A New Social Question?: On Minimum Income Protection in the Postindustrial Era (Amsterdam University Press - Changing Welfare States Series)

social Scientists, Politicians, And Economists Have Recently Been Taken With The Idea That The Advanced Welfare States Of Europe Face A “new Social Question.” The Core Idea Is That The Transition From An Industrial To A Postindustrial Environment Has Brought With It A Whole New Set Of Social Risks, Constraints, And Trade-offs, Which Necessitate Radical Recalibration Of Social Security Systems. a New Social Question? Analyzes That Question In Depth, With Particular Attention To The Problem Of Income Protection And The Difficulties Facing Bismarckian Welfare States. It Will Be Necessary Reading For Anyone Interested In Understanding The Future Of European Social Policy. Table of Contents......Page 6 1 The Decline of Self-Reliance in Advanced Welfare States......Page 24 2 The Demand Shift against the Less-Skilled......Page 62 3 Low Pay and Poverty: Anatomy of a ‘New’ Social Risk......Page 98 4 On the Limits to Incrementalism in Income Protection Policy: The Case of Structural Unemployment in Belgium......Page 122 5 How Responsive Are Poverty Rates to Job Growth?......Page 166 6 Alternatives to Passive Income Support:......Page 196 Overall Conclusion......Page 230 List of Tables and Figures......Page 238 References......Page 244 Index......Page 278 Examines changes in the social security provision in a range of European countries, with special emphasis on the Bismarckian welfare states such as the Netherlands and Belgium.