8th ESPAnet Conference 2010Social Policy and the Global Crisis:
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7.1. Economic Crisis and Social Policy Reaction
Welfare states in crisis has been a recurring theme in social policy analysis for a long time now. Yet social welfare systems have in most countries proved remarkably stable and in some countries social spending has still been growing.
The recent economic crisis has raised the question of how and what the consequences are for modern welfare states, including for those individuals or groups who are particularly affected, and of changes in the economies given the expected demographic pressures on welfare states. But an even more fundamental question is whether the crisis is being used to change, restructure, recalibrate or even make outright cuts in public sector spending?
It is thus important to analyse whether there have been the same changes during the oil crisis of the 1970s, the financial crisis in the 1990s and the current global financial crisis having an impact on welfare states, specifically if crisis implies similar or different types of responses, or whether economic crisis is just a normal part of welfare states development and therefore no specific impact can be found. This includes whether this is the case, and if so how to identify the specific drivers of change. This further includes whether there is a unique ideological or conceptual nature to the changes, so that for example, crises are used perhaps solely as an excuse for desired changes. Evaluations and assessments of the causes of change in light of economic and/or legitimacy crises will be in focus either as individual country or comparative studies.
Convenor:
Bent Greve
Professor in welfare state analysis
Department of Society and globalisation
Roskilde Universitet, Universitetsvej 1
4000 Roskilde. Danmark
Ph. 0045 46742585/22958814
Fax 0045 46743080
E-mail: bgr@ruc.dk
www.ssc.ruc.dk
Thursday, 14:00-16:00 Room 04, Session 7.1/A
Presentations:
1. Christiansen, F, Green-Pedersen, C and Jensen, C: The Politics of Indexation [abstract] [paper]
2. Thewissen, Stefan and Chung, Heejung: Crisis response policies of welfare states: Path dependent or convergent? [abstract] [paper]
3. Kaasch, A, Starke, P. and Hooren, V. F: The Welfare State as Crisis Manager: Tracking the Responses of Australian, Swedish and Dutch Social Policy in Three Major Economic Crisis [abstract] [paper]
4. Ervik, R and Helgøy, I: Framing ageing policy: Justifying reforms in Norway and the UK [abstract] [paper]
Contributed papers:
1. Matsaganis, M.: The welfare state and the crisis: the case of Greece [abstract] [paper]
Thursday, 16:30-18:30 Room 04, Session 7.1/B
Presentations:
1. Bogedan, C. and Seils, E.: Reactions of social insurance institutions to a changing economic environment [abstract] [paper]
2. Adrian Sinfield: The credit chrunch crisis and social policy [abstract] [paper]
3. Kerschen, Nicole : How does Luxembourg social model meet the challenge of the global economic and financial crisis [abstract] [paper]
4. Bianculli, A. , Jenne, N. and Jordana, J: ´Laggard´Spain? Two Cases on the Politics of Child Benefits Policy [abstract] [paper]
5. Jochem, Sven: The Global Economic Crisis and Social Policy Reactions – Sweden and Germany Compared [abstract] [paper]
Contributed papers:
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Important dates
17 November 2009 = Call for stream convenors
18 December 2009 = Deadline for stream convenors
25 January 2010 = Call for abstracts
29 March 2010 = Deadline for abstract submission
3 May 2010 = Registration starts
6 June 2010 = Reduced fee application deadline
21 June 2010 24:00 (CET) = Early bird registration deadline
13 August 2010 24:00 (CET) - Deadline for submission of papers
16 August 2010 - Deadline for Registrations and payments
Registration fee is 160 Euros for early birds, 210 Euros for late birds. Central and Eastern European PhD students and professionals can apply for a reduced fee of 60 Euros at info@espanet2010.net until 6th June.
Registration opens on the 3rd May, early bird registration closes on the 21th June at 24:00 (CET).
Theme of the Conference
The theme of ESPAnet’s 2010 Annual Conference is the social consequences of the global financial crisis and its differential impact across Europe. The main questions for consideration include:
How is the crisis affecting already existing inequalities? How are different social classes and groups, especially those in poverty, affected by the crisis? What are the adaptable capacities of the different “worlds of welfare”? Does the intensifying social vulnerability lead to the re-structuring of the programs to provide more security? How far have new programs been developed, and how far have new questions of social policy and welfare been opened up by the crisis?
We would like to broaden the horizon of social policy analysis and see global environmental concerns taken into account: How far are responses to the crisis re-thinking the role of the national and international/global state and the role of the European Union in creating economically, socially and environmentally sustainable societies?