Overview

At a time when welfare states in Europe are coming under increasing pressure from both growing demand and, in some countries, severe financial austerity measures, the attitudes of ordinary people and European social cohesion are much debated. Using data from the European Social Survey, these empirical analyses examine welfare state attitudes and draw conclusions for the future. Theoretically the book is linked to analyses of altering social risks, policy challenges, policy changes and policy performance of the European welfare states. The analyses in the book explore a variety of individual and macro-level determinants of welfare policy attitudes ranging from socio-economic factors to religiosity, but a special emphasis is laid on solidarity, social cohesion and social capital among European nations. This multi-disciplinary study will appeal to academics, researchers, graduate and postgraduate students in sociology, social policy, social administration and European studies. Contributors: M. Ainsaar, S.N. Andersen, H. Chung, H. Ervasti, H. Finseraas, T. Fridberg, J. Goul Andersen, M. Hjerm, T. Kankainen, A. Kouvo, B. Meuleman, M. Niemelä, K. Ringdal, A. Schnabel, W. van Oorschot

Full Product Details

Author:   Heikki Ervasti ,  Jørgen Goul Andersen ,  Torben Fridberg ,  Kristen Ringdal
Publisher:   Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Imprint:   Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
ISBN:  

9781781001264

ISBN 10:   178100126
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   30 March 2012
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Contents: Preface 1. Introduction Heikki Ervasti, Jørgen Goul Andersen and Kristen Ringdal 2. Welfare Regimes and Personal Risks Synøve Nygaard Andersen and Kristen Ringdal 3. The Impact of Perceived and Actual Unemployment Benefit Generosity and Unemployment Rates on the Employment Security of Workers Heejung Chung and Wim van Oorschot 4. Economic Globalization, Personal Risks and the Demand for a Comprehensive Welfare State Henning Finseraas and Kristen Ringdal 5. Children in the Family and Welfare State Attitudes: Altruism or Self-Interest? Mare Ainsaar 6. Who Should Care for the Children? Support for Government Intervention in Childcare Bart Meuleman and Heejung Chung 7. Legitimacy of the System and Support for the Welfare State Torben Fridberg 8. Immigration, Trust and Support for the Welfare State Heikki Ervasti and Mikael Hjerm 9. Social Cohesion and the Welfare State: How Heterogeneity Influences Welfare State Attitudes Mikael Hjerm and Annette Schnabel 10. Welfare Benefits and Generalized Trust in Finland and Europe Antti Kouvo, Tomi Kankainen and Mikko Niemelä 11. Is There a Religious Factor Involved in Support for the Welfare State in Europe? Heikki Ervasti 12. Who Hates the Welfare State? Criticism of the Welfare State in Europe Heikki Ervasti Appendix Kristen Ringdal and Mikael Hjerm Index

Reviews

`Ervasti, Anderson, Fridberg, and Ringdal, with the help of 11 other authors, have created an edited collection that rightfully deserves a prominent position in the vast body of scholarship focused on the European social welfare state. The editors more than accomplish their stated goal of compiling a book focused on the changing attitudes to the welfare state of ordinary people in almost thirty European countries . The book and its 12 chapters are well conceptualized, well structured, and well written.' -- Larry Nackerud, Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare `A compelling collection of chapters that address many of the major challenges faced by contemporary European welfare states, including popular welfare legitimacy, social trust and social cohesion, old and new risks, population diversity and new gender roles. Combining various theoretical perspectives on the welfare state and public opinion, the book features state-of-the-art multilevel analyses of social policy attitudes across 30 European countries. This book will become an essential resource for welfare state researchers and students alike.' -- Christian Staerkle, University of Lausanne, Switzerland `This volume represents an important addition to existing research on welfare attitudes. A particular highlight is the extensive and original application of new cross-national survey data from the European Social Survey. The volume provides new substantial insights into the macro and micro level factors that shape welfare attitudes. I highly recommend this volume to anyone interested in welfare attitudes research.' -- Mads Meier Jaeger, Aarhus University, Denmark

'This volume represents an important addition to existing research on welfare attitudes. A particular highlight is the extensive and original application of new cross-national survey data from the European Social Survey. The volume provides new substantial insights into the macro and micro level factors that shape welfare attitudes. I highly recommend this volume to anyone interested in welfare attitudes research.' - Mads Meier Jager, Aarhus University, Denmark

'Ervasti, Anderson, Fridberg, and Ringdal, with the help of 11 other authors, have created an edited collection that rightfully deserves a prominent position in the vast body of scholarship focused on the European social welfare state. The editors more than accomplish their stated goal of compiling a book focused on the changing attitudes to the welfare state of ordinary people in almost thirty European countries . The book and its 12 chapters are well conceptualized, well structured, and well written.' -- Larry Nackerud, Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare 'A compelling collection of chapters that address many of the major challenges faced by contemporary European welfare states, including popular welfare legitimacy, social trust and social cohesion, old and new risks, population diversity and new gender roles. Combining various theoretical perspectives on the welfare state and public opinion, the book features state-of-the-art multilevel analyses of social policy attitudes across 30 European countries. This book will become an essential resource for welfare state researchers and students alike.' -- Christian Staerkle, University of Lausanne, Switzerland 'This volume represents an important addition to existing research on welfare attitudes. A particular highlight is the extensive and original application of new cross-national survey data from the European Social Survey. The volume provides new substantial insights into the macro and micro level factors that shape welfare attitudes. I highly recommend this volume to anyone interested in welfare attitudes research.' -- Mads Meier Jaeger, Aarhus University, Denmark

Author Information

Edited by Heikki Ervasti, Professor of Social Policy, University of Turku, Finland, Jørgen Goul Andersen, Professor of Political Sociology, Aalborg University, Denmark, Torben Fridberg, Senior Researcher, SFI – The Danish National Centre for Social Research, Denmark and Kristen Ringdal, Professor of Sociology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway

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