Arbeitspapier

What - if anything - is undermining the European Social Model?

The notion of a European social model assumes that European societies have certain features in common which distinguish them positively from the United States, among them most notably the social partnership in labour relations, redistributive welfare state schemes, and cohesive societies with a low degree of social inequality. The paper examines to what extent the social reality in the EU conforms to this normative image and what challenges imperil the sustainability of the European social model. Special attention is drawn to the influence of supranational decision-making in the European Union and to the role of the European Court of Justice. It is shown that Court rulings imperil the viability of national social programs, because they open the schemes to transnational access even though they continue to be nationally financed. This is also in tension with the solidarity concepts of European citizens which continue to be framed in terms of national citizenship. As a possible solution to these tensions, the strengthening of the participation rights of national parliaments and governments on the European level is advocated.

Language
Englisch

Bibliographic citation
Series: WZB Discussion Paper ; No. SP I 2010-202

Classification
Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie, Anthropologie
Subject
Sozialstaat
EU-Sozialpolitik
Sozialpartner
Solidarität
EU-Staaten

Event
Geistige Schöpfung
(who)
Alber, Jens
Event
Veröffentlichung
(who)
Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB)
(where)
Berlin
(when)
2010

Handle
Last update
10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET

Data provider

This object is provided by:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.

Object type

  • Arbeitspapier

Associated

  • Alber, Jens
  • Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB)

Time of origin

  • 2010

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