Different Types Of Welfare States Research Articles

Free Movement versus European Welfare States? Variations of the Fiscal Effects of EU Migrants across Welfare State Regimes

Strong claims have been made about the incompatibility between large-scale migration and advanced welfare states. The free movement of workers within the European Union (EU) offers an interesting case for the study of the fiscal effects of unrestricted labor migration in different types of welfare states This article therefore investigates the alleged tension between advanced welfare states and liberal migration policies by analyzing how the fiscal effects of EU migrants vary across European welfare state regimes. In contrast to arguments commonly made in public debates, we argue and explain why theoretical reasoning should lead us to expect limited differences in fiscal effects of EU migrants in different welfare states. The empirical analysis, covering twenty-nine countries during 2004–15, shows that the net fiscal impact of EU migrants in the different welfare state regimes of West European countries is positive, and we find no major differences in the fiscal impacts of EU migrants across Western regimes. These results from the EU case cast doubts on the claim that advanced welfare states are incompatible with large-scale immigration because of adverse fiscal effects, and on the idea that broad institutional characteristics of welfare states have substantial consequences for the fiscal impact of migration.

The Structural Sources of Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health: A Cross-National Perspective

This article investigates how macro-level structures condition the sources of socioeconomic inequalities in health. Drawing on multiple social science disciplines, the authors develop theoretically grounded propositions about how different types of welfare states, varieties of capitalism, and social structures give rise to cross-national variations in the sources of health inequalities. They consider how these macro-level structures affect the distribution of five key resources important to health, estimate the relative contribution that each resource makes to health inequalities, and compare those contributions in 21 developed democracies. Moving beyond a current literature focused on welfare states, the authors show how different types of political economies and social structures also condition the health gradient. This research carries implications for policy and suggests agendas for further investigation into the relationship between macro-level structures and inequalities in health.

The impact of welfare state systems on innovation performance and competitiveness: European country clusters

This article assesses the impact of welfare state systems on the performance of economies in creating the appropriate conditions for innovation and increased competitiveness. Since the 1970s, welfare systems have been regarded as disruptive influences on economic growth. This situation was exacerbated by the intensification of globalization and the emergence of new economies, which led to the need for initiatives to promote innovation and competitiveness, not least in the EU with so many different types of welfare state. To investigate the impact of welfare state systems on innovation performance and competitiveness, we used the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), which is based on a variety of indicators, as well as various essential indicators proposed by EU2020 innovation, such as the number of patents and the level of education and employment. The results obtained from the performance of five welfare state clusters of European countries have shown that the most comprehensive welfare states, primarily those in the Nordic countries, have been the most successful in achieving innovation goals and have long been ranked as innovation leaders in Europe. Moreover, public resource allocation for innovation leads to a more comprehensive agenda, including employment promotion, gender equality goals, and sustainability concerns. Welfare costs seem not to reduce competitiveness. And it is competitiveness itself that encourages the development of advanced social security systems.

Just transitions for a new eco-social contract: analysing the relations between welfare regimes and transition pathways

By combining environmental and social objectives in order to address climate change and other environmental challenges, ‘just transitions’ have the potential to accelerate low-carbon transitions in an inclusive and equitable manner. More broadly, by strengthening an egalitarian and ecological public sphere that protects workers’ rights and the rights of nature, just transitions can contribute to a new eco-social contract for both people and planet, guaranteeing full access to social rights and a viable future for all. But like other strategies, just transitions vary in their ambition and thus their eco-social visions. This article builds on the analytical framework developed by the Just Transition Research Collaborative to comparatively assess different just transition pathways in Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United States in the context of different types of welfare state and economic structure. The comparison may help stakeholders to evaluate different just transition policies according to contextual factors and transformative potential.

Convergence in disability policies in the welfare states Denmark, Sweden, the UK and Australia?

Abstract Background A state’s relation to citizens who are not able to support themselves due to illness is one of the cornerstones of welfare states. However, rising numbers of people on disability benefits is a challenge in many welfare states. The first aim is to investigate how policies around eligibility to disability benefits articulate a concept of ’incapacity to work’ across social democratic (Denmark and Sweden) and liberal welfare states (Australia and the UK). Secondly, we wish to explore how the conceptualisation of capacity and incapacity to work shapes prevailing constructions of disability. Methods In this study, we analyse official policy documents from governments, legislation, scientific and grey literature on disability benefit reforms in the selected countries. The analytical framework introduces the notion of decommodification of labour for people with disability and the ’social model of disability’ in relation to the constructions of disability in current disability benefit reforms. Results (preliminary) Restricting access to disability benefits has been a key feature of the recent reforms across all different types of welfare states. Liberal welfare states are more pervasive in reassessment of previously granted benefits compared to social democratic welfare states. The construction of disability in recent reforms is at odds with the social model of disability. Conclusions (preliminary) Across both liberal and social democratic welfare states eligibility for disability benefits is articulated around notions of incapacity to work. Retrenchment of benefits is, overall, most pervasive in liberal welfare states. Key messages The convergence in social policies across both social democratic and liberal welfare states speaks to the pervasiveness of neo-liberal notions in current social policy. The tightening of eligibility criteria for disability benefits poses great financial and health risks to people with illness struggling to support themselves.

Educational inequalities in self-rated health and social relationships - analyses based on the European Social Survey 2002-2016.

While there is evidence for educational health inequalities in Europe, studies on time trends and on the explanatory contribution of social relations are less consistent. It has been shown that the use of welfare state typologies can be helpful to examine health inequalities in a comparative perspective. Against this background, analyses are focused on three research questions: (1) How did educational inequalities in self-rated health (SRH) develop between 2002 and 2016 in different European countries? (2) In how far can structural and functional aspects of social relations help to explain these inequalities? (3) Do these explanatory contributions vary between different types of welfare states? Data stem from the European Social Survey. Data from 20 countries across 8 waves (2002-2016) was included in the sample (allocated to 5 types of welfare states). Structural aspects of social relations were measured by living with a partner, frequency of social contacts and social participation. Availability of emotional support was used as functional dimension. Educational level was assessed based on the International Standard Classification of Education. SRH was measured in all waves on a five-point scale by one question: "How is your health in general? Would you say it is very good, good, fair, bad or very bad?" Across all countries, educational inequalities were increasing between 2002 and 2016. Explanatory contribution of emotional support, living with a partner, and social contacts was small (5% or less across the eight waves). Social participation explained 11% of the educational inequalities in SRH in the European countries. There were small variations in the explanatory contribution of social participation between welfare states. Promoting social participation, especially of people with low education is a possible intervention to reduce inequalities in SRH in Europe.

Self-Responsibility of the “Active Social Citizen”: Different Types of the Policy Concept of “Active Social Citizenship” in Different Types of Welfare States

The article aims to answer the following research questions: (a) How far do European welfare states differ in the use of the policy concept of the active social citizen? and (b) How far is it possible to explain the differences with welfare regime types and welfare culture? The article distinguishes between two different types of the policy concept of active social citizenship with regard to self-responsibility. It argues that the active social citizen’s self-responsibility could be underpinned either by a major role of the welfare state, which promotes the citizens’ self-determination, or by a minor role of the state, which forces citizens to be self-reliant for funding and for organizing their own social security and services. The article is based on a cross-national comparative study for two policy fields (unemployment and long-term care policies for older people) in three welfare states (Denmark, England, and Germany), and analyzes legal frameworks, data from MISSOC (Mutual Information System on Social Protection) and secondary literature. The comparative analysis shows that countries differ in the type of the policy concept of active social citizenship they use. Differences in the type of welfare regime and also differences in the welfare culture contribute to an explanation of these differences. The article is innovative in that it offers a systematic analysis of the differences in the ways in which welfare states of different regime types conceptualize “active social citizenship” with regard to the citizens’ self-responsibility.

Levels or worlds of welfare? Assessing social rights and social stratification in Northern and Southern countries

AbstractSince Esping‐Andersen's Three Worlds, it has become a truism of welfare state research that welfare states do not vary linearly along a single dimension but have to be conceptualized as multidimensional phenomena that cluster into types caused by the political economy of class coalitions. However, when moving beyond the 18 original countries of Esping‐Andersen's analysis, the situation is less clear. Although additional worlds have been identified in the Global North and the Global South, these are usually not conceptualized along the same dimensions as the original three worlds and are rarely empirically compared with them. This paper tackles these omissions by explicitly comparing Northern and Southern countries within Esping‐Andersen's framework. It poses the question whether the central insight of welfare state research, namely, that there are not just gradual differences between welfare states, but different types with qualitative differences, expands beyond classic welfare states. Based on newly generated data on social rights and social stratification, we employ cluster analysis with 45 Northern and Southern countries. This analysis produces mixed results. We do find different types of welfare states with qualitative differences, but these do not fully correspond to Esping‐Andersen's Three Worlds. Moreover, our findings also point to a conceptual issue in welfare regime research: regimes are not just defined and measured in terms of different logics of welfare provision but also take into account degrees of welfare stateism. We argue that this issue is poised to become ever more pressing with the geographical expansion of welfare state research.

How Immigration Grease Is Affected by Economic, Institutional, and Policy Contexts: Evidence from EU Labor Markets

SummaryTheoretical arguments and previous country‐level evidence indicate that immigrants are more fluid than natives in responding to changing skill shortages across countries, occupation groups and industries. The diversity across EU member states enables us to test this hypothesis across various institutional, economic and policy contexts. Drawing on the EU LFS and EU SILC datasets, we study the relationship between residual wage premia as a measure of skill shortages in different occupation‐industry‐country cells and the shares of immigrants and natives working in these cells. We find that immigrants’ responsiveness to skill shortages exceeds that of natives in the EU15, in particular in member states with low GDP, higher levels of immigration from outside EU, and more open immigration and integration policies; but also those with barriers to citizenship acquisition or family reunification. While higher welfare spending seems to exert a lock‐in effect, a comparison across different types of welfare states indicates that institutional complementarities alleviate such effect.

The net social wage in different welfare regimes

This article investigates empirically the net fiscal position of the working class in nine European countries for the 1995–2015 period. This is done through the estimation of the net social wage for wage and salary earners in those countries, characterized by different types of welfare states. The negative net social wage ratio in eight out of nine countries indicates that in advanced capitalism, the state budget redistributes income in such a way that the post-fiscal or true rate of exploitation is higher than the pre-fiscal or apparent one. Adverse economic conditions and ageing of the population have made the net social wage ratio less negative recently, while the accumulation of public debt and the increased obligations for interest payments on this public debt have acted in the opposite direction.

Estado del bienestar y salud pública, una relación que debe ser actualizada

Human health has improved throughout the 20th century, at the same time that the Welfare State was consolidated. This paper explores the current relationship between the welfare state and public health. The essential functions of public health are exercised as part of the State, and currently the main challenge is to ensure that health is protected and promoted through different public policies, including employment. Studies assessing the health effect of different types of welfare state are contradictory, but when the impact of specific policies, such as unemployment benefits, is considered, the results are positive and consistent. However, the current crisis of the Welfare State hampers its continuity, largely due to changes in the labour market, with more flexible and insecure jobs.

How Immigration Grease is Affected by Economic, Institutional and Policy Contexts: Evidence from EU Labor Markets

Theoretical arguments and previous country-level evidence indicate that immigrants are more fluid than natives in responding to changing labor shortages across countries, skill-groups or industries. The diversity across EU member states enables us to test this hypothesis across various institutional, economic and policy contexts. Drawing on the EU LFS and EU SILC datasets we study the relationship between residual wage premia as a measure of labor shortages in different skill-industry-country cells and the shares of migrants and natives working in these cells. We find that immigrants' responsiveness to labor market shortages exceeds that of natives in the EU15, in particular in member states with higher unemployment rates, higher levels of (recent) immigration, and more open immigration and integration policies; but also those with barriers to citizenship acquisition or family reunification. Whereas higher welfare expenditures seem to exert a lock-in effect, a comparison across different types of welfare states indicates that institutional complementarities neutralize that effect.

Suicide among older people in relation to their subjective and objective well-being in different European regions.

The aim of this study was to establish how different types of welfare states shape the context of the everyday life of older people by influencing their subjective well-being, which in turn might manifest itself in suicide rates. Twenty-two European countries studied were divided into Continental, Nordic, Island, Southern, and post-socialist countries, which were subdivided into Baltic, Slavic, and Central-Eastern groups based on their socio-political and welfare organization. Suicide rates, subjective well-being data, and objective well-being data were used as parameters of different welfare states and obtained from the World Health Organization European Mortality Database, European Social Survey, and Eurostat Database. This study revealed that the suicide rates of older people were the highest in the Baltic countries, while in the Island group, the suicide rate was the lowest. The suicide rate ratios between the age groups 65+ and 0-64 were above 1 (from 1.2 to 2.5), except for the group of the Island countries with a suicide rate ratio of 0.8. Among subjective well-being indicators, relatively high levels of life satisfaction and happiness were revealed in Continental, Nordic, and Island countries. Objective well-being indicators like old age pension, expenditure on old age, and social protection benefits in GDP were the highest in the Continental countries. The expected inverse relationship between subjective well-being indicators and suicide rates among older people was found across the 22 countries. We conclude that welfare states shape the context and exert influence on subjective well-being, and thus may lead to variations in risk of suicide at the individual level.

Policies on Labor right and Maternal Right for Single Mothers in Different Types of Welfare States.

Policies on Labor right and Maternal Right for Single Mothers in Different Types of Welfare States.

Factors Affecting Welfare Attitudes in Different Types of Welfare States: Personal Interests and Values

This study examines the effect of personal interests and basic human values on the degree of support for a welfare state. Data from the European Social Survey, round 4 (2008) for 29 European countries (total n = 56,752) was used for the study. Results show that values such as collectivism and altruism promote demand for state intervention in welfare, while values like individualism and egoism negatively affect it. Income has the strongest negative effect on support for a welfare state among all the factors tested, even more so than gender and employment status in all types of welfare states. Compared to other countries (familialistic, social-democratic, conservative, and liberal), former USSR and ex-communist countries seem to be more influenced by collectivistic and individualistic values, and education. In addition, in ex-communist countries, altruistic and egoistic values have a crucial impact on the demand for a welfare state. In liberal, conservative, and social-democratic countries, values and education do not have much impact.

CAN HOUSEHOLDS AND WELFARE STATES MITIGATE RISING EARNINGS INSTABILITY?

We compare the evolution of earnings instability in Germany and the United Kingdom, two countries which stand for different types of welfare states. Deploying data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) and the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), we estimate permanent and transitory variances of male income over the period 1984–2009 and 1991–2006, respectively. Studies in this literature generally use individual labor earnings. To uncover the role of welfare state and households in smoothening earnings shocks, we compute different income concepts ranging from gross earnings to net equivalent household income. We find evidence that the overall inequality of earnings in Germany and the United Kingdom has been rising throughout the period due to both higher permanent earnings inequality and higher earnings volatility. However, taking institutions of the welfare state and risk-sharing households into account, we find that the volatility of net household income has remained fairly stable. Furthermore, redistribution and risk insurance provided by the welfare state is more pronounced in Germany than in the United Kingdom.

The sources of generalized trust and institutional confidence in Europe

Besides the exponential growth of written pages on social capital and trust, we have seen a considerable increase in empirical comparative studies on the topic. Despite that, it is not always clear how differences between individual and aggregate level factors are taken into account when exploring the sources of trust. The purpose of the article is to find out a) what the explanatory power of individual and country level factors is when explaining generalized and institutional trust among the Europeans and b) what the most essential differences are in the determinants of social capital between different types of European welfare states. The data come from the European Social Survey (ESS 2004). Multilevel analyses are accomplished in order to combine different levels of data and explanations. The results reveal many similarities but also remarkable differences in the generation of horizontal and vertical trust between different types of welfare states and support hypotheses emphasizing institutional characteristics of the states in the generation of trust.

Social and Economic Welfare in the European Context

In the globalization era that we are witnessing, the social problems of welfare and development have become key points on the agendas of European countries and not only. The present economic and political context has proved once more that social welfare represents an essential objective of any society. As the core objective of any economy is to create goods and services in order to satisfy needs on the one hand and social discontent occurs in societies characterized by obvious inequalities on the other hand, it will be natural that any nation will try to achieve a system producing social-economic welfare or, in other words a welfare economy. The role of the state in this field will consist in the creation of tools and methods which should lead to the redistribution of incomes, as economic welfare in a consumption society is deeply connected to the welfare of individuals, families, groups; consequently the standard of living becomes the most important indicator measuring the level of economic welfare. The present article is a comparative study of different types of welfare states as well as a comparative presentation of the situation of the welfare states for different European countries.

Health inequalities and welfare state regimes. A research note

AimComparative research on health and health inequalities has recently begun implementing a welfare regime perspective. The aim of the study was to review the existing evidence for identifying the determinants of health and health inequalities in highly developed welfare states and to develop a theoretical model for future research approaches.SubjectA welfare state regime typology is applied to comparatively analyse (1) the relationship between the level of economic prosperity in a society and its respective level of overall population health and (2) the nature of the corresponding relationship between economic inequalities and health inequalities in different groups of countries.ResultsAlthough the Social Democratic welfare states have a relatively equal distribution of material wealth as well as the highest levels of population health, they are not characterised by the smallest levels of health inequality. Rather, with respect to health equality, conservative countries seem to perform better than social democracies. We propose a comprehensive theoretical model that takes into account different factors on the structural (macro), organisational (meso) and individual (micro) level in order to contribute to a better understanding of this important challenge for public health policy and practice.ConclusionFuture research will require an appropriate theoretical model with the potential to explain health and health inequalities in different types of welfare states. On the basis of this model, future research should test the hypothesis that in highly developed countries not only economic, but also social, cultural and lifestyle factors are important in determining health outcomes in different segments of the population.

Class and gender inequalities in different types of welfare states: the Social Citizenship Indicator Program (SCIP)

Korpi W. Class and gender inequalities in different types of welfare states: the Social Citizenship Indicator Program (SCIP)Int J Soc Welfare 2010: ••: ••–••© 2010 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Journal of Social Welfare.This article considers the role of legislated welfare state institutions as mediators of effects of political and structural forces on citizens' levels of living of relevance to inequalities in health and mortality. The focus is on institutional structures of welfare state programmes relevant to class inequality, as indicated by income inequalities, and to gender inequality, conceived of as differences in agency. I introduce the Social Citizenship Indicator Program, a database providing quantitative and qualitative information on structures of main social insurance programmes in 18 countries from 1930 to 2000, on about 300,000 data points. It is used to delineate types of distributive institutions of relevance for income inequality. Institutions relevant for gendered agency inequality affect choices by women, especially mothers, between unpaid and paid work. Driving forces behind the emergence of differences in distributive institutions are discussed, and patterns of class and gender inequalities are outlined.