Jean-Claude Barbier – författare

In the wake of the Greek and Irish crises, and at a moment when solidarity between states is hotly debated on a daily basis at EU level, it is important to understand how ‘solidarity’ can happen at all. The Road to Social Europe reviews the development of political cultural processes since the nineteenth century, showing how social protection and social justice have gradually become interwoven with systems of social protection, or welfare states.

Grounded on extensive empirical research conducted in many EU countries and in the European Commission’s administration over twenty years, the book provides a cultural analysis of welfare systems in Europe. It also presents an original enquiry into the importance of languages for politics in Europe, for the politics of welfare, and for sociological research. It shows how sociological and ethnographic analysis can help in understanding the current and future challenges of European integration that rely unilaterally on functional economics.

This in-depth sociological analysis of European diversity will appeal to a wide audience of students and scholars of sociology, political science, political economy and European studies.

In the wake of the Greek and Irish crises, and at a moment when solidarity between states is hotly debated on a daily basis at EU level, it is important to understand how ‘solidarity’ can happen at all. The Road to Social Europe reviews the development of political cultural processes since the nineteenth century, showing how social protection and social justice have gradually become interwoven with systems of social protection, or welfare states.

Grounded on extensive empirical research conducted in many EU countries and in the European Commission’s administration over twenty years, the book provides a cultural analysis of welfare systems in Europe. It also presents an original enquiry into the importance of languages for politics in Europe, for the politics of welfare, and for sociological research. It shows how sociological and ethnographic analysis can help in understanding the current and future challenges of European integration that rely unilaterally on functional economics.

This in-depth sociological analysis of European diversity will appeal to a wide audience of students and scholars of sociology, political science, political economy and European studies.

Evaluation Cultures draws upon a sample of reflections, drawn from organizational practices, nationally centered political cultures, and ethnic cultures, as a framework for understanding how culture influences the work of evaluation. Two main conclusions seem to emerge: first, that there exists no single, uniform, and homogenous national evaluation culture; second, that the idea of a unified transnational culture of evaluation is an illusion.The evaluation community includes a diverse group of professionals; a diversity that is not just represented in national or ethnic culture but also in academic backgrounds, public and private sector allegiances, and personal character. The contributors to this book represent, in part, this diversity by reflecting a range of views.Evaluation Cultures draws upon the experience of senior evaluation practitioners, who share their reflections on their practice and experience, in order to put forth challenges to purely academic analysis. Evaluation Cultures presents a consistent, if not exhaustive, attempt to give analytical and empirical sense to all of the cultures of the evaluation community.

Evaluation Cultures draws upon a sample of reflections, drawn from organizational practices, nationally centered political cultures, and ethnic cultures, as a framework for understanding how culture influences the work of evaluation. Two main conclusions seem to emerge: first, that there exists no single, uniform, and homogenous national evaluation culture; second, that the idea of a unified transnational culture of evaluation is an illusion.The evaluation community includes a diverse group of professionals; a diversity that is not just represented in national or ethnic culture but also in academic backgrounds, public and private sector allegiances, and personal character. The contributors to this book represent, in part, this diversity by reflecting a range of views.Evaluation Cultures draws upon the experience of senior evaluation practitioners, who share their reflections on their practice and experience, in order to put forth challenges to purely academic analysis. Evaluation Cultures presents a consistent, if not exhaustive, attempt to give analytical and empirical sense to all of the cultures of the evaluation community.

The book begins by analysing interactions between EU law and national policies from a comparative perspective, highlighting the legal, social and institutional complexities that constrain the development of ''social Europe'' It assesses the sustainability of EU law and policies in the areas of pensions and employment policy and then focuses on two crucial areas of EU social policy: the regulations on working time and the provisions of social services of general interest. The expert contributors compare the experiences of a range of Member States (and also bring in external comparison) to explore topics such as ageing, job quality, social protection and employment policies, social dialogue and the relationship between the various methods of European policymaking such as the ''community method'' and the Open Method of Co-ordination. The analyses show that sustainability of the European social model will depend heavily on addressing failings in European governance.

Insightful and comprehensive, this book is a detailed and timely resource for academic researchers. Its practical, policy-oriented insights into important issues in social and employment policy, as well as into European policymaking itself, will also be of great interest to practitioners and policymakers.

Contributors: J.-C. Barbier, I. Begg, F. Colomb, C. Erhel, J. Gautié, B. Gazier, M. Hartlapp, M. Keune, A. Koukiadaki, P. Marginson, N. Ramos Martín, R. Rogowski, T. Sirovátka, E. Sol, M. van der Vos