The working poor in Europe. Employment, poverty and globalization

Abstract:
For a long time in-work poverty was not associated with European welfare states. Recently, the topic has gained relevance as welfare state retrenchment and international competition in globalized economies has put increasing pressures on individuals and families. This book provides explanations as to why in-work poverty is high in certain countries and low in others.

Much of the present concern about the working poor has to do with recent changes in labour market policies in Europe. However, this book is not primarily about low pay. Instead, it questions whether gainful employment is sufficient to earn a living – both for oneself and for one’s family members. There are, however, great differences between European countries. This book argues that the incidence and structure of the working poor cannot be understood without a thorough understanding of each country’s institutional context. This includes the system of wage-setting, the level of decommodification provided by the social security system and the structure of families and households. Combining cross-country studies with in-depth analyses from a national perspective, the book reveals that in-work poverty in Europe is a diverse, multi-faceted phenomenon occurring in equally diverse institutional, economic and socio-demographic settings.

This book will be of interest to academics and researchers of labour and welfare economics, social policy and European studies as well as to policy advisers.

Contents:
Introduction: The Working Poor in Europe - Hans-Jürgen Andreß and Henning Lohmann
1. The Different Faces of In-Work Poverty Across Welfare State Regimes - Henning Lohmann and Ive Marx
2. The Working Poor in European Welfare States: Empirical Evidence from a Multilevel Perspective - Henning Lohmann
3. When Famialism Fails: The Nature and Causes of In-Work Poverty in Belgium - Ive Marx and Gerlinde Verbist
4. The Different Roles of Low-wage Work in Germany: Regional, Demographical and Temporal Variances in the Poverty Risk of Low-paid Workers - Marco Gießelmann and Henning Lohmann
5. The Silent Transformation of the Dutch Welfare State and the Rise of In-Work Poverty - Erik Snel, Jan de Boom and Godfried Engbersen
6. In-Work Poverty in a Transitional Labour Market: Sweden, 1988–2003 - Björn Halleröd and Daniel Larsson
7. 'Much Ado About Nothing'? Institutional Framework and Empirical Findings on the Working Poor Phenomenon in Finland from 1995 to 2005 - Ilpo Airio, Susan Kuivalainen and Mikko Niemelä
8. Two Countries in One: The Working Poor in Italy - Ferruccio Biolcati-Rinaldi and Federico Podestà
9. Is Work a Route Out of Poverty: What Have New Labour’s Welfare-to-Work Measures Meant for the Working Poor in Britain? - Sara Connolly
10. Low Pay and Household Poverty During Ireland’s Economic Boom - Brian Nolan
11. Combating In-Work Poverty in Europe: The Policy Options Assessed - Ive Marx and Gerlinde Verbist
12. Explaining In-Work Poverty Within and Across Countries - Henning Lohmann and Hans-Jürgen Andreß