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This book challenges the underlying presupposition that regular employment is the royal road to inclusion. Drawing on original empirical research, it investigates the inclusionary and exclusionary potentials of different types of work, including activation programmes. This book makes an important contribution to the debates in this area by: reporting on original international comparative research; reflecting on and critically assessing current activating policies; evaluating the consequences of these policies, as well as challenging the premises they are based on; including the perspectives of service users in its analyses; and offering recommendations for the future design of activating policies.

While reforms of welfare policies have been widely analysed, the reform of welfare administration has received far less attention. Using empirical case studies, this book provides significant new insights into the way welfare administration is being internationally transformed. Particular attention is given to the effect on welfare clients, staff and agencies. This book presents a critical analysis of governance practices in welfare administration and examines shifts in the participants, practices and processes of welfare administration. It presents original empirical case studies that highlight the effects of reforming welfare governance on welfare subjects, staff and agencies and provides a much-needed international and comparative perspective of changing welfare governance. It is aimed at scholars and advanced students of sociology, social policy, economics, public administration and management, as well as social policy practitioners and service delivery workers.

In the last decade, developed welfare states have witnessed a pendulum swing away from unconditional entitlement to social assistance, towards greater emphasis on obligations and conditions tied to the receipt of financial aid. Through administrative reforms, conditions of entitlement have been narrowed. With the introduction of compulsory work for recipients, the contract between the state and uninsured unemployed people is changing. The product of research funded by the European Union, this book compares ‘work-for-welfare’ — or workfare — programmes objectively for the first time. It considers well-publicised schemes from the United States alongside more overlooked examples of workfare programmes from six European countries: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Britain. It is the first time that details of workfare programmes have been collated in such a format. This book provides an analysis of the ideological debates that surround compulsory work programmes and gives a detailed overview of the programmes implemented in each country, including their political and policy contexts and the forces that have combined to facilitate their implementation. Similarities and differences between programmes are explored. Explanations for differences and lessons for policy makers are discussed.

Children and child welfare sit at the heart of New Labour's plans for social inclusion — but how does the government view ‘children’ — is it reflecting public opinion, or leading it? How does New Labour perceive ‘child welfare’? What are the motivations behind, and objectives of, current social policy for children? Are the ‘Rights of the Child’ being subsumed under ‘duties and responsibilities’? This revisionist account provides critical answers to these questions within a historical framework and from a child-centred perspective. The book not only offers a provocative account of contemporary policies and the ideological thrust behind them, but also provides an informed historical perspective on the evolution of child welfare during the last century.

Child poverty and the well-being of children is an important policy issue throughout the industrialised world. Some 47 million children in ‘rich’ countries live in families so poor that their health and well-being are at risk. The main themes addressed in this book are: the extent and trend of child poverty in industrialised nations; outcomes for children – for example, the relationship between childhood experiences and children's health; country studies and emerging issues; and child and family policies. All the contributions underline the urgent need for a comprehensive policy to reduce child poverty rates and to improve the well-being of children. Findings are clearly presented and key focus points are identified for policy makers to consider.

We routinely judge how well children are doing in their lives by how they spend their time, yet we know remarkably little about it. This rigorous review of four decades of data provides the clearest insights yet into the way children use their time. With analysis of changes in the time spent on family, education, culture and technology, as well as children's own views on their habits, it provides a fascinating perspective on behaviour, well-being, social change and more. This is an indispensable companion to the work of policy makers, academics and researchers, and anyone interested in the daily lives of children. The book begins by tracing some of the major strands of social change thought to have had an impact on different areas of children's daily time use. The past several decades have witnessed rapid social, economic, and technological change, widely thought to have affected many aspects of children's daily lives. It then examines the relationship between children's time use and outcomes relating to their health, development, and well-being, drawing together strands of thought from the sociology of childhood and research on child well-being. The book discusses overall trends in children's time doing homework and study. It examines associations between children's time use and a range of different health outcomes, and moves on to investigate the context of children's daily life linked to family, in particular concentrating on the time children spend at home and with parents. It evaluates children's time using technology, and focuses on the affective component of subjective well-being, specifically in connection with how children feel about how they spend their time. In conclusion, the book identifies areas of expected change as well as other areas of surprising stability. It reveals how change and stability in children's time use blend together to comprise a child's day, uncovering also the multi-layered contexts of a child's day.

Childhood poverty has moved from the periphery to the centre of the policy agenda following New Labour's pledge to end it within twenty years. However, whether the needs and concerns of poor children themselves are being addressed is open to question. The findings raise critical issues for both policy and practice – in particular the finding that children are at great risk of experiencing exclusion within school. School has been a major target in the drive towards reducing child poverty. However, the policy focus has been mainly about literacy standards and exclusion from school. This book shows that poor children are suffering from insufficient access to the economic and material resources necessary for adequate social participation and academic parity. It will be an invaluable teaching aid across a range of academic courses, including social policy, sociology, social work and childhood studies. The book will also be of interest to those who want to develop a more inclusive social and policy framework for understanding childhood issues from a child-centred perspective.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, both Britain and Japan are facing similar issues caused by globalisation, slower economic growth and a rapidly ageing population. Social policy in the two societies, which has developed differently due to the differences in their national resources, socio-economic systems, cultural values and political agendas, is at an interesting turning point. This book examines topical issues with up-to-date information; compares and contrasts selected policy areas between the two societies; and presents original material written by leading scholars in each country.

Since 1997, child-welfare services have been faced with new demands to engage fathers or develop father-inclusive services. This book emerges from work by the author as a researcher and educator over many years, on the issues posed by this agenda for child-welfare practitioners, in a variety of contexts. In locating fathers, fathering, and fatherhood within a historical and social landscape, it addresses issues seldom taken up in practice settings. The book explores diversity and complexity in fathering in different disciplines such as psychoanalysis, sociology, and psychology, and analyses contemporary developments in social policies and welfare practices. The author employs a feminist perspective to highlight the opportunities and dangers in contemporary developments for those wishing to advance gender equity. A key strength of the book is its inter-disciplinary focus.

Spanning the complete era of the Conservative governments and the first term of New Labour, this book looks at mechanisms of corporate power and influence; corporate opinion and influence in a range of social policy areas including: education, training, health and social security; changing business influence on social policy in recent years in an international context and business involvement in social policy initiatives and welfare delivery. By exploring business views and opinions, power, influence and involvement in social provision, this book helps to address important questions in social policy.

Eastern welfare systems have largely been neglected by Western social policy. There is very little information in the West about their operation and the differences between them. Yet, as China and South-East Asia emerge as a major regional economic block, it is vital to understand the social models that are in operation there and how they are developing. This book puts the spotlight on the Chinese and South-East Asian welfare systems, providing an up-to-date assessment of their character and development. In particular, it examines the underlying assumptions of these systems and how the processes of globalisation are impacting on them. As well as specific country case studies, there is a valuable comparative analysis of Eastern and Western welfare states. The book provides a unique insight into the main South-East Asian welfare systems and chapters have been written by experts living and working within them. It focuses on ‘Confucianism’ and globalisation to provide an account of tradition and change within the South-East Asian cultural context.

Social cohesion is one of the declared objectives of the European Union and, with some 16 per cent of EU citizens at risk of poverty, the need to fight poverty and social exclusion continues as a major challenge. This book provides an in-depth analysis of the EU Social Inclusion Process, the means by which it hopes to meet this objective, and explores the challenges ahead at local, regional, national, and EU levels. It sets out concrete proposals for taking the Process forward, and provides an analysis of policy formulation and assessment. Setting out the evolution and current state of EU cooperation in social policy, the book examines what can be learned about poverty and social exclusion from the EU commonly agreed indicators. Taking the position of outside, but informed, observers, the authors explore the further development of the common indicators, including the implications of Enlargement, and consider the challenges of advancing the Social Inclusion Process – strengthening policy analysis, embedding the Process in domestic policies, and making it more effective. Proposing the setting of targets and restructuring of National Action Plans and their implementation, they emphasise the need for widespread ‘ownership’ of the Process at the domestic and EU level, and for it to demonstrate significant progress in reducing poverty and social exclusion.

The expansion of the European Union (EU) has put an end to the East-West division of Europe. At the same time it has increased the cultural heterogeneity, social disparities and economic imbalances within the EU, exemplified in the lower living standards and higher unemployment rates in some of the new member states. This book describes the education systems, labour markets and welfare production regimes in the ten new Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries. In three comparative chapters, discussing each of these domains in turn, the text provides a set of theory-driven, comprehensive and informative indicators that allow comparisons and rankings within the new EU member states. Ten country-specific chapters follow, each written by experts from those countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. These chapters provide detailed information on each country's education and training systems, labour market structure and regulations, and its provision of formal and informal welfare support. An important component of each country chapter is the explanation of the historical background and the specific national conditions for the institutional choices in the transitional years.

Economic and social change is accelerating under the twin impact of globalisation and the new information technologies. But how are these processes interrelated? Are they impelling us towards a common socio-economic future? What can governments do if they want to manage and steer the direction of development? This book addresses these questions with particular reference to the European Union, which has made the development of a socially cohesive, knowledge-based economy its central task for the present decade. It assesses both the challenges and the policy instruments that are being deployed, focussing in particular on the dynamics of the ‘new economy’; the new organisational architectures associated with rapid innovation; the transformation of education and training; the implications for social cohesion and exclusion and the role of policy benchmarking in promoting policy learning and enhancing national performance.

This book challenges the common view that social protection is exclusively a national concern, with European Union (EU) social policy fragmented and merely symbolic. Through eleven country studies, it reveals that EU-level developments increasingly interact with social protection in all countries – a remarkable transformation from ten years ago. Using the same thematic framework, the book systematically compares how Europeanisation of social protection differs across countries chosen to reflect increasing EU diversity. For each country, specialists in social protection evaluate the form and extent of Europeanisation, comparing national strategies with the European social model. They examine recent reforms and responses to EU initiatives, including the Lisbon strategy and the open method of coordination, the extension of the internal market to services, the Economic and Monetary Union, and EU enlargement. Differences in Europeanisation reflect not only different political legacies, but also different adjustment pressures in terms of national welfare regime and degree of competitiveness. The book brings together both new evidence and new perspectives of the changing patterns of social policy in Europe.

What is to be done about prostitution? Is it work or is it violence? Are women involved in prostitution offenders or victims? Is prostitution a private or a political issue? The answers to these questions vary depending on many factors, including where in the world you live. This book provides a valuable, detailed international comparison of the laws, policies, and interventions in eight countries across Europe (England and Wales, France, Sweden, and Moldova) and Asia (India, Pakistan, Thailand, and Taiwan). The countries were chosen because of their contrasting social-policy and legislative frameworks. Specific topics covered include national social and historical contexts in relation to prostitution; legal frameworks – with discussion of existing laws and policies, debates around legislation and decriminalisation, and key issues faced – particularly relating to reasons for entering prostitution, and analysis of policies and interventions. The case studies are brought to life by giving voice to the experiences of women involved in prostitution themselves, together with the personal reflections of the authors. Aimed at a wide audience of students, academics, policy makers, and practitioners, the book contributes to academic and policy debates in the fields of criminology, law, social policy, women's studies, sociology, politics, and international relations.

This book explores the aims and priorities of trends to internationalize social work education, in the context of wider processes of economic and cultural globalization. Its analysis draws on interviews with leading social work educators who have been recipients of the Katherine Kendall Award of the International Association of Schools of Social Work, for their contribution to international social work education. Three phases of internationalization are identified: a foundation phase before World War II, an establishment phase until the millennium and a subsequent shift towards international advocacy on issues of concern to the social work profession. Interviews and in three cases biographies illustrate the concerns and internationalizing activities of leading educators during these last two phases. A focus in the 20th century on achieving the adoption of social work education and practice throughout the world led to a concern for practice education and community and social development. An important project in the 1970s involved family planning as a focus of social development. Social justice, political and social conflict and more recently green issues have engaged educators' commitments. Even though women are in a majority in social work, women leaders and leaders from the Global South often faced considerable struggle to assert their research and development priorities. The analysis shows that most Kendall awardees came from Europe and the US, where finance and linguistic and cultural hegemony facilitated educators in playing international roles.

This book examines the views of a number of theorists from ancient times to the 19th century on a range of welfare issues: wealth, poverty and inequality; slavery, gender issues and the family; child rearing and education; crime and punishment; the role of government in society; and the strengths and weaknesses of government provision vis-à-vis market provision. The book also looks at the values of the various theorists as well as their perception of human nature for these tend to underpin their welfare views.