The 2007–2012 global economic crisis, even referred to by some as ‘the Great Recession’ (see Grusky et al, 2011), formed an exciting challenge for European welfare states. Firmly rooted in institutions that have evolved since the start of the 20th century and been transformed by almost three decades of austerity, the European welfare states will undoubtedly again undergo significant changes in response to the challenges of this recession (see also Hemerijck, 2009). But even before the crisis, welfare states in many European countries were already under pressure. Not only concerns about financial sustainability, but many other factors also have...

In the previous chapter we defined responsiveness as the degree of congruence between policy developments, socioeconomic developments and changes in values of citizens and relevant actors. An important element in this definition involves the level to which the institutions of the welfare state correspond with citizens’ opinions about the role and position of welfare states in modern economies. However, these opinions differ significantly over time and between nationalities. Figure 2.1 illustrates the dynamics of opinions on the welfare, based on an analysis of different opinions on social security. Although the data in this figure are outdated, it serves as a...

In the previous chapter we showed how citizens’ support for the welfare state differs from individual to individual and fluctuates over time. Based on that chapter, the idea of‘fit’ between the design of social policies and citizens’ opinions seems almost an illusion: it has to take into account the sometimes conflicting aspects of legitimacy as well as the great variance in citizens’ beliefs. Still, we do not abandon our exploration into the backgrounds of responsive social policies.

Initially, it seems to be self-evident in a representative, democratic system that policy provides an answer to social problems and can count on...

As has become clear from the previous chapters, this book sets out to explore when, how and why social policies respond to external challenges. This chapter specifically focuses on the domain of social assistance. Various authors have argued that the variety of policy measures that are included under the label of‘social assistance’ prevents a precise definition of what social assistance is (see Gough et al, 1997; Ditch, 1999; Saraceno, 2002). Building upon Gough et al (1997: 18), in this book we define social assistance as the means-tested or income related benefits to which eligibility is dependent on an assessment of...

The ever growing global mobility of labour, partly caused by the enlargement of the European Union, presents important challenges for national labour markets. Moreover, the role of labour migrants is heavily debated in the media and politics in many European countries. This chapter analyses to what extent and how European countries in general and the Netherlands more specifically have adapted their labour migration policies to these challenges. This case illustrates the impact of what can be called the import of normative discussions from other domains on responsiveness. Strictly interpreted, the Labour Migration Act (December 21, 1994) regulates supply in the...

This chapter discusses the policy domain of employment facilities for disabled people, and more specifically sheltered work. Disabled people are often classified as a ‘vulnerable group’ in society due to their dependence on the state for their resources (ILO, 2009). In times of crisis this vulnerability becomes more pronounced. Due to the crisis the number of employed disabled workers reduces, public budgets for employment programmes for disabled people become tighter, and the demand for products and services of enterprises employing disabled people can become less (ILO, 2009). The impact of the crisis on disabled people leads to a demand for...

In the opening sentences of this book we articulated the difficult challenge to welfare states in the era of‘the Great Recession’: matching increasing needs, decreasing resources and heterogeneous public preferences. The previous chapters have illustrated, virtually without exception, the complexity, multicausality and tensions that go with this task. Three cases were studied in detail, each with its own ‘story’ and dynamics. From these three stories, this chapter aims to draw some lessons from the way the Dutch Government has dealt with these incompatible developments and tries to generalise these lessons to the European level.

Let us first revisit the theoretical...