Welfare and Social Issues

Europe’s difficulties are undoubtedly causing a rise in populism and Euroscepticism, and while it needs to be more democratic, it needs to push for a more tolerate and humanist future; built through education, exchange and understanding.

What use is the EU’s “free movement of people” if it is a right that only the elite can avail of? And how ‘free’ is it if the economic crisis is forcing young people to leave their country in search of work?

Na grofweg twee decennia van oppositie kwamen de sociaaldemocraten begin jaren negentig in Europa weer aan de macht.

‘Agenda 2010’ was presented by German Premier Gerard Schröder as a set of reforms that were a ‘third way’ between Social Democracy and neoliberalism.

An interview with Fintan Farrell, Director of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN).

The UK has been a leader among EU member states in the promotion of equality of opportunity, with far-reaching duties in place in some regions since 1998. In practice, the jury is still out on whether the equal opportunities legislation has a real impact on the protected groups or simply creates one more administrative hurdle for policymakers.

While Poland presents itself to the outside world as a country untouched by the economic crisis, the reality is far different for an entire generation of Polish people. Rather than face up to the structural difficulties in the job market, the Government ignores the problem and remains committed to the doctrines of the neoliberal model.

The situation on the ground in Greece continues to worsen, with each bailout ending in failure and increased poverty. Not only do such conditions act as fertile ground for the far-right, but the failure of leadership from the EU also call into question the very future of Europe.

We need a new social contract based on the ideals of the American and French Revolutions, says Pierre Rosanvallon, whose recent book La société des égaux has attracted much attention in France and beyond. Rosanvallon, professor at the College de France, delivered the Jan Pato?ka Memorial Lecture at the iwm in November 2011. This article was originally published in the Institut für die Humane Wissenschaften.

Why do the Greens need to reconsider the ideal of equality in the light of the ecologic and economic crises and what are the challenges linked with such a project? GEJ editor-in-chief Benoit Lechat introduces the 4th edition of the Green European Journal “Equality and Sustainability”.