Skip to content

Social Europe

  • Videos
  • Podcast
  • eBooks
  • Newsletter
  • Membership

Domination Without Order: How Libertarianism Betrays the Freedom of the Other

Justus Seuferle

The libertarian promise of freedom masks a darker reality: absolute liberation for the few means domination for the many.

Belgium’s Workers Rise Against Austerity as Government Doubles Down on Cuts

Marie-Hélène Ska

Historic protests and escalating strikes challenge a coalition determined to slash social protections while boosting corporate subsidies.

Europe’s Green Deal: An Economic Imperative, Not a Burden

Peter Hennicke and Anders Wijkman

Abandoning climate ambition would forfeit Europe's competitive advantage in the trillion-euro green technology market.

Time to Move Forward So We Don’t Go Back

Enma Lopez

In a world gripped by far-right populism, Spain's progressive government proves that advancing the welfare state—not merely defending it—is the best vaccine against reactionary politics.

Are We Humans or Homo Economicus? Why Economics Needs to Evolve Beyond Growth

Kate Pickett

Economics assumes we behave like chimps, but humans are far more cooperative—and our economic models must catch up.

Europe’s Digital Welfare Revolution: Progress at What Price?

Hans Dubois

As Europe races to digitalise its social protection systems, the promise of efficiency collides with the reality of exclusion—creating a paradox where the most vulnerable risk being left furthest behind.

Social Democracy’s Lost Spark: When the Third Way Led Nowhere

Polly Toynbee

The centre-left's millennial triumph marked not a new dawn but the beginning of a long decline into cautious centrism.

EU Court Upholds Minimum Wage Directive in Victory for Social Europe

Roland Erne

The ruling preserves key provisions on wage adequacy and collective bargaining, revealing how employer lobbying inadvertently expanded EU social policy powers.

The Light Still Flickers: Why Europe Must Rediscover Its Fighting Spirit

Stefan Stern

Against the populist darkness threatening democracy, Europeans must remember that enlightenment principles require active defence—and the courage to confront bullies.

Estonia’s Digital Frontier: When Perfect E-Government Meets the Paradox of Trust

Iivi Riivits-Arkonsuo

Efficiency without empathy risks turning citizens into data points—Estonia's digital frontier reveals the human limits of technological perfection.

When Algorithms Undermine Democracy: Europe’s Wake-Up Call

Maja Fjaestad and Simon Vinge

Algorithmic power threatens the foundations of democratic oversight—and Sweden's experience shows why Europe must act now.

The Trouble with Abundance

Jeffrey Frankel

"Abundance" sounds appealing, but institutional competence and economic wisdom matter more than uplifting slogans.

The European Social Model: Key to Competitive Growth?

Mary McCaughey

As Europe faces mounting global challenges, its distinctive social framework may hold the answer to achieving both economic competitiveness and social cohesion.

Europe Needs Industrial Policy That Puts Workers First in an Age of Uncertainty

Susanne Wixforth and Michael Soder

Bold industrial strategy must combine green transformation with social justice to secure Europe's economic future.

Zohran Mamdani’s Win and the Price of Urban Life: Why City Voters Are Seeking Change

Lynn Parramore

The soaring costs of city life appear to be sending urban voters toward progressive leaders who promise relief, both in the U.S. and globally.

Next

Eurofound advertisement

Ageing workforce
Watch Foundation Forum 2025 LIVE from Dublin!

Five decades after Ireland’s first EU Presidency and the founding of Eurofound, Dublin hosts a vital European debate on reconciling social progress with competitive growth. Join Taoiseach Micheál Martin, European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, and author Daniel Susskind, alongside senior policymakers, social partners and civil society leaders, as they discuss Europe's technological, demographic, and climate challenges.

Watch the Livestream on the Eurofound website on 20 November, or sign up for the LinkedIn LIVE event.

SIGN UP ON LINKEDIN

Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

Spring Issues

Read the new book “Algorithmic rule”!”

The future is not simply digital; it is algorithmic. Read the new book “Algorithmic rule”, edited by Maja Fjaestad and Simon Vinge.
The book explores what can be described as algocracy – rule by algorithms.
We need a progressive algorithmic future – an alternative that resists surrendering sovereignty to Big Tech. Transparency is essential, but it is not enough; the deeper challenge is to ensure that citizens and workers themselves influence the algorithms that govern them.

This book is part of the FEPS–Nordic Digital Programme.

READ NOW

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

WSI Report

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2025

The trend towards significant nominal minimum wage increases is continuing this year. In view of falling inflation rates, this translates into a sizeable increase in purchasing power for minimum wage earners in most European countries. Most EU countries are now following the reference values for adequate minimum wages enshrined in the European Minimum Wage Directive, which are 60% of the median wage or 50% of the average wage.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

S&D Group in the European Parliament advertisement

Cohesion Policy

S&D Position Paper on Cohesion Policy post-2027: a resilient future for European territorial equity

Cohesion Policy seeks to foster balanced development and reduce economic, social, and territorial disparities, focusing on rural areas, regions in industrial transition, and those with severe or permanent natural or demographic disadvantages, including outermost, sparsely populated, island, cross-border, and mountain regions.

READ THE PAPER HERE

S&D Group in the European Parliament advertisement

Health

🇪🇺 Building a Resilient, Equitable EU Health Union: The S&D Blueprint


From securing pharmaceutical autonomy and guaranteeing universal access to care (the European Health Guarantee) to combatting non-communicable diseases and closing the Gender Health Gap. Read the S&D Group in the European Parliament Position Paper demanding that health becomes a priority across all EU policies.

READ THE POSITION PAPER

ETUI advertisement

HESA Magazine Cover

Back to school with HesaMag 30: the leading European magazine on occupational safety and health explores teachers’ deteriorating working conditions. With field reporting, expert voices and trade union analysis, plus insights into EU policy shifts, discover why teachers’ health is key to our future.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Our Mission

People

Article Submission

Advertisements

Membership

Politics Archive

Economy Archive

Society Archive

RSS Feed

Legal Disclosure

Privacy Policy

Copyright

Social Europe ISSN 2628-7641

Copyright Social Europe Publishing & Consulting GmbH 2025
  • Videos
  • Podcast
  • eBooks
  • Newsletter
  • Membership