Suchergebnisse

Social policy research deploys a variety of approaches for analysing processes of dynamic change but these face major limitations. This article argues for an institutionally grounded complexity analysis, bringing together the historical institutionalism of Pierson (2004) and Crouch (2005) and the treatment of dynamically coupled adaptive systems by Kauffman (1993; 1995) and Potts (2000). It concludes that, at the very least, social policy researchers will need to make a considered assessment of these complexity-based approaches, as they invade an increasing area of the social sciences.

AbstractThis paper explores the extent to which, and the ways in which, it might be justified in talking of a movement towards convergence of social policy within Europe. It reviews definitions and typologies of the welfare state as a prelude to discussion of the different theoretical types and possibilities of social policy integration, which itself leads into consideration of supranational EU developments. The empirical data presented in respect of "social protection" expenditures (and taxation regimes) in general and of "active" and "passive" labour market expenditures in particular, lend support to the notion not merely that the welfare state is not yet over in Europe, but that forms of social policy convergence are in evidence already.

Cover -- Contents -- Notes on contributors -- List of tables -- List of figures -- 1 Introduction -- 2 European asylum and refugee policy after the Treaty of Amsterdam: the birth of a new regime? -- 3 The politics of refugee and asylum policies in Britain: historical patterns and contemporary realities -- 4 'Persons persecuted on political grounds shall enjoy the right of asylum - but not in our country': asylum policy and debates about refugees in the Federal Republic of Germany -- 5 The precarious safety of the refugee -- 6 Refugee resettlement in Europe -- 7 Asylum seekers and access to social security: recent developments in The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium -- 8 Unaccompanied refugee children: legal framework and local application in Britain -- 9 Age in Exile: Europe's older refugees and exiles -- 10 Refugees in the job market: a case of unused skills in the British economy -- 11 Asylum seekers, refugees and the future of citizenship in the European Union -- Index.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- 1 Left Parties and Policies in Eastern Europe after Communism: An Introduction -- 2 Social Policy in Postcommunist Europe: Legacies and Transition -- 3 The Return of the Left and Its Impact on the Welfare State in Russia, Poland, and Hungary -- 4 The Return of Left-Oriented Parties in Eastern Germany and the Czech Republic and their Social Policies -- 5 Transitional Politics or Public Choice? Evaluating Stalled Pension Reforms in Poland -- 6 The Role of the Hungarian Nonprofit Sector in Postcommunist Social Policy -- 7 The Political Economy of Social Policy Reform in Russia: Ideas, Institutions, and Interests -- 8 Conclusions -- About the Editors and Authors -- Index.