The Response of Government
The Response of Government
This chapter analyses responses to the pressures on social and public provision among European countries and at the level of the EU. It argues that attempts to develop common EU-wide social provision have been largely unsuccessful, while EU monetary and open market policies have transformed the economic context. Social policy reforms have developed mainly at the national level, in the shadow of European economic policies. While major differences remain between groupings of countries, two common directions can be identified. Social security benefit, employment, and labour market reforms strengthen work incentives and increasingly put the responsibility on individuals to pursue opportunities actively. New Managerialist policies in health, social care, and other services impose strict targets on providers and introduce competitive quasi-markets. Taken together these new policy directions imply a shift in the assumptions about social citizenship. Those involved as providers and users are expected to act as deliberative and pro-active rational actors, with individual opportunities and incentives playing a major role. Governments become increasingly concerned with equality of opportunity rather than outcome.
Keywords: rational actor, activation, New Public Management, Europe, competition, market, incentive, opportunity, employment, health care, social care
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