Rescaling Social Policies towards Multilevel Governance in Europe

The workings of multi-level governance -- institutional choices concerning centralisation, decentralisation and subsidiarity -- are widely debated within European public policy, but few systematic studies assessing the effects of changing divisions of power for policy-making have been carried out. This volume offers an assessment of the workings of multi-level governance in terms of social welfare policy across different clusters of European states -- Nordic, Southern European, Central and East European. This book reports on a major comparative study at the European Centre for Social Welfare policy and Research, which included partners from univerisities in Finland, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Spain and Switzerland. It reports on three particular policy areas: social assistance and local policies against poverty; activation and labour market policies; and care for the elderly. The authors describe different starting points, strategies and solutions in European countries which are facing similar challenges and could thus learn from each other. They explore the differences between European welfare regimes in terms of territorial responsibilities, the changes that have taken place over the past few years and their effects. The book is distinctive in highlighting comparative transversal and transnational issues of multi-level governance in social welfare policies, rather than presenting country reports.

Dr Yuri Kazepov is Professor of Comparative Social Policy and Urban Sociology at the University of Urbino, Italy. He has recent held visiting appointments at the University of Bremen in Germany and the Universities of Lund and Vaxjo in Sweden.

Contents: The rescaling project and this book, Yuri Kazepov; Setting the Scene: Rescaling and Governance; Rescaling policies towards multilevel governance in Europe: some reflections on processes at stake and actors involved, Yuri Kazepov; Part I Towards Multi-Level Governance in Selected Policy Areas: The Changing Area of Labour Market Activation Policy; Activation and rescaling: interrelated questions in social policy?, Stefania Sabatinelli; A comparative perspective on labour market changes, Eduardo Barberis and Beat Baumann; Actors, scaling and governance in activation policy, Vappu Karjalainen; The Changing Area of Social Assistance Policy: Social assistance policy models in Europe: a comparative perspective, Eduardo Barberis, Stefania Sabatinelli and Annegret Bieri; The territorial organisation of social assistance schemes in Europe, Renate Minas and Einar Ã~verbye; Actors and governance arrangements in the field of social assistance, Ã...ke Bergmark and Renate Minas; The Changing Area of Long-Term Care for Older People: Familiarisation and regional variation in long-term care provision. A comparative perspective on long-term care for older people in Europe, Rahel Strohmeier Navarro Smith; The territorial dimension of long-term care for older people, Signy Irene Vabo; Actors and governance arrangements in long-term care for older people, Signy Irene Vabo. Part II The Challenges of Multilevel Governance Arrangements within Social Policies: Rescaling processes in Europe: convergence and divergence patterns towards multilevel governance?, Eduardo Barberis, Ã...ke Bergmark and Renate Minas; The coordination challenge, Einar Ã~verbye, Rahel Strohmeier Navarro Smith, Vappu Karjalainen and JÃ-rgen Stremlow; Rescaling of social welfare policies: lessons and future perspectives, Nicolette van Gestel and Jean-Michel Herbillon; Appendix: methods and contexts in the study of rescaling, Eduardo Barberis; References.