Building Social Europe Through The Open Method Of Co Ordination

The Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC) is a multi-dimensional challenge for policy-makers, as well as social actors, researchers and other players. The aim of Building Social Europe through the Open Method of Co-ordination is to describe the role of the OMC as an instrument for the governance of Europe's social dimension from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The underlying issues addressed concern its potential as an instrument of Europeanisation, as well as how the Member States influence EU policy formation. The complexities of national policy-making processes in the area of employment are scrutinised by researchers from different EU countries who seek to understand how, if at all, OMC employment is integrated into Member States' policies. Furthermore, the complex adaptational pressures of the EU on the reform of national public pension schemes (the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Italy) are analysed. The editors devote their efforts to understanding the national-European dynamics of OMC in the areas of employment, social exclusion and pensions. The book is a first step towards a theoretical framework that explains the dynamics of OMC.

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: 1,3, University of Cologne (Europa: Politik und Jura), course: Action against EoFin, 51 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Die Arbeit problematisiert die Schwierigkeiten einer gesamteurop ischen Sozialpolitik im Lichte der sog. Offenen Methode der Koordinierung (engl. Open Method of Coordination). Wie funktioniert dieses neue Instrument europ ischer Politik, welche konkreten Erfahrungen wurden bisher gesammelt, und hat die Offene Methode der Koordinierung das Potenzial eine gesamteurop ische Sozialpolitik zu erm glichen? Die vorliegende Arbeit gibt Antworten auf diese Fragen und problematisiert das Thema im Lichte der aktuellen Wohlfahrtsstaatsforschung.

The contributors in this volume examine the practical operations, at national and subnational levels, of the European Employment and Social Inclusion Strategies, which are the most important examples of the Open Method of Co-ordination as a new instrument of EU governance.

Büchs analyses the goals and instruments of the Open Method of Coordination, discusses approaches which theorize its functioning, examines its policy content and develops a framework for its evaluation. Through the examination of a case study the author demonstrates how policy actors apply the OMC in employment in Germany and the United Kingdom.

The Research Handbook on European Social Security Law critically examines the various European dimensions of social security. The collection discusses a wide range of questions and dilemmas ensuing from the present state of European social security law, whilst at the same time identifying future lines of inquiry that are likely to dominate the discourse in the coming years. This Handbook encompasses numerous dimensions of European social security law, including: social security as a human right; standard setting in social security; the protection of mobile persons and migrants; as well as the global context of European social security law. It pays attention to both EU law and to various instruments of the Council of Europe. Throughout the book's chapters prominent experts analyse contemporary debates, discuss new challenges and point out further lines of research. Via this exploration, the Handbook provides a source of inspiration for the development of this special field of law. Covering a breadth of topic and research, scholars and practitioners alike will find this Research Handbook to be an invaluable source of information.

How successful was the EU's Lisbon Strategy? This volume provides the first comprehensive assessment of the Strategy and reflects on its key developments during its 10-year cycle. The volume contains both theoretical and empirical contributions by some of the leading scholars of EU studies across the social sciences.

"Provides an analysis of the constitutional principles governing the European Union. It covers the history of the EU, the constitutional foundations, the institutional framework, legislative and executive governance, judicial protection, and external relations"--Publisher's website

The welfare state in all its many forms has had a profound role in many countries around the world since at least the Second World War. The Routledge Handbook of the Welfare State explores the classical issues around the welfare state, but also investigates its key concepts, along with how these can be used and analysed. This book provides expert analysis of the core issues related to the welfare state, including regional depictions of welfare states around the globe. The book combines essays on methodologies, core concepts and central policy areas to produce a comprehensive picture of what 'the welfare state' means around the world. In the midst of the credit crunch, this book addresses some of the many questions about the welfare state. This book is suitable for students and scholars throughout the social sciences, particularly in sociology, social policy, public policy, international relations, politics, and gender studies.