Welfare Reform and Social Investment Policy in Europe and East Asia : International Lessons and Policy Implications

Social investment policies have enjoyed prominence during recent welfare reforms across the OECD world, and yet there is insufficient long-term strategy for their success. Reviewing labour market, family and education policies, this edited collection analyses the emergence of social investment policies in both Europe and East Asia. Adopting a life course perspective and examining both public and private investments, this book addresses key contemporary policy issues including care, learning, work, social mobility and inequalities. Providing original observations, this seminal text explores the roads and barriers towards effective social investment policies, derives practical social policy implications and highlights important lessons for future policymaking. Front cover Halftitle Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of figures and tables Notes on contributors Acknowledgements Preface from the series editors 1. Introduction: social investments and welfare reform in Europe and East Asia 2. Work–family policy expansion and the idea of social investment: the cases of Germany, England, South Korea and Japan 3. Private education in South Korea: lessons for the West from past mistakes? 4. How do family background and shadow education affect academic performance and labour market outcomes in South Korea? Reasons for redistributive social investment 5. Employability, higher education and the knowledge economy 6. Does social investment make the labour market ‘flow’? Family policies and institutional complementarities in Italy, Spain, Japan and South Korea 7. The social investment approach and gender division of housework across East Asia and Europe 8. Employment outcomes of social investment in latecomer countries 9. Estimation of the human capital depreciation rate: an international comparison and policy implications in South Korea 10. Changing patterns of grandparenting and their implications for active ageing in England and South Korea 11. The governance of social investment policies in comparative perspective: long-term care in England and South Korea 12. Towards greater social investments and equality in Europe and East Asia: policies and politics Index Back cover Providing original observations, this seminal text analyses the emergence of social investment policies in both Europe and East Asia. Experts explore the roads and barriers towards effective social investment policies, derive practical social policy implications and highlight important lessons for future social policymaking