This book revives the discussion on public social services and their redesign, with a focus on
services relating to care and the social inclusion of vulnerable groups, providing rich information
on the changes that occurred in the organisation and supply of public social services over the last
thirty years in different European places and service fields. Despite the persisting variety in
social service models, three shared trends emerge: public sector disengagement, ‘vertical
re-scaling’ of authority and ‘horizontal re-mix’ in the supply system. The consequences of such
changes are evaluated from different perspectives – governance, social and territorial cohesion,
labour market, gender – and are eventually deemed ‘disruptive’ in both economic and social terms.
The policy implications of the restructuring are also explored. This title will be Open Access on
Elgaronline.com.
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Social Services Disrupted
Changes, Challenges and Policy Implications for Europe in Times of Austerity
Edited by Flavia Martinelli, Anneli Anttonen and Margitta Mätzke
Family and the Welfare State in Europe
Intergenerational Relations in Ageing Societies
Agnes Blome, Wolfgang Keck and Jens Alber
This insightful book explores the role of both the family and the state in shaping the living conditions of the young and old in Europe. It provides a comparative theoretical and empirical analysis of age-related policies and welfare arrangements in Germany, France, Italy and Sweden.
Families, Ageing and Social Policy
Intergenerational Solidarity in European Welfare States
Edited by Chiara Saraceno
This important book offers valuable insights into the way in which social policies and welfare state arrangements interact with family and gender models. It presents the most up-to-date research in the field, based on a variety of national and comparative sources and using different theoretical and methodological approaches. The authors address different forms of support (care, financial, emotional) and employ a bi-directional perspective, exploring both giving and receiving across generations. They illustrate that understanding how generations interact in families helps to reformulate the way issues of intergenerational equity are discussed when addressing the redistributive impact of the welfare state through pensions and health services.