Welfare and Social Issues

Nelson Mandela personified the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and became a worldwide symbol of hope in the face of discrimination. Although apartheid was ended, racism and discrimination still remain present in our society, and that needs to be remembered.

Both multicultural and assimilationist models of integration have difficulties, but the intercultural approach could offer a way to move beyond concepts of majority and minority, host society and newcomers, and become a new model for Europe.

Now that Merkel has triumphed in the German elections, one of the opposition’s main aims – the establishment of a national minimum wage – is likely to miss the boat and be left behind. Prospects are bleak for the growing numbers of working poor.

The Bologna process was a step towards creating a “Europe of Knowledge” where ideas and people could travel freely throughout Europe. Yet, this goal is threatened by changes to the structure of the higher education sector and perhaps by the nature of academia itself.

The welfare state is no longer affordable, we are told from all sides – neither in the Netherlands, nor in Europe as a whole. Cuts must be made in the social services, the argument runs, to rescue the economy. But it doesn’t have to be like that. Here is a green vision.

Using examples from her own home, Corfu, Vera Koronaki describes the reasons why we need solidarity, both in Europe as well as beyond, and the steps that we can take to achieve it.

The social unrest in the Swedish suburbs is the result of increasing social cleavages.

The economic crisis has been used as a cover to weaken labour laws across Europe.

Often thought of as a problem in developing nations, land-grabbing is a reality in contemporary Hungary. The problem of private hoarding of land began after the fall of Communism in 1990, but the current government is making the situation worse. Through a corrupt relationship between power and agri-business, more and more land is falling into the possession of a powerful few, with devastating consequences for society and the environment.

As the global population climbs ever higher, is there an argument to be made that combating climate change and many other environmental problems require taking steps to limit this growth? This thinking blames the victim and can even be anti-women.