Public Policy and Social Welfare – serie

The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA), adopted at the Second World Assembly on Ageing, is the first international agreement that specifically recognises the potential of older people to contribute to the development of their societies. In monitoring its implementation two key approaches are evident: a qualitative bottom-up participatory approach and an approach that uses quantitative indicators to monitor sustainable progress and policies. With the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, playing a pivotal role in the monitoring of the implementation process, one of its key tasks has been to develop a list of 'indicators of achievement'. This book contains extended and revised versions of policy briefs and background papers that support the implementation monitoring process. The analyses included in these chapters make concrete suggestions towards quantitative indicators, with the aim of assisting national governments in mainstreaming ageing in their policies. The contributors provide an overview of the current situation with respect to population ageing and its consequences and also provide projections for the future. The book also includes the final list of quantitative indicators that arose out of consultations with international experts, related to the four main topics addressed: demography, income and wealth, labour market participation, and social protection and financial sustainability.

Well-Being of Older People in Ageing Societies poses answers to the question of how we can measure and conceptualize the well-being of older people. It focuses on the future research agenda and policy reforms that will be necessary to maintain a decent well-being for older people, given the context of our ageing populations. This book draws on longitudinal datasets and empirical research on the multidimensional measures of older people’s welfare, providing a comparative analysis of social assistance and pensions for older people in the UK and The Netherlands. This title will be essential reading to anyone with an interest in gerontology and the effect society, public policy and governance can have on the welfare of older people.

In the past fifteen years, microsimulation models have become firmly established as vital tools for analysis of the distributional impact of changes in governmental programmes. Across Europe, the US, Canada and Australia, microsimulation models are used extensively to assess who are the winners and losers from proposed policy reforms; this is now expanding into new frontiers, both geographically and in terms of policy areas. With contributions from more than 60 international experts, this volume offers a comprehensive introduction to the state of microsimulation internationally, illustrating a wide range of new applications and approaches. It will be of relevance to government policy makers, social policy planners, economists and those concerned with predicting the impact of public policy change and to academics in a variety of disciplines, especially social and public policy, human geography, development studies and economics.

This book describes and quantifies the major socioeconomic changes that have occurred in four new member states of the EU (Slovenia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria) since the early 1990s. The period covered was a particularly turbulent one, not only because of the transition process which was well underway but becase of the stablization packages and other economic, monetary and social policy measures, which have had a strong impact at individual and household levels. While previous comparable studies have been carried out, they cover the period only to the mid 1990s, thus this book contains unique and very valuable statistical and micro data. Within the broad framework of socioeconomic change, a number of topics are explored in greater detail. These include changes in activity, occupational status and educational attainment, household income sources and income inequality, and risk of income poverty. The analysis is based on household budget surveys and complemented with other statistical sources, enabling a coherent analysis of the impact of large changes in social policy at household level. The country chapters are all based on common methodological guidelines enabling comparisons to be drawn. This will be an invaluable book for researchers in comparative social policy, poverty and social stratification and economic sociology, and for specialists on Central and Eastern Europe.

This book offers the first systematic assessment of income redistribution in Eastern Europe, within a comparative European perspective, and it demonstrates the future research potential of microsimulation techniques in this region. The book's chapters are based on a unique instrument -- EUROMOD: the European tax-benefit microsimulation model, which has been enlarged to include Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and other countries. Tax-benefit models such as EUROMOD are computer programmes based on household micro-data, which calculate each household's disposable income. Microsimulation can be used to evaluate the impact of current taxes and benefit policies on individuals' incomes and work incentives. In addition, the model is designed to answer 'what if' questions about different policy reforms, allowing the potential effects of proposed changes to be studied before their actual implementation. EUROMOD goes one step further in the process of helping policy design, in allowing international comparisons between EU countries. This book offers an important demonstration of the effectiveness of tax-benefit models in presenting complex information in a concise and comprehensible way. It discusses what the barriers to their adoption to date have been and it looks at the possibilities EUROMOD offers to future policy-making in Europe.

Well-Being of Older People in Ageing Societies poses answers to the question of how we can measure and conceptualize the well-being of older people. It focuses on the future research agenda and policy reforms that will be necessary to maintain a decent well-being for older people, given the context of our ageing populations. This book draws on longitudinal datasets and empirical research on the multidimensional measures of older people‘s welfare, providing a comparative analysis of social assistance and pensions for older people in the UK and The Netherlands. This title will be essential reading to anyone with an interest in gerontology and the effect society, public policy and governance can have on the welfare of older people.

The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA), adopted at the Second World Assembly on Ageing, is the first international agreement that specifically recognises the potential of older people to contribute to the development of their societies. In monitoring its implementation two key approaches are evident: a qualitative bottom-up participatory approach and an approach that uses quantitative indicators to monitor sustainable progress and policies. With the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, playing a pivotal role in the monitoring of the implementation process, one of its key tasks has been to develop a list of 'indicators of achievement'. This book contains extended and revised versions of policy briefs and background papers that support the implementation monitoring process. The analyses included in these chapters make concrete suggestions towards quantitative indicators, with the aim of assisting national governments in mainstreaming ageing in their policies. The contributors provide an overview of the current situation with respect to population ageing and its consequences and also provide projections for the future. The book also includes the final list of quantitative indicators that arose out of consultations with international experts, related to the four main topics addressed: demography, income and wealth, labour market participation, and social protection and financial sustainability.

Two Worlds of Drug Consumption in Late Modern Societies reports the findings of an empirical study of drug users in London, Amsterdam, Turin, Prague, Vienna and Warsaw, European cities representative of a wide range of drug problems and public policies. The innovative study reconceives the standard distinctions between 'hard-core' and 'recreational' drug users in terms of their social position. The authors argue that this is closely related to consumption patterns rather than drug choice, and reveals that 2 relatively homogenous drug worlds exist within each of the study sites. This leads to the development of diverging drug markets; a friendly market for the integrated consumer, and a highly commercialized one for the marginalized customer, where low quality goods are sold at a higher price. These findings have significant implications for academics and professionals working in health, psychology and urban studies.

In the past fifteen years, microsimulation models have become firmly established as vital tools for analysis of the distributional impact of changes in governmental programmes. Across Europe, the US, Canada and Australia, microsimulation models are used extensively to assess who are the winners and losers from proposed policy reforms; this is now expanding into new frontiers, both geographically and in terms of policy areas. With contributions from more than 60 international experts, this volume offers a comprehensive introduction to the state of microsimulation internationally, illustrating a wide range of new applications and approaches. It will be of relevance to government policy makers, social policy planners, economists and those concerned with predicting the impact of public policy change and to academics in a variety of disciplines, especially social and public policy, human geography, development studies and economics.

This book offers the first systematic assessment of income redistribution in Eastern Europe, within a comparative European perspective, and it demonstrates the future research potential of microsimulation techniques in this region. The book's chapters are based on a unique instrument -- EUROMOD: the European tax-benefit microsimulation model, which has been enlarged to include Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and other countries. Tax-benefit models such as EUROMOD are computer programmes based on household micro-data, which calculate each household's disposable income. Microsimulation can be used to evaluate the impact of current taxes and benefit policies on individuals' incomes and work incentives. In addition, the model is designed to answer 'what if' questions about different policy reforms, allowing the potential effects of proposed changes to be studied before their actual implementation. EUROMOD goes one step further in the process of helping policy design, in allowing international comparisons between EU countries. This book offers an important demonstration of the effectiveness of tax-benefit models in presenting complex information in a concise and comprehensible way. It discusses what the barriers to their adoption to date have been and it looks at the possibilities EUROMOD offers to future policy-making in Europe.

This book describes and quantifies the major socioeconomic changes that have occurred in four new member states of the EU (Slovenia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria) since the early 1990s. The period covered was a particularly turbulent one, not only because of the transition process which was well underway but becase of the stablization packages and other economic, monetary and social policy measures, which have had a strong impact at individual and household levels. While previous comparable studies have been carried out, they cover the period only to the mid 1990s, thus this book contains unique and very valuable statistical and micro data. Within the broad framework of socioeconomic change, a number of topics are explored in greater detail. These include changes in activity, occupational status and educational attainment, household income sources and income inequality, and risk of income poverty. The analysis is based on household budget surveys and complemented with other statistical sources, enabling a coherent analysis of the impact of large changes in social policy at household level. The country chapters are all based on common methodological guidelines enabling comparisons to be drawn. This will be an invaluable book for researchers in comparative social policy, poverty and social stratification and economic sociology, and for specialists on Central and Eastern Europe.

The workings of multi-level governance -- institutional choices concerning centralisation, decentralisation and subsidiarity -- are widely debated within European public policy, but few systematic studies assessing the effects of changing divisions of power for policy-making have been carried out. This volume offers an assessment of the workings of multi-level governance in terms of social welfare policy across different clusters of European states -- Nordic, Southern European, Central and East European. This book reports on a major comparative study at the European Centre for Social Welfare policy and Research, which included partners from univerisities in Finland, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Spain and Switzerland. It reports on three particular policy areas: social assistance and local policies against poverty; activation and labour market policies; and care for the elderly. The authors describe different starting points, strategies and solutions in European countries which are facing similar challenges and could thus learn from each other. They explore the differences between European welfare regimes in terms of territorial responsibilities, the changes that have taken place over the past few years and their effects. The book is distinctive in highlighting comparative transversal and transnational issues of multi-level governance in social welfare policies, rather than presenting country reports.

How different are fe/male life courses, and why? What is good, bad, or best for women under these or probable future circumstances? This ground-breaking book explores the difficulties women face in working life and retirement - and asks what can be done to achieve more gender equality and fairness for women and men alike. Leading pension experts from across Europe analyse the basic challenges through single and comparative country studies. The editors provide facts and figures on women's lives, work and pensions and draw theoretical lessons and practical policy conclusions from the studies and gendered statistical indicators.

Bringing together contributions from institutions such as the OECD, the WHO, the World Bank and the European Disability Forum, as well as policy makers and researchers, this volume focuses on disability and work. The contributors address a wide range of issues including what it means to be disabled, what rights and responsibilities society has for people with disabilities, how disability benefits should be structured, and what role employers should play. Fundamental reading for specialists in disability, social protection and public economics, and for social policy academics, researchers and students generally, Transforming Disability Welfare Policies makes an enormous contribution to the literature.

How different are fe/male life courses, and why? What is good, bad, or best for women under these or probable future circumstances? This ground-breaking book explores the difficulties women face in working life and retirement - and asks what can be done to achieve more gender equality and fairness for women and men alike. Leading pension experts from across Europe analyse the basic challenges through single and comparative country studies. The editors provide facts and figures on women's lives, work and pensions and draw theoretical lessons and practical policy conclusions from the studies and gendered statistical indicators.

The workings of multi-level governance -- institutional choices concerning centralisation, decentralisation and subsidiarity -- are widely debated within European public policy, but few systematic studies assessing the effects of changing divisions of power for policy-making have been carried out. This volume offers an assessment of the workings of multi-level governance in terms of social welfare policy across different clusters of European states -- Nordic, Southern European, Central and East European. This book reports on a major comparative study at the European Centre for Social Welfare policy and Research, which included partners from univerisities in Finland, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Spain and Switzerland. It reports on three particular policy areas: social assistance and local policies against poverty; activation and labour market policies; and care for the elderly. The authors describe different starting points, strategies and solutions in European countries which are facing similar challenges and could thus learn from each other. They explore the differences between European welfare regimes in terms of territorial responsibilities, the changes that have taken place over the past few years and their effects. The book is distinctive in highlighting comparative transversal and transnational issues of multi-level governance in social welfare policies, rather than presenting country reports.