Poverty and subsidiarity in Europe. Minimum protection from an economic perspective

Abstract:
This work looks at the competing philosophies of economic integration and social policy within the EU. It has three objectives: first to investigate the theoretical basis of the principle of subsidiarity and its implication for redistribution policy, and in relation to this, to investigate the economic rationale for income redistribution by the government; secondly to investigate the economic and social efficiency of redistribution policies; and thirdly to simulate possible options for co-operation or fiscal competition in the social field among EU Member States.

The work is organised over eight chapters. Following an introduction, chapter two investigates the dual nature of subsidiarity having both bottom-up and top-down responsibilities. The role of government in the field of redistributive policies, be it at EU or nation state level, is investigated in chapter three. The relationship between European welfare regimes and poverty are considered in chapter four. Income redistribution and poverty in the three European welfare states - Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom - are the focus of chapter five with quantification of the impact of redistributive policy by their governments. Chapter six concentrates on the long-term income poverty and poverty dynamics, using income as the yardstick for welfare comparisons across population groups. Chapter seven addresses the issues of poverty and social exclusion and the strategies to be employed to reach the hypothetical poverty targets for EU Member States. Chapter eight draws together and weighs the evidence of earlier chapters and some signposts erected as to the way forward for the design of the welfare state and Social Europe.

The work will interest scholars, students and researchers engaged in economics, sociology and political science as well as governmental institutions and policy makers.

Contents:
1. Introduction: Poverty, Subsidiarity and the European Union
2. The Concept of Subsidiarity
3. Subsidiarity in Economics
4. European Welfare Regimes and Poverty
5. Income Redistribution and Poverty in Three European Welfare States
6. The Dynamics of Poverty
7. Social Europe: Fiscal Competition or Co-ordination?
8. Poverty in Europe: Which Way to Go Now?
Appendix 1: A Simple Insurance Model
Appendix 2: Description of the Data
Appendix 3: Measuring Inequality
Appendix 4: Model for Poverty