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Some scholars have argued that the only way to resolve the Euro crisis would be to further deepen the integration process by institutionalising a European welfare state. This article examines whether a Europeanised welfare system would be supported by citizens of three member states of the EU. The authors argue that the legitimacy of a harmonisation of national welfare regimes would be established if a majority of citizens supported a Europeanised social policy. Using survey data from Germany, Poland and Spain, descriptive findings show that indeed a majority supports the idea of Europeanisation of social policy. Further, multivariate analyses show that those respondents who reject Europeanisation of social policy cannot be characterised to any significant extent in terms of socio-economic factors, and are only slightly more likely to be associated with cultural factors. The cleavages that structure people’s attitudes are thus relatively weak. The authors conclude that the potential for political mobilisation against Europeanisation of social policy in the three countries under investigation is rather low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Esta introducción presenta los demás artículos del número monográfico y analiza las etapas de la crisis económica en la Unión Europea desde 2008, destacando la importancia de la política social para mitigar sus efectos iniciales en los europeos. Tanto la crisis como las medidas gubernamentales para afrontarla han exacerbado la desigualdad laboral dentro de cada país, como ponen de manifiesto el aumento desproporcionado del desempleo juvenil y los datos sobre género aportados por las autoras. Las divergencias en cuanto a estructura y contenido de los planes de estímulo y de austeridad nacionales también parecen explicar el aumento de las diferencias entre países dentro de la UE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A partir de documentos seleccionados de la Comisión y el Consejo Europeos, se analizan los cambios, las constantes y los determinantes del discurso sobre política social de la Unión Europea (UE). Se distinguen tres períodos, el primero asociado con la Estrategia de Lisboa, el segundo con las reformas subsiguientes (2005-2009) y el tercero con Europa 2020. En este último se observa una marginación de la política social frente a los objetivos macroeconómicos y financieros. Paralelamente, la UE se va imponiendo en este ámbito de política, hasta ahora de competencia nacional. Esta evolución parece corresponder al cambio de los actores fundamentales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Los autores analizan los convenios colectivos concluidos en la Unión Europea de 2008 a 2011 y su contribución a la política social (desempleo parcial, formación, moderación y flexibilización salarial y organización flexible del trabajo). En el sector público, el clima de déficit creciente y austeridad ha cerrado el espacio de la negociación colectiva; en el privado, esta ha logrado (inicialmente) compaginar las exigencias de la competitividad con la protección del empleo y de los salarios en países con sistemas de negociación múltiple y coordinada, los únicos aptos, según los autores, para defender objetivos de política social. Sin ellos, las perspectivas parecen poco halagüeñas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos de Trabajo Social is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article shows how social policy in the European Union (EU) fails to give proper attention to the family as a factor in social development and cohesion. It begins with a conceptual overview of the family as social capital, followed by an assessment of social capital as a source of gaining the fundamental values for moral and civic education. It goes on to show how, despite population growth in the EU, there are a number of signs that point to a depletion of social capital. By way of illustration, several basic indicators are provided to demonstrate that social and family policies are inconsistent with what constitutes social capital. The line of thinking developed in the article establishes that social capital in the EU is being depleted mainly because the family is being increasingly overlooked as an element of social cohesion and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]