Sweden used to be revered for stemming inequality through progressive taxation and universal welfare. Now tax breaks for the wealthy and 'free choice' in public goods such as education cocoon the rich … Read More
Columns & Interviews
Europe’s energy transition must steer towards social justice
Environmentalists and anti-poverty campaigners haven't always seen themselves on the same side of Europe's energy transition. Dramatic reduction in the cost of renewables is making a new alignment … Read More
Tackling insecure work in Europe—a critical moment
The good news is that employment in the EU is at a record high. The bad news is that so much of it is insecure work—and a directive currently in train needs to be tough enough to fix … Read More
The ‘paradox of debt’—or how to avoid austerity again
The Spanish government's budget proposals show some break with the austerity of its conservative predecessor. But there is still an excessive commitment to the orthodoxy of rapid fiscal … Read More
Addressing poverty and inequality in Europe
Official EU statistics mask the alarming extent of poverty and inequality in Europe. Despite slight recent easing, its dangerous scale threatens Europe’s social and political … Read More
Precarious work leads to precarious lives
In Ireland the absence of universal health- and childcare makes the insecurity of precarious work even greater.Often, policymaker narratives focus on the unemployment figures declining, yet we … Read More
Why Alexis Tsipras is still not a social democrat
Social democracy is not the same as populism, argues Dimitrios Kotroyannos. And Alexis Tsipras remains a populist.Recently, Alexis Tsipras, Greece’s prime minister and leader of the populist … Read More
The crisis of globalisation: interview with Mark Blyth
Towards the end of 2018, Henning Meyer, editor-in-chief of Social Europe, spoke to the expert on international political economy Mark Blyth, about the crisis of globalisation, populism, Brexit and … Read More
The Left must respond to grievances over immigration
Sheri Berman contends that the the left needs to develop distinct and feasible responses to immigration to counter the populists' dystopian visions.The main challenges facing the left and … Read More
Fighting the wrong battles: The European elections
'Social Europe' can't just be an empty slogan as the elections approach. It must be given real substance.There’s a very one-sided – 'politically correct' – debate about Europe at the moment. … Read More
Blogs
Why weak competition can increase inequality in Europe
Like many other advanced economies around the world, the Eurozone is experiencing a productivity slowdown. Data from the ECB show that labour productivity growth has practically halved over the last … Read More
Germany sticks to its mercantilist model
In a recent LSE blog, (reproduced here), Donato Di Carlo presents empirical evidence for what he considers a ‘quiet rebalancing’ of the German economy. Using 2010 as a reference point, he bases his … Read More
Growing Eurozone Inequality And What To Do About It
Growing inequality between eurozone members is one of the least welcome legacies of the euro- and sovereign debt crisis. The idea that the less well-off member states would catch up with the … Read More
Collective Bargaining And Greek Labour Market Reforms
The main feature of the successive economic adjustment programs implemented in Greece in the period 2010-2018 concerning industrial relations was a radical decentralization of the collective … Read More
Creating Good Quality Jobs: If Not Now, Then When?
Everybody at the European level agrees that we need more quality jobs to build momentum for recovery and climb out of the years of crisis. But what does this actually mean? And what realistic plans … Read More
Income Inequality And Trust In National Governments In Central, Eastern And Southeastern Europe
Trust in national governments has reached worryingly low levels in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE), at least compared to the EU-15 average. In addition, trust in the EU is generally … Read More
Are Blue-Collar Jobs Turning White?
Manual jobs in European manufacturing are being transformed as blue-collar workers take on more intellectual tasks. This is a consequence of the increasing use of digital tools and the growing … Read More
Alleviating The Working Poor Will Take More Than Job Creation
With the onset of the economic crisis since 2008, a new term, the working poor, has emerged at European level. This new “class” features a portion of the population that, although working, is paid … Read More
