Suchergebnisse

On the basis of a Danish panel study of the long–term unemployed 1994–1999, the article challenges core premises underlying labour market reforms, assigning too high a priority to work and work incentives, and too little priority to social protection. Economic hardship has become widespread among long–term unemployed even in Denmark, and this is a more serious threat against well–being than unemployment as such. Generous social security, denounced as 'passive support', enables the unemployed to cope with their situation, and there are no signs of any 'dependency culture'. Incentives in terms of economic hardship may stimulate active job seeking but the panel study reveals that it has no positive effect on subsequent labour market integration.

The "Scadinavian welfare model" is often considered vulnerable to mass unemployment. The Danish welfare state provides and opportunity to examine the capacities of the "Scandinavian model" to adapt to this situation. This article explores a number of alleged crisis problems of th welfare state, ground into budgetary pressures, incentive problems and legitimacy problems. It is conclude that most of these problems have been exasggerated and that the rrreal threats to the economic foundations of the welfare state should be found in political steering and incentive problems rather thant in the exogenous pressures from the social and economic system, or in pressure from th unintended side effects of welfare arrangement. It is furthermore argued that one of the main achievements of the Danish welfare state has been so prevent unemployment and labor market marginalization from developing into a broad‐ranged social marginalizaton and a political po‐larization which could undermine citizenship and solidarity in society.

Bjarne Hastrup, Vores Danmark. Dansk demokrati og velfærd, København: Akademisk Forlag, 1994, 272 s. kr. 298,00; Niels Ploug og Jon Kvist, Social tryghed i Europa. Udvikling eller afvikling? København: Socialforskningsinstituttet. Social tryghed i Europa l, 112 s., kr. 70,00; Niels Ploug og Jon Kvist, Overførselsindkomster i Europa. Systemerne i grundtræk København: Socialforskningsinstituttet. Social tryghed i Europa 2, 336 s., kr. 150,00; Niels Ploug og Jon Kvist (eds.) Recent Trends in Cash Benefits in Europe. København: Socialforskningsinstituttet. Social Security in Europe 4, 152 s., kr. 90,00.