From Social Citizenship towards a European Welfare State - A vague concept as a driving force?

Dossier / Travail de Séminaire , 2006 , 22 Pages , Note: 1,0

Politique - Sujet: Union européenne

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.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• The Concept of Social Citizenship – a framework?
• Historical Development
• Citizenship versus nationality
• The third element: Social Citizenship
• The Change of European Social Policies
• External Pressures
• The Rise of Social Policies
• Applying to Reality
• Citizen's World
• Who are Europeans?
• The legal Perspective
• The Social Inclusion
• Results
• Structural Context
• Development over Time – the Future
• Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper examines the concept of European Social Citizenship and its potential as a driving force for further integration of European Social Policies. It analyzes whether the concept can serve as a catalyst for the development of a European Welfare State.

• The concept of social citizenship as a framework for understanding the integration of social policies within the European Union.
• The historical development and evolution of citizenship, particularly its social dimension.
• The influence of external pressures on the development of European Social Policies, including globalization, the decline of the standardized family system, and postmodern conditions.
• The relationship between social citizenship and the creation of a European Welfare State.
• The scope and potential of European Social Policies in shaping the social realities of the European Union.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Introduction: This chapter introduces the research question and provides context for the study. It highlights the growing importance of social policies within the European Union and the need for a rethinking of their role in promoting economic and political integration.
• The Concept of Social Citizenship – a framework?: This chapter explores the concept of social citizenship, examining its historical development, distinguishing between citizenship and nationality, and defining its third element: social citizenship. It also introduces a framework for analyzing social citizenship and social policies.
• The Change of European Social Policies: This chapter examines the evolution of European Social Policies, focusing on the external pressures that have led to their expansion. It outlines the shift in focus from workers to all Europeans, and the formal introduction of European Citizenship as a means of securing citizens' support.
• Applying to Reality: This chapter applies the framework developed in previous chapters to real-world situations. It examines who is included and excluded from social citizenship, the scope of European Social Policies, and the potential pathways for further integration in the social policy field.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The primary keywords and focus topics include European Social Citizenship, social policies, European Welfare State, integration, citizenship, nationality, external pressures, globalization, postmodern conditions, and the structural context of social policies.

• Université: University of Twente (School of Management and Governance)
• Cours: European Social Policies
• Note: 1,0
• Auteur: Hannah Cosse (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2006
• Pages: 22
• N° de catalogue: V70287
• ISBN (ebook): 9783638625135
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: From, Social, Citizenship, European, Welfare, State, European, Social, Policies