Social Europe and European Welfare States

Following its much-debated ‘revival’ in the wake of the Eurozone crisis, Social Europe is displaying a new élan. The adoption of the European Pillar of Social Rights in 2017, building on earlier developments such as the ‘socialization’ of the European Semester, has given a renewed impetus for pursuing the EU’s social values and objectives not only through policy coordination and non-binding recommendations, but also through legislation on hot-button issues such as adequate minimum wages and platform work. The set-up of Next Generation EU in response to the Covid-19 pandemic has confirmed this impulse, pressing member states to adopt progressive reforms in their National Recovery and Resilience Plans in order to address social challenges identified in the Semester’s Country-Specific Recommendations, while providing increased financial resources for social investment. At present, observers have (once again) come to raise questions about the depth and durability of this trajectory and the ‘social potential’ of the EU, more generally. Old and new challenges remain acute. Against the backdrop of increased geopolitical tensions and a heightened concern with Europe’s competitiveness, the EU’s ability to steer progressive welfare state and labour market reforms remains uncertain. Digitalization and technological change have raised new problems for social security schemes and employment policies, while the green transition might well exacerbate existing inequalities. At the same time, many of the traditional conflict lines (left vs. right, North vs. South, contributors vs. recipients, etc.) behind the politics of social Europe seem to persist, especially as the partisan and ideological centre of gravity has shifted to the right across Europe. This section invites panel and paper proposals on all aspects of EU social and labour market policy and governance, as well as their interplay with other domains such as fiscal, environmental and industrial policy. We are especially interested in the following aspects. What explains the revival and reinforcement of the EU’s social agenda over the past decade? What are the dynamics of social and employment policy making at EU and national level, and how do these interact with one another? Who are the key actors involved and what roles do they play in processes of agenda-setting, decision-making and implementation at different levels? How effective is the EU’s renewed social policy agenda? How should we assess the new rights and resources it seeks to provide? How can the EU contribute to social investment and progressive welfare state reform? Is there a proper social conditionality in the EU recovery agenda? Is the EU’s agenda for a ‘just transition’ taking social inequality seriously? What are the social implications of the EU’s new fiscal framework and the Commission’s proposals for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)? Do EU policy and law exacerbate or mitigate pressures for fiscal consolidation and marketization in areas such as long-term care, healthcare and pensions? Do the politics of ‘Social Europe’ in terms of ideas and discourse, party politics, coalition formation and societal mobilization exhibit continuity or change compared to previous decades? The section especially welcomes papers that advance an original theoretical approach and provide in-depth empirical insights to address these questions.