrenchment. In particular, the article f...
TL;DR: This article investigated the influence of welfare state universalism on political and social tolerance in 15 Western Europea countries and found that it is commonly agreed that a comprehensive welfare state is capable of bridging class divides and overcoming social categorization.
Abstract: This article contributes to the ongoing discussion on how tolerance may be fostered in Western European countries and to the question of how contextual factors such as welfare state expenditures may contribute to this formation. Tolerance is understood as a basic democratic principle that helps civil societies cope with rising levels of diversity stemming from increased immigration and individualism. Within the tolerance literature, it is commonly agreed upon that a comprehensive welfare state is capable of bridging class divides and overcoming social categorization. However, over the past decades, European welfare states experienced an ongoing influx of immigrants, challenging their general purpose and increasing notions of ‘welfare chauvinism’. Drawing on insights from both tolerance and welfare state solidarity literature, we implement hierarchical analyses based on Eurobarometer data to assess the potential influence of welfare state universalism on political and social tolerance in 15 Western Europea...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider education as a social policy in its own right, from a life-course perspective and in relation to other policy areas, and broaden our understanding of the role of education as social policy.
Abstract: This Special Issue considers education as a social policy in its own right, from a life-course perspective and in relation to other policy areas. It recognizes the complexity of education systems and their multi-stage architecture. The volume broadens our understanding of the role of ‘education as social policy’ by addressing four different aspects: the importance of education providers, education as a means of social stratification, education as an interconnected regime component and public opinion on education as an important foundation of welfare state policies and a prerequisite for their sustainability in the long run. From a theoretical perspective, all authors critically engage with the social investment state approach that sees in education and training investment the lynchpin of a pre-distribution agenda protecting individuals from the new social risks of a competitive, knowledge-driven economy. The examples provided in this Special Issue expose the multifaceted role of education as social policy...
TL;DR: This article proposed a fourfold classification scheme based on the type of "penalty" that women experience in the labour market as mothers, and linked each penalty to distinct policy structures of childcare markets and showed that the four penalties are visible at both the country and individual level.
Abstract: How does the structure of a country’s childcare market influence maternal employment? Childcare markets vary across countries, leading mothers to rely on various forms of care depending on what is available to them in both the public (state-provided) and private (non-state) childcare markets. Maternal employment is higher in countries that combine comprehensive childcare policies with an available and affordable private care market. When aspects of either the public or private market are lacking, the employment of mothers, and especially mothers with young children, is lower. This article proposes a fourfold classification scheme based on the type of ‘penalty’ that women experience in the labour market as mothers. It then links each penalty to distinct policy structures of childcare markets and shows that the four penalties are visible at both the country and individual level. By articulating how public and private care markets work in concert to shape maternal employment, this article adds to a literatur...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate a particularly long parental leave system, and show that specific practices enable parents to share care work equally and divide care work unequally among themselves, while economic security was provided through means other than income, when work hours were flexibl...
Abstract: The birth of a child often reinforces an unequal division of employment and care work among heterosexual couples. Parental leave programmes that foster long leaves tend to increase this inequality within couples. However, by investigating a particularly long parental leave system, we show that specific practices enable parents to share care work equally. Our ethnographic study includes interviews with heterosexual couples, observations in prenatal classes and information material available to parents. Specific sets of practices – managing economic security, negotiating employment, sharing information with peers and feeding practices – involved parents who shared care work equally and parents who divided care work unequally. Contingent on specific situated practices, the arrangement of care work shifted in an equal or unequal direction. Even within long parental leaves, equality between parents was facilitated when economic security was provided through means other than income, when work hours were flexibl...
TL;DR: This article used fuzzy-set ideal type analysis to compare twenty-two countries representing five 'worlds' of welfare by how (de-)activating their labour market policies, parental leave provisions, childcare services and the scheduling of primary education are for lone mothers.
Abstract: Since the mid-1990s, welfare states have introduced various ‘activation’ policies designed to promote employment Most typologies distinguish between a Nordic-style ‘train-first’ approach focused on developing jobseekers’ employability, and an Anglo-Saxon ‘work-first’ approach that emphasises quick job (re-)entry These typologies tell us what activation means for the unemployed (male) worker But by ignoring the family, they overlook what activation means for the (female) parent-worker with childcare responsibilities To contribute to filling this gap, this article uses fuzzy-set ideal type analysis to compare twenty-two countries representing five ‘worlds’ of welfare by how (de-)activating their labour market policies, parental leave provisions, childcare services and the scheduling of primary education are for lone mothers It reveals that cross-national variations in support for maternal activation are not well captured by the Nordic-style ‘train-first’/Anglo-Saxon ‘work-first’ dichotomy Hence, despite the greater attention to gender and ‘new social risks’ within comparative social policy scholarship, the activation literature remains gender-blind
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of fiscal imperatives for periods of welfare state expansion is explored through a new perspective that draws on the theoretical insights of Fiscal Sociology, and the authors trace the path of such imperatives.
Abstract: Through a new perspective that draws on the theoretical insights of Fiscal Sociology, the article explores the role of fiscal imperatives for periods of welfare state expansion. By tracing the proc...
TL;DR: The last 20 years have seen a substantial increase in enrolment in early childhood education and care (ECEC) in several European countries as mentioned in this paper, and the expansion of ECEC services inevitably requires new st...
Abstract: The last 20 years have seen a substantial increase in enrolment in early childhood education and care (ECEC) in several European countries. The expansion of ECEC services inevitably requires new st...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that immigrants' use of welfare benefits targeted at families may be particularly problematic, because such benefits embody certain normative tensions that other social policies do not, and they highlight policy arrangements that have been described as detrimental to immigrant women's employment in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and review whether they have been reformed in recent years and, where relevant, what changes have been made.
Abstract: The social political debate on immigration as a challenge to the welfare states has been remarkably silent on gender and family issues This article argues that immigrants’ use of welfare benefits targeted at families may be particularly problematic, because such benefits embody certain normative tensions that other social policies do not It is suggested that tensions may be particularly high in Scandinavia, given the Scandinavian countries’ long-term commitment to facilitating employment for women What happens when immigrants in the Scandinavian countries use policies targeted at families to maintain gender-complimentary family practices and home-based motherhood? Will such practices be met by reforms that streamline benefits around the principle of universal employment? The article highlights policy arrangements that have been described as detrimental to immigrant women’s employment in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and reviews whether they have been reformed in recent years and, where relevant, what arg
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that women talk more about social policy issues during election campaigns than men, but that this emphasis gap disappears for parties with a more equal gender balance and has important implications for the understanding of the politics of gender and social policy.
Abstract: Social policy matters have long been considered women’s issues. Extant research has documented a strong link between gender and the policies of the welfare state in the legislative, executive and electoral arenas. Yet what determines the strength of this association has largely been left unexplored. Drawing on tokenism theory, this article proposes gender diversity at the group level as a key explanatory factor. It hypothesizes that the gender gap in social policy diminishes as the female representation in a political party increases. To test this argument, it examines almost 8000 press releases issued by over 600 politicians during four election campaigns in Austria between 2002 and 2013. The analysis demonstrates that women talk more about social policy issues during election campaigns than men, but that this emphasis gap disappears for parties with a more equal gender balance. These results have important implications for our understanding of the politics of gender and social policy.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an overview of the availability and quality of out-of-school childcare in 27 European Union (EU) member states, and show that only a few EU countries have a well-developed infrastructure of outof-off-school care services.
Abstract: While a large number of studies focus on childcare facilities for preschool children, attention for out-of-school facilities is limited. The implicit assumption seems to be that facilities to combine work and care activities are less relevant once children reach the schoolgoing age. Yet, in most countries school hours are only part-time and not compatible with a full-time working week. This study adds to the literature by providing the first overview of the availability and quality of out-of-school childcare in 27 European Union (EU) member states. The results show that only a few EU countries have a well-developed infrastructure of out-of-school care services. In addition, the (structural) quality of out-of-school care varies across the member states. Given the importance of a supportive infrastructure, a further investment in comprehensive out-of-school care system remains important, both from the perspective of the (female) participation rate and the well-being of children.
TL;DR: Using the difference-in-differences estimator and data provided by the German Socio-economic Panel, this article explored migrants' preferences for state-provided welfare in Germany.
Abstract: Using the difference-in-differences estimator and data provided by the German Socio-Economic Panel, this article explores migrants’ preferences for state-provided welfare. The study finds evidence ...
TL;DR: In this paper, a focus group study was conducted to understand the power of suggestion associated with automatic enrolment into a workplace pension and why people opt out or not opt-out.
Abstract: Automatic enrolment (AE) into a workplace pension is an important recent development in pension policy. An important question for this policy is why do people opt-out or not opt-out of AE? This question is important for understanding the power of suggestion associated with AE as well as responding to concerns that women might face undue pressure to opt-out. This article addresses this question through a focus group study into the United Kingdom’s new AE policy. Women were more likely than men to cite lack of affordability as a reason for opting out. Lack of information also seemed important for the power of suggestion associated with AE. Further research should explore how to make AE less gender blind as well as the types of information or advice that should be provided alongside AE.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze the CJEU case law concerning fixed-term work and connect it to the literatures on labour market dualization and Europeanization of labour law.
Abstract: While fixed-term work benefits employers and increases the prospects of employability of various categories of workers, it is inherently precarious. The European Union (EU) directive on fixed-term work emphasizes the importance of equal treatment of workers on fixed-term contracts with comparable permanent workers and aims to prevent abuse of this contract form. Surprisingly, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) rulings in this area have by and large been neglected in comparative labour market research. We fill this gap by systematically analysing the CJEU case law concerning fixed-term work and connecting it to the literatures on labour market dualization and Europeanization of labour law. We develop an analytical framework to analyse the Europeanization of labour law, which we then use to analyse the directive and the case law regarding the directive on fixed-term work. Our findings show that the equal treatment is affirmed in all cases under analysis for different provisions of labour cont...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated how the availability and expansion of childcare services for children aged under 3 years relate to the subjective wellbeing of German mothers and fathers and found some evidence of a positive effect of the daycare expansion only on satisfaction with family life for lone mothers and for full-time employed partnered mothers.
Abstract: This study investigates how the availability and expansion of childcare services for children aged under 3 years relate to the subjective wellbeing of German mothers and fathers. It extends previous studies by examining in more detail the relationship between day-care availability and use, maternal employment and parental subjective wellbeing during early childhood in a country with expanding childcare services and varying work–care cultures. The empirical analysis links annual day-care attendance rates at the county-level to individual-level data of the Socio-Economic Panel Study for 2007–2012 and the ‘Families in Germany’ Study for 2010–2012. We apply fixed-effects panel models to samples of 2002 couples and 376 lone mothers. We find some evidence of a positive effect of the day-care expansion only on satisfaction with family life for lone mothers and for full-time employed partnered mothers. Transitions to full-time employment are associated with reductions in subjective wellbeing irrespective of local...
TL;DR: The authors investigated how selected features of upper secondary and tertiary education are connected to the social stratification of young adults' literacy skills in 18 OECD countries. And they used individual-level regressions to assess the extent to which disparities in the skills of 24- to 29-year-old individuals are explained by parental education in each country.
Abstract: Education is increasingly seen as a substitute for social policy, but opportunities for skill development vary by social background and educational institutions are not neutral in this respect. While previous research has extensively examined how schooling affects skills distribution, the role of post-compulsory education has been long overlooked. Using data from the 2011/2012 Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competences, this article investigates how selected features of upper secondary and tertiary education are connected to the social stratification of young adults’ literacy skills in 18 OECD countries. First, I use individual-level regressions to assess the extent to which disparities in the skills of 24- to 29-year-old individuals are explained by parental education in each country. Second, I apply fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis across countries to investigate under which institutional conditions the social stratification of young adults’ literacy skills is most severe. The...