Welfare Reform on the Web (August 2002): Welfare State - Overseas

CENTRAL AND EAST EUROPEAN STATES RESPOND TO SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES

l Hantrais

Social Policy and Society, vol. 1, 2002, p. 141-150

Following the political and economic upheavals of the 1990s in Central and Eastern Europe, birth rates fell steeply and social divisions intensified while population ageing was held in check by low life expectancy. Social protection systems underwent radical reforms as attempts were made to meet the criteria for EU membership.

GLOBALIZATION, TAX COMPETITION, AND THE WELFARE STATE

P Genschel

Politics and Society, vol. 30, 2002, p. 245-275

Article explores the question of whether economic globalisation undermines the fiscal basis of the welfare state by fostering tax competition. Businesses and capital are mobile, and if taxed too heavily make take flight to a state where taxes are lower. Article shows that tax competition consistently constrains states' ability to both to raise revenue from taxing businesses and capital and to reduce taxes on waged labour. The welfare state is trapped between external pressures to reduce taxes on capital, and internal pressures to reduce taxes on earned income while maintaining revenue levels to fund public services.

MULTIPLE DEPRIVATION AND PERSISTENT POVERTY IN THE EU

C T Whelan, R Layte and B Maître

Journal of European Social Policy, vol. 12, 2002, p. 91-105

Researchers used European Community Household Panel data to examine the extent to which persistent low income leads to multiple deprivation. Results show that only a modest proportion of the persistently poor can be characterised as being exposed to such deprivation.

THREE WORLDS OF WELFARE CAPITALISM OR MORE? A STATE-OF-THE-ART REPORT

W Arts and J Gelissen

Journal of European Social Policy, vol. 12, 2002, p. 137-158

Epsing-Andersen defined three different classes of welfare state: the liberal, the conservative and the social democratic. Article reviews the modified or alternative classification developed by his critics in order to overcome alleged shortcomings in his typology.

WELFARE STATES: A RESPONSE TO JOHN VEIT-WILSON

C Atherton

Social Policy and Administration, vol. 36, 2002, p. 306-311

Article suggests that John Veit-Wilson seeks to limit the description "welfare state" to those societies which provide a guaranteed minimum income to all citizens regardless of desert. Argues that this approach is too limiting and will not work in practice.

(For a response by Veit-Wilson see Social Policy and Administration, vol 36, 2002. p 306-311)

WHICH WAY FOR WELFARE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC?

G C Mills

International Social Work, vol. 45, 2002, p. 239-250

Social problems have arisen in the South Pacific islands which cannot be solved in the traditional context of the extended family and the community. In response, the University of the South Pacific has reintroduced a professional training course in social work at the request of regional governments after a gap of twenty years.

WOMEN'S CHANGING RELATIONS TO THE STATE AND CITIZENSHIP: CARING AND INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONS IN GLOBALIZING WESTERN DEMOCRACIES.

S A McDaniel

Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, vol. 39, 2002, p. 126-150

Welfare state retrenchment has thrown responsibilities for caring for the elderly and sick etc back onto the family especially women. At the same time there is an expectation that women will be in paid work as well as caring. The work available to them, however, tends to be low paid and insecure.