Europe has experienced the intensification of immigrant flow since the mid-1990s and related to this process a new European policy has been built up at Eu level. In spite of this general trend, the intensity of migration flows, the types of migration, the migrant’s performance in the labour market, the policies oriented towards migrants’ social integration, meaningfully vary between European countries, according to the different conditions in each case, shaped by the various welfare state models, by previous migration policies and also by the structure and dynamics of the labour markets. More debate is needed about how to match these divergent trends with a homogeneous official discourse and policy on immigration at European level. At the same time, the impact that migration has on the welfare states is also different. only subscribers can see the full article

The pension system reform in the various European countries has been at the forefront of the political and scientific debate for years. The necessity to face the new social-economic context has led to the introduction of new measures for the reorganisation of institutions. To promote widespread discussion on legislative innovations already introduced and on prospects for further commitment for the modernisation of pension systems, the seminar held in Brussels on 23-24 June 2005, entitled «Pension Policies and European Social Model» organised by Inca, Cgil and Ferpa (European Federation for the Elderly and Pensioners) with the collaboration of the Observatoire Social Européen, stimulated a debate between experts and social partners. Two papers presented at the seminar are published here. The first by David Natali deals specifically with these themes and took inspiration from the recent Green Paper on demographic changes published by the European Commission; the second paper reflects on the seminar proceedings. only subscribers can see the full article

This paper discusses the building of pension reform in the light of economic theory, and their application to different types of economy. The opening section sets out the simple economics of pensions. The second section discussed a series of myths which have proved remarkably persistent. Building on this analysis, the latter part of the paper sets out the foundations of effective pensions policy. The third section discusses the prerequisites which any pension reform must respect, i.e. those things which policy advisers can - and should - assert authoritatively. The fourth turns to the range of choices facing policymakers, drawing of the very different arrangements in different countries. The main conclusions are threefold: (1) The key variable is effective government. (2) From an economic perspective, the difference between pay-as-you-go and funding is second order. (3) The range of potential choice over pension design is wide. One size does not fit all. only subscribers can see the full article

That health service costs tend to increase staggeringly is well known. The most recent forecast of PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute estimates a tripling of its impact on Gdp in the next fifteen years, reaching 21% in the USA and an average of 16% in other OECD countries. Italy’s relatively favourable position at 8.5% will tend to be eroded, if for no other reason than the worldwide tendency of health service consumption, supply systems and costs to converge. only subscribers can see the full article

This paper takes a retrospective view of social policy in post-colonial sub-Saharan Africa. In doing so it seeks to account for two distinct phases in the nature of social policy and its linkages to wider economic and political objectives in the region. We argue that in social policy in the nationalist phase (1960-1980) played an ex-ante transformative role: in this period investment in education and healthcare is the key mechanism of social policy. The weaknesses of this phase were growing authoritarianism and failure to structurally and dynamically transform the economies. The implications of the retrenchment of the public realm under the neoliberal policy regime were not only in its disastrous social consequences of entitlement failure but extend to the crisis of citizenship and statehood in the region. only subscribers can see the full article

The paper states the necessity for substantial investment in policies to support childhood. Children, considered both in quantitative and qualitative terms, are identified as the focus for the definition of the new welfare balance. First of all, the article considers the reasons that influence the reproductive choices of women and the reasons behind the low fertility rate, analyzing the negative effects on growth and development resulting from present circumstances. In the light of the importance of human capital as a strategic factor of economic growth, the author supports the necessity to invest in a mix of policies which, on the one hand, allows people, especially women, to satisfy their reproductive desires without them becoming an obstacle to participation in the labor market; on the other hand, it aims to support the growth and development of children by overcoming the social and cultural inequalities inherited from their parents, allowing them to acquire skills that can be put to use in the labor market when they are adults.only subscribers can see the full article

The paper examines the role of Irap in the Italian taxation system. In particular it analyses the role of this regional tax in the 1997-98 fiscal reform in the light of the objectives to simplify and streamline the system, increase neutrality, reinforce the financial autonomy of the regions and reform their funding. Successive developments are also looked into, especially the greater autonomy of the regions. The matter of the announced abolishment of Irap is discussed considering the problems faced by the regions in terms of financial autonomy and coverage.only subscribers can see the full article

It is possible to draw important lessons from the last 15 years that saw the attempt to build a significant layer of «Social Europe», from the first initiatives in the very early 1990s. The near collapse of this dynamics was triggered by the double rejection of the project for a constitutional treaty in the Netherlands and France. But this failed attempt at adopting a constitution has much deeper cultural and political roots. In the absence of the «social» dynamics, the substance of the discourse of coordination at Eu level has quickly reversed back to good and solid mainstream «economicism» while perfunctory service was paid to the necessity of «better communication». The fundamental conditions that brought the refusal from voters in France and the Netherlands can be seen as «cultural». This opens up a research programme where the status of a «missing variable», culture, could be considered anew, with its role enhanced in comparative welfare state literature. only subscribers can see the full article

This contribution deals with the importance of process-produced data in government information systems (particularly at regional level), or of the usefulness of linking synergically the information gaps for social planning with the information gaps for bureaucratic purposes. There are two basic criteria behind this method: information-gathering techniques used for censuses and the choice of the organizational unit of service providers (and not the individual user) as the basic unit of observation. The essay also considers the strategic choice of the unit of service provision and unit of elementary observation in activating reliable information flows and the correct placing and evaluating of information tools and data bases on the individual user for case management. The development of social information systems based on information taken from process-produced data also fills in many of the information gaps, that can also be defined at differentiated territorial levels, including central national level, with an undoubted advantage for the trans-regional comparability of data, as well as for reconstructing otherwise incomparable data on a national scale. only subscribers can see the full article

The article outlines the history of social Europe and describes the present situation, focusing on the implications of the European Council of Lisbon in March 2000 when Heads of State and governments decided to set a new ambitious objective for the EU: to become the most competitive knowledge economy in the world, based on full quality employment with an increased social cohesion. The common strategy for occupation, the new social agenda and the efforts for greater co-operation on inclusion and social protection are examined in detail. The article also takes a look at the future scenario, examining the results of the Convention from a social perspective and drawing some conclusions on the prospects of the intergovernmental conference.only subscribers can see the full article