The United States And The European Pillar

The first major study of Atlantic political relations since World War 2 that uses a comparative perspective to analyze U.S. foreign policy and U.S.-European relations in the context of a Western Europe attempting to speak with one voice. The book examines U.S. policy toward European unity and the evolution of a West European pillar in foreign policy and defence, contrasts U.S. and European approaches toward specific global issues, and considers Atlantic relations in light of the dramatic European upheavals in 1989-90.

The sixteenth edition of Social policy in the European Union: state of play has a triple ambition. First, it provides easily accessible information to a wide audience about recent developments in both EU and domestic social policymaking. Second, the volume provides a more analytical reading, embedding the key developments of the year 2014 in the most recent academic discourses. Third, the forward-looking perspective of the book aims to provide stakeholders and policymakers with specific tools that allow them to discern new opportunities to influence policymaking. In this 2015 edition of Social policy in the European Union: state of play, the authors tackle the topics of the state of EU politics after the parliamentary elections, the socialisation of the European Semester, methods of political protest, the Juncker investment plan, the EU’s contradictory education investment, the EU’s contested influence on national healthcare reforms, and the neoliberal Trojan Horse of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

The contributors to this volume discuss how a West European security union would fit into the trans Atlantic and trans-European settings. Representatives from each of the West European NATO and EC member countries contribute their national views on the subject while representatives of major institutions (European Political Cooperation, the European Parliament, NATO and the West European Union) offer their international perspectives.

Drawing on interdisciplinary, cross-national perspectives, this open access book contributes to the development of a coherent scientific discourse on social exclusion of older people. The book considers five domains of exclusion (services; economic; social relations; civic and socio-cultural; and community and spatial domains), with three chapters dedicated to analysing different dimensions of each exclusion domain. The book also examines the interrelationships between different forms of exclusion, and how outcomes and processes of different kinds of exclusion can be related to one another. In doing so, major cross-cutting themes, such as rights and identity, inclusive service infrastructures, and displacement of marginalised older adult groups, are considered. Finally, in a series of chapters written by international policy stakeholders and policy researchers, the book analyses key policies relevant to social exclusion and older people, including debates linked to sustainable development, EU policy and social rights, welfare and pensions systems, and planning and development. The book’s approach helps to illuminate the comprehensive multidimensionality of social exclusion, and provides insight into the relative nature of disadvantage in later life. With 77 contributors working across 28 nations, the book presents a forward-looking research agenda for social exclusion amongst older people, and will be an important resource for students, researchers and policy stakeholders working on ageing.

"Since its creation, the European Union (EU) has aimed to promote socio-economic convergence between its Member States. However, over the past few years--notably since the onset of the crisis--the process convergence has stalled. This report finds that EU Member States are either diverging in terms of socio-economic performance or converging towards deteriorating outcomes such as worsening inequality and widening structural imbalances. Furthermore, there is a risk that, if left unaddressed, the gaps within and across countries will widen in the context of rapid changes taking place in the world of work. In September 2015, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, announced in his speech on the State of the Union, the establishment of a European Pillar of Social Rights. The Pillar would support the construction of a fair and truly pan-European labour market. Furthermore, Member States' convergence towards better socio-economic outcomes, underpinned by such a Pillar, would be the foundation for a more integrated and stable Europe and a necessary condition for a well-functioning Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). It is therefore imperative that the EU continues to strive collectively towards economic, employment and social improvements for all its members. Guided by international labour standards, this report presents a range of policy and institutional levers at the EU level that could be considered central to such a Pillar. It further argues that the role of the social partners both at the EU and national levels is key to building consensus and strengthening the societal support for the continued construction of the EU"--Provided by publisher.