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Social Europe is an award-winning digital media publisher driven by the core values of freedom, sustainability, and equality. These principles guide our exploration of society’s most pressing challenges. This archive page curates Social Europe articles focused on societal issues, offering a rich resource for innovative thinking and informed debate.

Trump’s Attacks on Academia: Is the U.S. University System Itself to Blame?

Bo Rothstein

Amid Donald Trump's hostility towards universities the question remains: how did the US leading scholars lose trust?

Shaping the Future of Digital Work: A Bold Proposal for Platform Worker Rights

Valerio De Stefano

A new draft convention proposes to establish a comprehensive rights and protections for platform workers globally.

“The Universities Are the Enemy”: Why Europe Must Act Now

Bartosz Rydlinski

The EU should welcome US scholars fleeing Trump’s assault on academia—and lead in global innovation and freedom.

How the Billionaire Boom Is Fueling Inequality—and Threatening Democracy

Fernanda Balata and Sebastian Mang

As wealth concentrates at the top, Europe must act now to defend democracy and economic stability for all.

How Europe’s Political Parties Abandoned Openness—and Left Populism to Fill the Void

Colin Crouch

Western parties stopped defending openness decades ago—now populists dominate a fight no one else dares to enter.

The Rise and (Likely) Fall of Wokeness

Vivek Chibber

Woke culture emerged from elite shifts in identity politics, abandoning the economic roots of social justice.

The False Economy of Cutting Disability Benefits

Kate Pickett

Financial insecurity destroys lives. Slashing disability benefits isn’t reform—it’s cruelty disguised as cost-saving.

Trump’s Policies Are Making Europe the New Education Superpower

Polly Toynbee

As America’s global appeal diminishes amid domestic turmoil, Europe emerges as a beacon of stability and cultural leadership.

The Reactionary Revolution: How a New Conservatism Rejects the Old Order

Justus Seuferle

A new breed of conservative has emerged, one that paradoxically seeks radical change by yearning for a mythologised past.

Calling Time on 24/7 Work Connectivity

Claes-Mikael Ståhl

The rapid development of new technologies is increasing pressure and forcing unlimited working time and growing stress among many workers across Europe. 

Human Rights on the Edge

Nicholas Bequelin

Can human rights survive the decline of global Western hegemony?

World Cancer Day: An Appeal to End Inequalities in Cancer Prevention and Care

Wendy Yared

Inequalities in cancer prevention and care remain a glaring issue.

Reaching Net Zero Might Fail—And It’s Not Because Renewables Are Too Expensive

Jayati Ghosh

Solar and wind are now cheaper than fossil fuels, but...

How Inequality Fuels the Cosmetic Surgery Boom

Kate Pickett

Rising inequality drives a global surge in cosmetic procedures.

Europe’s education gamble: Can the EU compete in a changing world?

Jo Ritzen and Job Zomerplaag

Can Europe’s education and skills agenda tackle declining outcomes and innovation gaps to ensure competitiveness and cohesion?

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Is Europe’s mental health still in crisis?

New Eurofound research reveals a complex picture of mental health in Europe post-pandemic. While some factors show improvement, concerning trends persist, including an alarming halt to the decades-long decline in suicide rates. A new episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast explores these issues, highlighting that vulnerable groups are being disproportionately affected. It also discusses how significant barriers to mental healthcare—such as stigma and long waiting lists—are leaving many without vital support.
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Spring Issues

Join the conference “Understanding the power of AI over decisions”

Join the conference 'Understanding the power of AI over decisions' on 5 November at the EESC in collaboration with the EESC Workers' Group - Spaces are limited!
Continuing FEPS’ longstanding working relationship with Nordic trade unions, this event will launch the book "Algorithmic rule", on how AI systems already influence public and workplace decisions, ahead of the upcoming legislative proposal on AI in the workplace.
It will also inaugurate the exhibition "My boss, the algorithm"!

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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.

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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

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Cohesion Policy


In a context of growing direct employee voice in workplace innovation processes, the BroadVoice project explored how worker representatives and industrial relations can play a role in these dynamics. Based on a two-year study in 24 workplaces across six European countries, this comparative report, edited by Vassil Kirov (IPS-BAS) and Ilaria Armaroli (ADAPT), highlights the evolving contours of workplace democracy shaped by the involvement of worker representation in employee-driven innovation.

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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.

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