The activation of social welfare recipients has been, and still is, a central issue in the development of social and employment policies in Europe. This ambitious book explores the employment effectiveness of minimum income schemes, and provides the first comprehensive examination of its dependency on how the rights and obligations of the recipients are defined.
The book argues that the right to a minimum income can only be adequately justified with reference to the individual's right to personal development. Combining political theory and policy analysis, the author draws on evidence from eight different European countries to illustrate how it is possible to combine higher levels of employment effectiveness with the respect for recipients' right to personal development.
Exploring the balance between fairness and effectiveness in the activation of minimum income recipients and acknowledging that individuals have both rights and obligations, this book will provide a useful reference tool to students, researchers and policy-makers with an interest in the work versus welfare nexus.
Price: $127.95
Pages: 168
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Imprint: Policy Press
Publication Date:
20 June 2008
ISBN: 9781847420466
Format: Hardcover
BISACs:
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Social Services & Welfare, Welfare and benefit systems, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Social Security, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Social Work
"As Europe struggles to strike a balance between rights, obligations and effectiveness in the provision of minimum income, Amilcar Moreira not only captures the complexity of today’s issues, but also advances our understanding of them." Ivar Lødemel, Professor, Oslo University College
Amilcar Moreira is a research fellow at The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA), Trinity College Dublin. His work has concentrated on the 'work versus welfare' nexus and explores the connection between political theory and policy analysis.
Contents: Introduction; The right to a minimum income: between Mead and Van Parijs; Justifying a minimum income guarantee: the right to personal development; The activation dilemma: a comparative study; Measuring respect for the right to personal development; The employment effectiveness of minimum income schemes; The employment effectiveness of minimum income schemes and their respect for the right to personal development; Conclusion.
