Kati Kuitto - Böcker

This insightful book clarifies the meaning of social sustainability and how it can be assessed in ageing welfare states. It explores the impact of population ageing on well-being and social policies, identifying the resources and institutions which can facilitate well-being and social sustainability without compromising financial and environmental sustainability.Expert contributors discuss the concept of social sustainability from different disciplinary and policy perspectives, focusing on social protection, pensions, care, immigration and health. They highlight the importance of well-being and its fair distribution and address the trade-offs between economic and social sustainability in different policy areas. Crucially, they propose constructive measures which governments can adopt to ensure a sustainable future for welfare states.Students and researchers of social policy, demography, social work, economics and sociology will enhance their understanding of social sustainability and its contribution to welfare state research. The book will also be invaluable for professionals and policymakers working in social and health policy, pensions and the labour market providing guidance on how to promote social sustainability through their work.

Welfare reforms in post-communist countries are determined by economic and social hardship, democratization of the political systems and rapid structural change. This groundbreaking book provides a comprehensive and systematic empirical assessment of the Central and Eastern European post-communist welfare states in the context of their Western European counterparts.Basing the study on new data on welfare entitlements and cluster analysis, Kati Kuitto systematically compares 26 European welfare states across three empirical dimensions. The author employs a multidimensional framework to analyze patterns of welfare policies and highlight spending priorities, financing and the generosity of welfare entitlements. Kati Kuitto thus sheds light on the hybrid patterns of welfare policies in post-communist countries as they have emerged after the period of transformation and discusses their future challenges.Unique and comprehensive, this is essential reading for researchers in the fields of comparative welfare state research and Central and Eastern European studies, as well as students and practitioners of social policy, social security and political economy.