ISBN : 9780199584499
This book takes stock of major and recent developments in welfare policy in the UK and Germany. Concentrating on trends since the 1990s it compares the similarities and differences between the two countries and analyses the degree to which social attitudes towards welfare provision, fairness, and social justice have changed. It focuses on the policy areas that have been particularly affected in recent years and examines change and possible convergence across three public policy domains: family policy, pensions and policies aimed at social and labour market integration. The book covers both public provision as well as the role of company-based social protection. Based on new empirical survey research as well as focus group interviews, the contributions analyse the ways in which social policies have adapted to common and country-specific challenges, and provide an understanding of the changing welfare landscapes in the UK and Germany.
1. Introduction
PART I: WELFARE VALUES
2. Differing notions of social welfare? Britain and Germany Compared
3. Fairness and Social Provision: Qualitative Evidence from Germany and the UK
4. Challenges of Ethnic Diversity: Results from a Qualitative Study
PART II: WELFARE POLICIES
PART II A: SUPPORTING FAMILIES
5. Family Policy - Striving for Sustainability
6. Increasing Returns: The New Economy of Family Policy in Britain and Germany
7. Family-friendly Working Time Policy in Germany and the United Kingdom
8. Cross-national Perspectives on Firm-level Family Policies: Britain, Germany and the US Compared
PART II. B: SUPPORTING PENSIONERS
9. Towards German Liberalism and British Social Democracy: The Evolution of Two Public-occupational Pension Regimes from 1945 to 2009
10. The Impact of the New Public and Private Pension Settlements in Britain and Germany on Citizen's Income in Old Age
11. Can Private Insurers Bridge the Savings Gap? Regulation and Performance of Personal Pensions in Great Britain and Germany
PART 11 C: EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT
12. Higher Education and Graduate Employment - The Importance of Occupational Specificity in Germany and Britain
13. From Unemployment Protection to 'Work First'. Is German Labour Market Policy Becoming British?
14. Conclusion: Parallel Paths, Great Similarities, Prevailing Differences