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The European Social Model: Coping with the challenges of diversity

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  • Scharpf, Fritz W.
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    Abstract

    European integration has created a constitutional asymmetry between policies promoting market efficiencies and policies promoting social protection and equality. National welfare states are legally and economically constrained by European rules of economic integration, liberalization, and competition law, whereas efforts to adopt European social policies are politically impeded by the diversity of national welfare states, differing not only in levels of economic development and hence in their ability to pay for social transfers and services but, even more significantly, in their normative aspirations and institutional structures. In response, the Open Method of Coordination is now applied being in the social-policy field. It leaves effective policy choices at the national level, but tries to improve these through promoting common objectives and common indicators and through comparative evaluations of national policy performance. These efforts are useful but cannot overcome the constitutional asymmetry. Hence there is reason to search for solutions which must have the character of European law in order to establish constitutional parity with the rules of European economic integration, but which also must be sufficiently differentiated to accommodate the existing diversity of national welfare regimes. The article discusses two such options, Closer Cooperation and a combination of differentiated framework directives with the Open Method of Coordination. -- Die Europäische Integration hat eine konstitutionelle Asymmetrie zwischen marktschaffender Politik und soziale Sicherheit und Gleichheit fördernder Politik erzeugt. Sozialstaatliche Politik auf der nationalen Ebene wird beschränkt durch Marktintegration, Liberalisierung und das europäische Wettbewerbsrecht. Zugleich scheitert aber eine einheitliche europäische Sozialpolitik an Unterschieden in der wirtschaftlichen Leistungsfähigkeit noch mehr an der Verschiedenartigkeit der normativen Erwartungen und der institutionellen Strukturen der nationalen Sozialsysteme. Als Antwort darauf wird nun die Offene Methode der Koordinierung in der Sozialpolitik angewandt. Die Methode belässt die Wahl der Policy auf nationaler Ebene, versucht aber gleichzeitig, diese durch die Definition gemeinsamer Ziele und Indikatoren sowie durch Erfolgsvergleiche zu verbessern. Diese Bemühungen sind zwar nützlich, können jedoch die konstitutionelle Asymmetrie nicht beseitigen. Es lohnt sich deshalb, nach Lösungen zu suchen, die den Status europäischen Rechts haben, um so konstitutionellen Gleichrang mit dem europäischen Recht der wirtschaftlichen Integration zu erreichen. Diese Lösungen müssen aber zugleich ausreichend differenziert sein, um die legitimen Unterschiede nationaler Wohlfahrtsregime zu respektieren. Dieses Working Paper beschäftigt sich mit zweien solcher Lösungsmöglichkeiten: Vertiefte Zusammenarbeit sowie eine Kombination differenzierter Rahmenrichtlinien mit der Offenen Methode der Koordinierung.

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    Bibliographic Info

    Paper provided by Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in its series MPIfG Working Paper with number 02/8.

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    Date of creation: 2002
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    Handle: RePEc:zbw:mpifgw:028

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    Citations

    RePEc Biblio mentions

    As found on the RePEc Biblio, the curated bibliography for Economics:
    1. > Political Economy > The Political Economy of the European Union
    2. > Political Economy > The Political Economy of the European Union > Economic Policy and Policy-Making in the European Union
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    Cited by:
    1. Caminada, Koen & Goudswaard, Kees & Van Vliet, Olaf, 2008. "Patterns of welfare state indicators in the EU: Is there convergence?," MPRA Paper 20177, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Scharpf, Fritz W., 2004. "Legitimationskonzepte jenseits des Nationalstaats," MPIfG Working Paper 04/6, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    3. Beramendi, Pablo, 2007. "Inequality and the Territorial Fragmentation of Solidarity," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 61(04), pages 783-820, October.
    4. Theodoros Iosifides & George Korres, 2005. "European Integration and the Future of Social Policy Making," ERSA conference papers ersa05p11, European Regional Science Association.
    5. Karl Aiginger, 2003. "A Three Tier Strategy for Successful European Countries in the Nineties," WIFO Working Papers 205, WIFO.
    6. Citi, Manuele & Rhodes, Martin, 2007. "New Modes of Governance in the EU: Common Objectives versus National Preferences," European Governance Papers (EUROGOV) 1, CONNEX and EUROGOV networks.
    7. Martina Eckardt, 2003. "The Open Method of Co-ordination on Pensions - An Economic Analysis of its Effects on Pension Reforms," Thuenen-Series of Applied Economic Theory 39, University of Rostock, Institute of Economics, Germany.
    8. Hartlapp, Miriam, 2006. "Über Politiklernen lernen: Überlegungen zur Europäischen Beschäftigungsstrategie," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Labor Market Policy and Employment SP I 2006-114, Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB).
    9. Hemerijck, Anton, 2006. "Recalibrating Europe's semi-sovereign welfare states," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Labor Market Policy and Employment SP I 2006-103, Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB).
    10. Seguin, Thomas & Mathieu, Catherine & Sterdyniak, Henri, 2007. "Annex 6 : What future for Social Europe ?," Open Access publications from Sciences Po info:hdl:2441/5082, Sciences Po.
    11. Tausch, Arno, 2011. "The efficiency and effectiveness of social spending in the EU-27 and the OECD – a 2011 reanalysis," MPRA Paper 33516, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Julie Chytilová & Michal Mejstøík, 2007. "European Social Models and Growth: Where are the Eastern European countries heading?," Working Papers IES 2007/24, Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies, revised Aug 2007.
    13. Hans-Werner Sinn & Wolfgang Ochel, 2003. "Social Union, Convergence and Migration," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(5), pages 869-896, December.
    14. Obinger, Herbert & Leibfried, Stephan & Castles, Francis G., 2005. "Prospects for a European welfare state: Lessons from welfare state development in six OECD-Federations," TranState Working Papers 16, University of Bremen, Collaborative Research Center 597: Transformations of the State.
    15. Schömann, Klaus & Siarov, Liuben & van den Heuvel, Nick, 2006. "Managing social risks through transitional labour markets," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Labor Market Policy and Employment SP I 2006-117, Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB).
    16. Van Vliet, Olaf & Kaeding, Michael, 2007. "Globalisation, European Integration and Social Protection – Patterns of Change or Continuity?," MPRA Paper 20808, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Anna Horv‡th, 2007. "Committee Governance after the Enlargement of the EU: the Institutionalisation of Cooperation within the Social Protection Committee," European Political Economy Review, European Political Economy Infrastructure Consortium, vol. 6(March), pages 53-73.
    18. Cafaggi, Fabrizio & Muir Watt, Horatia, 2007. "The Making of European Private Law: Regulation and Governance design," European Governance Papers (EUROGOV) 2, CONNEX and EUROGOV networks.
    19. Zweynert, Joachim, 2007. "Europa als Wirtschafts- und Sozialmodell?," HWWI Research Papers 5-1, Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI).
    20. Martin Hering & Michael Kpessa, 2007. "The Integration of Occupational Pension Regulations: Lessons for Canada," Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population Research Papers 188, McMaster University.

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