Implementing Social Europe in Times of Crises: Re-established Boundaries of Welfare?

While the EU legitimacy crisis and the Great Recession prevail, certain European Union principles and policies have to be implemented in the member states. This volume explores the diverse processes, stages and subjects of implementation in a variety of social policies to identify different institutional dynamics and actor behaviours at play. The individual contributions examine the transposition of the patients’ rights directive to the Europeanisation of pension reforms; the role of national parliaments in transposing social Europe; judicial Europeanisation; and the multi-level enforcement of EU decisions.

Theoretically, the contributions in this book highlights the fact that implementation is often conditioned by domestic politics or comes as a ‘random walk’ due to organisational and cognitive constraints. Empirically, the volume has three main findings. First, the constitutive components of the EU tend to have a contradictory impact on the EU’s social policies and the national welfare systems. Second, crises influence the implementation of social Europe, at times leading to a modification of fundamental principles and content, but not across the board. Third, as a result, there is evidence of differentiated Europeanisation.

This book was originally published as a special issue of West European Politics.

Dorte Sindbjerg Martinsen is Professor with special responsibilities in the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Her research focuses on EU welfare policies and investigating integration and national implementation of EU social policies, including health care.

Hans Vollaard is Lecturer in Dutch and European politics at Leiden University, The Netherlands. His research interests include Euro-scepticism in The Netherlands, European disintegration, European health policies, and Christianity in Dutch politics.