Social Cohesion in Europe Summer Course Magellan Exchange May 2011 Maja Rocak Research Centre Social Integration CESRT

Social Cohesion in Europe

Summer Course Magellan ExchangeMay 2011

Maja RocakResearch Centre Social Integration CESRT

Content

Before the break• Part 1: The concept of Europe• Part 2: Europe and the rest: some data• Part 3: Council of Europe and European Union

CESRT/ Zuyd University/ Maja Rocak

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Content

And after the break• Part 4: Social welfare in Europe• Part 5: Social Cohesion• Part 6: Models of social welfare in Europe


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Timetable

• Part 1, 2 and 3• Break (10 min)• Part 4, 5 and 6• Questions/discussion


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Part 1

Quiz


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Question 1:Europe: how many countries?


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How many cultures and languages?

• 27 EU member states EU has 25 official languages

• Europe counts 290 languages/dialects• EU has 56 million (12%) migrants (Eurostat,

2003) on a total population of 490 million people


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Question 2: What are the borders?


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Question 3: What are the main events?


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World Wars


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History

– Greek democracy, – Roman Empire, – Middle ages,– Renaissance,– Enlightenment,– Industrial revolution,– Two wars in 20th century

• Beatels• Beckams• Etc.


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What have we learned from the quiz?

• Europe is a multydymensional notion:GeographyCultureHistoryNations & regionsInstitutions


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Part 2: Europe and the rest: surface


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Europe and the rest: GDP


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Europe and the rest: population


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Europe and the rest

050

100

150200250300

350400450500

Inhabitants

Europe

US andRussia

e

0

5

10

15

20

25

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Surface

Europe

US andRussia


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Part 3: European institutions

– Council of Europe (COE), – European Union (EU), – And many more…


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Main European Bodies: the Council of Europe

• Sited in Strasbourg, France• 47 members, representing 800 million people• Intergovernmental body• Objective:– Promotion of human rights and democracy

• Doesn’t have supranational powers


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COE short film

• http://www.coe.int/aboutcoe/index.asp?page=quisommesnous&l=en


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http://www.coe.int/aboutcoe/index.asp?page=quisommesnous&l=en

http://www.coe.int/aboutcoe/index.asp?page=quisommesnous&l=en

Aims

• To protect human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law

• To promote awareness and encourage the development of Europe’s cultural identity and diversity

• To find common solutions to the challenges facing European society (discrimination, intolerance, terrorism, corruption, etc.)

• To consolidate democratic stability in Europe by backing political, legislative and constitutional reform


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How it functions

• Committee of the Ministers• Parliamentary Assembly• Congress of Local and Regional Authorities• Secretary General


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Council of Europe


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Main European Bodies: the European Union

• Sited in Brussels• 27 member states (out of 50 European countries),

representing 495 million people• Supranational body• Objective:– Economic integration: internal market and EMU– Political integration: Constitution and Parliament – Social integration: the European Social Model


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European Union


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How does it work?

• EU countries set up bodies to run the EU and adopt its legislation. The main ones are:

1. the European Parliament (representing the people of Europe);

2. the Council of the European Union (representing national governments);

3. the European Commission (representing the common EU interest).


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EU budget


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EU based on treaties

• The European Union is based on the rule of law. This means that everything that it does is derived from treaties, which are agreed on voluntary and democratically by all Member States.


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What are the results so far?

• Frontier-free travel and trade, the euro (the single European currency), safer food and a greener environment, better living standards in poorer regions, joint action on crime and terror, cheaper phone calls, millions of opportunities to study abroad, family reunification … and much more besides.


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PauseCoffee and a snack anyone?


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Quiz! Part 2

• Question 1: Council of Europe (COE) focuses on:a) Promoting economic unity of Europeb) Promoting human rightsc) Promoting tourism is Strasbourg


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Quiz Part 2

• Question 2:Name 3 acomplishments of European Union

(EU) by now.


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Part 4: Social Welfare in Europe

• Social welfare in Europe: some common problems

• General trends• Social cohesion definition• EU & Social Cohesion• Models of European Welfare State


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Social welfare in Europe

• Some problems:– Poverty– Homelessness– Mental and physical disabilities– Abuse– Etc.

• Different answers– The need for cross-border exchange and learning– No imitation: social practice is contextual


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Social welfare in Europe: some common trends

• Triple ageing of population: –More people of 65+ (25% of EU population

in 2035)– Longer life expectations of people of 65+– Less children and youngsters (declining

birth rate in Europe: 1,47 child per woman)– Potential support rate:1950: 12/12000: 9/12050:4/1


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http://social-issues.org/community/public_io/Neil/originals/slide0012_image015.jpg

Global ageing – 60 years and older, 2000 and 2050


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Social welfare in Europe: some common trends

• Transition from rural to industrial to knowledge-based society

• Declining role of traditional institutions (religion, trade unions, political parties), individualisation, development of network society and growing awareness of differences/diversity

• Moving away from cohesive to an individualistic society-Putnam: bowling alone

• Neo Liberal trend


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Social cohesion

Part 5: Social cohesion

• Definition:Social cohesion involves building shared values

and communities of interpretation, reducing disparities in wealth and income, and generally enabling people to have the sense that they are engaged in a common enterprise, facing shared challenges and that they are members of the same community (Rosell, 1995).


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COE definition

Social cohesion = a society’s ability to secure the long-term well-being of al its members

Council of Europe (2005)


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Social Cohesion in the EU

• No explicit definition• Poorly stressed• Seen as an integration into labour market


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European Social Policy

• Subsidiarity: no EU intervention in national social policy (Every member state has own social policy)

• EU regional Policy: dividing prosperity


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Assumption:

“Work is the route out of poverty”“Employment is the main road to social cohesion”

EU Social Cohesion Policy

• Indicators: GDP, poverty, income inequality, etc.

• Integration of economy and social policy• European Social Fund (supports (almost) only

employment and training)


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Some conclusions:

• No clear definition: has multiple meanings in policy use

• Emphasis on economic aspects• Multiple ways of measuring (including

multiple EU indicators and national indicators)• Multi-dimensional phenomenon: reduction of

inequality and poverty presents consensus dimension


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Conclusion

European Union

• Promoting employment as a way out of exclusion

Member states

• Making own social policies

Regions/ Municipalities

• Often front line of conducting social actions


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Part 6: Five Models of the European Welfare State

• Welfare states financed through taxation• Core question: what welfare mix (state,

market and civil society) is responsible for welfare delivery?

• Neo-liberalism: less state (less taxation), more market, more civil society


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Five Models of the European Welfare State

• Identification of models/regimes:– Social democratic (state – Nordic countries)– Liberal (market - UK)– Conservative (civil society - Germany)– Rudimentary (Portugal)– Countries/societies in transition: former

communist countries (Hungary, Slovakia, etc.)


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For example…

• Child care in Norway• Pensions in Germany• Family care in Portugal• Changes in Croatia• Etc.


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Expenditure on Social Protection(Source: Eurostat, 2009)


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Old age; 41.4

Social Ex-clusion; 1.3Housing; 2.2

Survivors; 4.4Unemployment; 6.1

Family/ Children; 8

Disability; 7.9

Sickness/ Health care; 28.6

Expenditure on Social Protection(% of GDP)

(Source: Eurostat 2009)


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% %

Sweden 32 Latvia 12.4

France 31.5 Estonia 12.5

Belgium 29.7 Lithuania 13.2

Denmark 29.4 Romania 14.2

Thanks for your attention

• Questions??


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Questions for discussion

• What is the future of EU?• With regards to demographic change is EU

going to invest more energy into social cohesion issues?

• Should more importance be given to COE?• How is Europe going to cope with welfare

issues in the future?


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[email protected]


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Documents

Social Cohesion in Europe Summer Course Magellan Exchange May 2011 Maja Rocak Research Centre Social Integration CESRT