Search results for "Social Policy"
showing 10 items of 145 documents
Fighting the COVID-19 Crisis: Debt Monétisation and EU Recovery Bonds
2020
AbstractThis paper highlights some peculiar characteristics of the economic crisis induced by the spread of COVID-19. It suggests two intertwined policy measures in order to tackle the emergency phase of the crisis and to support the economy in the subsequent recovery phase. The proposed short-term policy measures offer policy responses in the event of a second wave of coronavirus infections in the coming months. In the aftermath of the emergency phase, the current proposal puts forward the implementation of a massive EU-wide recovery plan addressing the long-lasting technological and environmental challenges of these years, which will be financed by European institutions through the issuan…
Epistemic governance in local policy debates : The case of entitlement to early childhood education and care in Finland
2019
In Finland, children below school age have enjoyed the right to attend subsidised full-time early childhood education and care (ECEC). However, the attendance rate in Finland is low in comparison to other Nordic countries. Furthermore, the entitlement was restricted to 20 h per week in 2016 unless the child’s parents work or study full-time or unless it is believed that the child will benefit from full-time ECEC. The debates concerning restrictions in ECEC entitlement in three municipal councils serve as the data for this study. By using the framework of epistemic governance, we identify three differing constructions of the ECEC’s societal functions in the municipal policy debates. The simi…
Latvia in search of a social policy model
1996
Neutral experts or passionate participants? Renegotiating expertise and the right to act in Finnish participatory social policy
2018
This article examines a case of participatory social policy in which former beneficiaries were invited as ‘experts-by-experience’ into Finnish social welfare organisations. It combines a governmentality perspective with the analytical tools of the sociology of engagements to explore as what the projects’ participants are engaged, and how the differing demands made on their ways of being are made to appear as legitimate. The article shows how different definitions of expertise are used to steer the participants’ forms of engagement, and how these definitions appear valid only within a specific frame of justifying civic participation. It concludes that the participants’ expertise is defined i…
Observations on the Progress of Welfare-State Construction in Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic
2003
Three specialists in social services present an assessment of Hungary's performance during the economic transition from the perspective of social policy and the general welfare of the population. Using figures drawn from a variety of European sources, they offer a review of social expenditure, labor market tendencies, and the social security, health and education systems, comparing throughout with data from the Czech Republic, Poland and the European Union.
Domestic Violence Interventions in Social and Health Care Settings: Challenges of Temporary Projects and Short-Term Solutions.
2020
Social welfare service and health care providers are in a key position to implement successful domestic violence (DV) interventions. However, it is known that DV intervention and prevention work is often lacking in coordination and continuity. In addition, the limited resources, hectic work pace, and changing practices negatively affect the development of successful ways to prevent and intervene in DV. This qualitative study involving 11 focus groups, composed of social welfare and health care professionals ( n = 51) in a midsized Finnish hospital, examined the challenges and possibilities within DV interventions and the adoption of good practices produced by a DV intervention development …
Social Dimension and Inequality Problems in the European Union
2017
The purpose of this paper is to introduce evaluation of social development convergence between EU-28 member states in the context of the EU cohesion policy. The main tasks of this study is to assess social dimension and inequalities problems in the European states by applying theory of convergence for real estimations social situations in EU countries. Additionally the development challenges are discussed for improvement of the socio-economic well-being of EU states and to avoid social disparities. The research methodology is based on the convergence theory, on the EU strategies, European Commission legitimate documents application, on the calculations and socio-economic forecasts analysis …
Precarious workers' choices about unemployment insurance membership after the Ghent system reform : The Finnish experience
2019
The literature on the Ghent system has focused on the link between voluntary unemployment insurance and union membership in terms of industrial relations. Less attention has been paid to unemployment benefits and employees' decision-making concerning unemployment insurance, even though the core function of the Ghent system is to provide unemployment insurance. This paper examines both of the options that precarious workers (i.e., part-timers, temporary employees, and low-skilled service employees) choose regarding unemployment insurance membership and the change in union density after the Ghent system reform in Finland. First, the results show that the growth of the independent unemployment…
How do employed women perceive the reconciliation of work and family life?
2012
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze how employed women perceive the reconciliation of work and family life in Denmark, Germany, France, Finland, Great Britain, Sweden and Switzerland. The paper seeks to explore why women in certain countries are more successful in combining family responsibilities with gainful employment.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on data from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) 2005, the questions are addressed by applying country specific linear regression analysis at the individual level, correlations at the country level as well as policy analysis.FindingsThe analysis shows that the most important factors influencing employed women's perc…
Addressing Social Heterogeneity: Comparative Policy and Performance in Latin America
2012
Abstract Social heterogeneity has always been a critical problem in Latin American societies. The paper analyzes how Latin American democratic governments tackle social inequality and what effects these strategies have. Five countries are compared qualitatively-two countries with moderate left governments, following moderate strategies (Chile, Brazil) and two cases with radical left governments, following more radical strategies (Venezuela, Bolivia). In addition, Mexico is included as a control due to its conservative government. Different policy strategies are described and the effects of the policies are analyzed. Do radical efforts yield a better result regarding social equality? The re…