In the past decades social policies in the European Union gained more competences and influence - at the same time core policies in this field, like education and health, are still regulated within the sovereignty of the nation states. Since the beginning of the development of the European Union in the 1950s economic considerations have been the core, drivers and barriers of most policies and steps on the way of the expansion from a mere economic cooperation to a somehow political union. Anyway, this focus will remain in the near future, but for a further economic integration a rethinking of the social policies within the Union is necessary - due to the fact that on the one hand economic integration generates pressures for the welfare states and especially for the people living in, or depending on, those states. Furthermore the past east-European enlargement introduced even more types of welfare states or welfare regimes to the already fragmented or nested set within the former 15 member states.
On the other hand social policies are vital for the legitimacy of the “government”, which means in this deliberation the European Union as a whole. Democracies rely on the support of the people, thus further integration would need to be supported by the citizens of the European Union. One way of how people feel attached to a state is citizenship. The Maastricht-Treaty of the European Community established the “European Citizenship” and the Europeans gained (at least formally) new rights. Classically citizenship is distinguished according to Marshall into a civil, a political and a social element. These different types of rights derive from a historically evolutionary process. Therefore the next alleged step in the EU would be the creation of social citizenship, which would imply a transfer of further social policies to the EU level, or even the shift from a “regulatory state” to a system of entitlements, and therefore to a complete reorientation in the European social policy tradition, which might in the end lead to a European Welfare State.
In the (scientific) debate about the future of the welfare state, social citizenship is among the concepts that are regarded as drivers - or even as necessary premises -for further integration in the social policy field. But: Citizenship is a vague concept; and European Social Citizenship is it even more.
Table of Content
I. Introduction
II. The Concept of Social Citizenship – a framework?
II.1. Historical Development
II.2. Citizenship versus nationality
II.3. The third element: Social Citizenship
III. The Change of European Social Policies
III.1. External Pressures
III.2. The Rise of Social Policies
IV. Applying to Reality
IV.1. Citizen’s World
IV.1.a. Who are Europeans?
IV.1.b. The legal Perspective
IV.1.c. The Social Inclusion
IV.1.d. Results
IV.2. Structural Context
IV.3. Development over Time – the Future
V. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The primary research objective is to analyze whether the concept of European Citizenship serves as a driving force for the further integration of social policies within the European Union. By evaluating the historical development, structural context, and the reality of citizenship rights, the paper investigates if a transition towards a European Welfare State is currently viable or merely a theoretical construct.
- Evolutionary development of citizenship from civil and political elements to social rights.
- Impact of external pressures such as globalization, flexibilization, and demographic shifts on welfare states.
- Discrepancies between formal European Citizenship and practical social inclusion.
- Evaluation of the regulatory versus fiscal roles of the European Union in social policy.
- The tension between national sovereignty and the demand for a unified European social dimension.
Excerpt from the Book
IV.1.a. Who are Europeans?
In order to identify who might be included and entitled with benefits from a welfare state or the citizenship it is important to take the debate about who is a European into account. Of course formally it is everyone who is a national of one of the member states, but from a more normative perspective “a European” is harder to define.
“The term ‘European’ has no official definition and combines geographical, historical and cultural elements which together contribute in forging the European identity, and whose content is likely to subject to review by each succeeding generation […] It is not a sum of parts but a dialectic over time and space.” (Brewin, 2000: 71)
The debate about ‘European Identity’, hence the question about ‘who are Europeans’ has different dimensions. First, one has to think about the present status of identity in the EU. “Europe is the region of the world with the highest diversity of different languages, ethnic groups and nations, cultures and forms of life to be found in what is, comparatively speaking, an extremely restricted area.” (Veen, 2000: 41) At the same time there is a common origin of Christianity, political history, and similar political systems – but neither of them leads automatically towards a political identity or a political union. No one can define what is meant by the term ‘European’, because the Union does not and will never fulfil the traditional features of identity, like the same language, to name just the most obvious. Europeans are not a homogenous group. The Maastricht Treaty claims that the European Union shall not be a union of nations, but a union of peoples, but still today more people feel like being, for example, German, Dutch or French than European.
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: This chapter outlines the context of European social policies, identifies the research question regarding the role of citizenship as a driver for integration, and explains the analytical framework.
II. The Concept of Social Citizenship – a framework?: This section discusses the evolutionary history of citizenship as defined by Marshall and introduces the three-dimensional framework (Citizen's World, Structural Context, History of Change) used to analyze the subject.
III. The Change of European Social Policies: This chapter examines the pressures from globalization, flexibilization, and changing family structures that have necessitated an increase in European-level social policy engagement.
IV. Applying to Reality: This part applies the theoretical framework to current European conditions, scrutinizing the legal status of European citizenship, its limited social impact, and future prospects for integration.
V. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the findings, noting that European Social Citizenship remains a vague concept and that a unified European Welfare State is currently beyond reach due to deep-seated national diversities.
Keywords
European Union, Social Citizenship, European Welfare State, Social Policies, Citizenship, European Identity, Integration, Marshall, Structural Context, Globalization, Welfare Regimes, Sovereignty, Political Union, Maastricht Treaty, Labour Mobility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this work?
The work focuses on whether the concept of European Citizenship is an effective driver for the further integration and expansion of social policies within the European Union.
What are the central themes discussed in the paper?
Key themes include the evolution of citizenship rights, the shift from economic cooperation to social integration, the legal limitations of EU citizenship, and the impact of structural pressures like globalization on welfare states.
What is the primary research goal or question?
The primary research question is: "Is the concept of European Citizenship a driving force for further integration of European Social Policies?"
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The author uses a qualitative, theoretical framework analysis based on the models of T.H. Marshall and Maurice Roche, applied to the current socio-political reality of the EU.
What is addressed in the main body of the paper?
The main body examines the historical and structural development of citizenship, the rise of European social policies under external pressures, and an empirical application of these concepts to verify their practical relevance.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
The research is best characterized by terms such as European Social Citizenship, Welfare State, Political Integration, Social Rights, and European Identity.
How does the author define the "Citizen’s World" dimension?
The "Citizen’s World" is defined as the first dimension in the analytical framework, encompassing the nature, values, and experiences of citizens that shape their identification with a community.
Why does the author conclude that a European Welfare State is currently difficult to achieve?
The author argues it is difficult to achieve because welfare states in Europe are highly diversified, national identities remain dominant, and the EU currently lacks the fiscal mechanisms and institutional capacity to supersede national systems.
- Quote paper
- Hannah Cosse (Author), 2006, From Social Citizenship towards a European Welfare State - A vague concept as a driving force?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/70287
