Suchergebnisse

Die sogenannte "dritte Generation" der komparativen Sozialpolitikforschung verwendete Daten zu Wohlfahrtsstaatsvariationen, die für Verteilungseffekte von Bedeutung sind, sowie Daten zur Einkommensungleichheit, welche Primäranalysen vergleichbarer Mikrodatensets zulassen. Die vorliegende Studie kann aufgrund ihres Fokus auf programmspezifische Informationen zu Wohlfahrtsstaat und Ungleichheit innerhalb verschiedener Bevölkerungsgruppen als Weiterführung dieses Ansatzes betrachtet werden, wobei sie eine "vierte Generation" komparativer Studien zu internationalen Ungleichheitsvariationen begründet. Ihr Ziel ist es, über das laufende Forschungsprogramm "Changing institutions and outcomes: Welfare states in a comparative perspective" am "Swedish Institute for Social Research" zu berichten. Um die Verteilungsmechanismen genauer darzustellen, bezieht sich die Analyse auf Institutionen und deren Wirkungen für einzelne Bevölkerungsgruppen. Zur Illustration werden drei Fälle dargestellt: (1) Familienpolitik und Kinderarmut, (2) Arbeitslosenunterstützung und Armut im erwerbsfähigen Alter sowie (3) Altersrenten und Altersarmut. Die international vergleichenden Analysen dokumentieren den Einfluss der politischen und institutionellen Rahmenbedingungen auf das nationale Armuts- und Ungleichheitsprofil. Allerdings lässt sich neben einer intendierten Umverteilung von Reich zu Arm auch eine unintendierte Umverteilung von Arm zu Reich beobachten. (ICI2).

Die sogenannte "dritte Generation" der komparativen Sozialpolitikforschung verwendete Daten zu Wohlfahrtsstaatsvariationen, die für Verteilungseffekte von Bedeutung sind, sowie Daten zur Einkommensungleichheit, welche Primäranalysen vergleichbarer Mikrodatensets zulassen. Die vorliegende Studie kann aufgrund ihres Fokus auf programmspezifische Informationen zu Wohlfahrtsstaat und Ungleichheit innerhalb verschiedener Bevölkerungsgruppen als Weiterführung dieses Ansatzes betrachtet werden, wobei sie eine "vierte Generation" komparativer Studien zu internationalen Ungleichheitsvariationen begründet. Ihr Ziel ist es, über das laufende Forschungsprogramm "Changing institutions and outcomes: Welfare states in a comparative perspective" am "Swedish Institute for Social Research" zu berichten. Um die Verteilungsmechanismen genauer darzustellen, bezieht sich die Analyse auf Institutionen und deren Wirkungen für einzelne Bevölkerungsgruppen. Zur Illustration werden drei Fälle dargestellt: (1) Familienpolitik und Kinderarmut, (2) Arbeitslosenunterstützung und Armut im erwerbsfähigen Alter sowie (3) Altersrenten und Altersarmut. Die international vergleichenden Analysen dokumentieren den Einfluss der politischen und institutionellen Rahmenbedingungen auf das nationale Armuts- und Ungleichheitsprofil. Allerdings lässt sich neben einer intendierten Umverteilung von Reich zu Arm auch eine unintendierte Umverteilung von Arm zu Reich beobachten. (ICI2)

In an era of 'permanent austerity' (Pierson, 2001) and financial crisis, the issue of financing welfare state provision is topical. Moreover, the future of welfare state funding in countries with ageing populations is no doubt raising increasing interest in scholarly as well as policy circles. Yet the financing side of welfare provision has traditionally been given little attention and remains somewhat of a black box of the welfare state. The fact that some of the financing mechanisms have remained 'hidden' has added to the confusion about existing policy alternatives. In this chapter we start by discussing the main determinants of the financing needs of welfare systems. We then turn to the different sources of revenue and patterns of welfare state funding in the advanced industrial nations. The third section analyses the politics of taxation and financing trends in the mature welfare states. In particular, we address the impact of the different financing techniques on employment and economic growth and on the political legitimacy and reform possibilities of the different social protection systems. The fourth section addresses the issue of the redistributive impact of the different financing techniques and underlines the importance of analysing the dynamics between how the financial resources are raised and spent. Finally, the chapter discusses the current and future challenges to welfare state financing in the face of increased globalisation and ageing populations. In the conclusion, we summarize the key lessons to be learnt from the analysis of welfare state financing.

In an era of 'permanent austerity' (Pierson, 2001) and financial crisis, the issue of financing welfare state provision is topical. Moreover, the future of welfare state funding in countries with ageing populations is no doubt raising increasing interest in scholarly as well as policy circles. Yet the financing side of welfare provision has traditionally been given little attention and remains somewhat of a black box of the welfare state. The fact that some of the financing mechanisms have remained 'hidden' has added to the confusion about existing policy alternatives. In this chapter we start by discussing the main determinants of the financing needs of welfare systems. We then turn to the different sources of revenue and patterns of welfare state funding in the advanced industrial nations. The third section analyses the politics of taxation and financing trends in the mature welfare states. In particular, we address the impact of the different financing techniques on employment and economic growth and on the political legitimacy and reform possibilities of the different social protection systems. The fourth section addresses the issue of the redistributive impact of the different financing techniques and underlines the importance of analysing the dynamics between how the financial resources are raised and spent. Finally, the chapter discusses the current and future challenges to welfare state financing in the face of increased globalisation and ageing populations. In the conclusion, we summarize the key lessons to be learnt from the analysis of welfare state financing.

In an era of 'permanent austerity' (Pierson, 2001) and financial crisis, the issue of financing welfare state provision is topical. Moreover, the future of welfare state funding in countries with ageing populations is no doubt raising increasing interest in scholarly as well as policy circles. Yet the financing side of welfare provision has traditionally been given little attention and remains somewhat of a black box of the welfare state. The fact that some of the financing mechanisms have remained 'hidden' has added to the confusion about existing policy alternatives. In this chapter we start by discussing the main determinants of the financing needs of welfare systems. We then turn to the different sources of revenue and patterns of welfare state funding in the advanced industrial nations. The third section analyses the politics of taxation and financing trends in the mature welfare states. In particular, we address the impact of the different financing techniques on employment and economic growth and on the political legitimacy and reform possibilities of the different social protection systems. The fourth section addresses the issue of the redistributive impact of the different financing techniques and underlines the importance of analysing the dynamics between how the financial resources are raised and spent. Finally, the chapter discusses the current and future challenges to welfare state financing in the face of increased globalisation and ageing populations. In the conclusion, we summarize the key lessons to be learnt from the analysis of welfare state financing.

Norström T, Palme J. Public pension institutions and old‐age mortality in a comparative perspectiveInt J Soc Welfare 2010: ••: ••–••© 2010 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Journal of Social Welfare.The aim of the study was to estimate the impact of changes in pension rights on old‐age mortality. We made a distinction between two dimensions of pension benefits, one of providing basic security (BASIC), and the other of providing income security (INCOME). Analyses were based on data for 18 OECD countries during the post‐war period. The outcome comprised old‐age excess mortality, defined as the ratio of the mortality rate 65+ to the mortality rate in the age group 30–59 years. The latter was regarded as a proxy for unobserved factors potentially related to old‐age mortality as well as pension rights. The pooled cross‐sectional time series data were analysed through fixed effects modelling. The results suggest that BASIC (but not INCOME) has a beneficial impact on old‐age excess mortality, which was statistically significant. We interpret the results in terms of the poverty‐reducing effects of pension entitlements with a basic security orientation.

Esser I, Palme J. Do public pensions matter for health and wellbeing among retired persons? Basic and income security pensions across 13 Western European countriesInt J Soc Welfare 2010: ••: ••–••© 2010 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Journal of Social Welfare.Mortality rates suggest that elderly people in the advanced welfare democracies have experienced dramatically improved health over the past decades. This study examined the importance of public pensions for self‐reported health and wellbeing among retired persons in 13 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries in 2002–2005. New public pension data make it possible to distinguish between two qualities of pension systems: 'basic security' for those who have no or a short work history, and 'income security' for those with a more extensive contribution record. For enhanced cross‐national comparison, relative measures of ill‐health and wellbeing were constructed to account for cultural bias in responses to survey questions and heterogeneity among countries in the general level of population health. Overall, better health is found in countries with more generous pensions, although the results are gendered; for women's health, high basic security of the pension system appears to be particularly important. Women's wellbeing also tends to be more dependent on the quality of basic security.

The Nordic welfare states offer some lessons in a development context. A main achievement has been sustainable poverty reduction. Another important lesson is that, while democratization often leads to greater pressures for social policy expansion, social policy can also contribute to democratization. The Nordic countries further demonstrate that is possible to unify social protection with a competitive and growth‐oriented economy. In a number of policy areas, particularly in relation to social services and labor market policy, the Nordic countries have also become leading modernizers. The women‐friendly dual‐earner model not only combats poverty among families with children, but also enables women to participate in the labor market. The future sustainability of the Nordic model of social policy hinges on the number of taxpayers that can be mobilized. In order to be successful in this, governments need to take a combined, or holistic, approach, and consider both micro motives and macro considerations.

This edited volume questions whether the recently promoted European 'social investment' strategy is able to regenerate the welfare state, promote social inclusion, create more and better jobs, and help address the challenges posed by the economic crisis, globalisation, ageing and climate change.

"In welchem Zustand befindet sich der schwedische Wohlfahrtsstaat im Anschluss an die massiven Sparmaßnahmen der 1990er Jahre? Da das Modell untrennbar mit dem Konzept der Chancengleichheit verbunden ist, muss eine Bewertung seiner Entwicklung auch die Veränderungen bezüglich der Gleichheit der Lebensbedingungen der schwedischen Bevölkerung berücksichtigen. Zudem weist in analytischer Hinsicht insbesondere die schwedische Wohlfahrtsstaatsforschung darauf hin, dass zwischen den wohlfahrtsstaatlichen Institutionen als solchen und den Ressourcen unterschieden werden muss, die es dem Einzelnen ermöglichen, sein eigenes Leben selbst zu bestimmen. Letztere beeinflussen die persönliche Wohlfahrt entscheidend. Der Beitrag fragt daher: Wie hat sich - nach einem Jahrzehnt des Wirtschaftswachstums oberhalb des europäischen Durchschnitts - die Ungleichheit in Schweden zu Beginn des 21. Jahrhunderts verändert? Und worin bestehen in Bezug auf politische Reformen und im Hinblick auf die Lebensbedingungen der Menschen die zukünftigen Herausforderungen?" (Autorenreferat)

This Supplement in the International Journal of Social Welfare presents the main findings of a United Nations Research Institute for Social Development research project on social policy in late industrializers, covering countries in East Asia, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and sub‐Saharan Africa, as well as the Nordic countries. One of the findings from the research is that social policy has been used as an integral part of economic development in successful late‐industrializing countries. In the MENA region and sub‐Saharan Africa, however, social policy was tried for too short a period to be properly implemented and tested. East Asian and Latin American countries started with a narrow‐based social policy, but social policy in East Asia was extended to foster social solidarity, bringing people into the mainstream of social change. Such findings suggest that social policy is multifunctional, not only in terms of social protection but also economic development and democratic governance.