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Social protection against unemployment is on the European agenda because of the economic crisis. Since European family patterns have changed over the last three decades, the social protection for unemployment may be very different during this economic crisis from what it was previously. In particular the combination of more diverse families and high unemployment raises the general question of how today's systems of social protection cater for different types of families and income groups. Based on a micro-simulation analysis, this article examines how, and to what extent, packages of social security provide support for various types of unemployed families at different income levels. The comparison is between four countries representing different welfare state models and dominant family types. Using the OECD Tax-Benefit model, the article surveys the disposable income and provides a breakdown of benefits for different family types facing unemployment. It takes into account housing costs and childcare costs, and the benefits related to them. The analysis shows that unemployed families experience different levels of support depending not only on the country they live in, but also on their income level and family type. Often differences between families at different income levels within countries are larger than differences between families at the same income level between countries. The analysis illustrates how important it is to look beyond unemployment insurance and include family related benefits to understand the support provided to families faced with unemployment.

Examining the generosity of welfare states and individual benefit schemes is a classical task in comparative welfare state studies. Three types of welfare states can be discerned based, in part, on their level of benefit generosity. Although significant advances have been made in the development of measures of welfare state generosity, this progress has not been without its challenges and limitations. In this article, the authors examine two sets of limitations related to measurement validity in comparative welfare state research: securing content validation and ensuring comparability across time and place. Through the use of illustrative examples to compare the situation of the unemployed in five European countries across several income levels and two family types, we demonstrate that, by profiling and stacking public benefits using the OECD Tax-Benefit micro-simulation model, we are able to carry out a more informed analysis of the redistributive strategies of the welfare state.

The field of social policy has a rich history but policies on the ground are undergoing intensive change. Governments around the world are responding to political, economic and financial pressures, many of them linked to the global economic crisis. National agendas typically have social policy at or close to the centre. This latest edition of Social Policy Review presents an up-to-date and diverse review of the best in social policy scholarship. It brings together research by an exciting range of internationally renowned authors and examines important debates in British and international social policy. This edition includes a special focus in the third part on work, employment and insecurity. Social Policy Review is essential reading for social policy academics and students and for anyone who is interested in the social and economic implications of government policy