Global Europe Social Europe

摘要

'The active welfare state must be a trampoline for success, not a safety net that cushions people from failure for the rest of their lives' argues Diamond with regard to the new frontiers of the European welfare state. It must extend personal freedom, harness individual potential and guarantee social justice. Clearly a global, social Europe goes beyond social policy. It implies a complex discussion of developments and linkages between issues of trade, enlargement, environment (Gothenburg), research and development and knowledge transfer (Lisbon), gender equality, ageing, healthcare, migration, taxation and social justice, as well as-there's no escaping it-globalization. The 15 forward looking chapters by researchers and practitioners from politics, business, public affairs, think-tanks and academia advocate desirable future scenarios, based on a difficult mix of policy analysis and political instinct. They contain subtitled sections such as 'lessons to be learned', 'a template for reform' and 'implications for policy'. Thus, the discussions are academically informed rather than academic in an analytical sense, with anecdotal statistics, hefty percentages and hyperbolic comparisons meant to convince, prod and prompt decision-makers into action.