Social Reformism 2.0 Work, Welfare and Progressive Politics in the 21st Century

Automation, digitalisation, the post-industrial transition and climate change are creating new social risks which are not adequately supported by established welfare state institutions. In this timely book, Maurizio Ferrera, Joan Miró and Stefano Ronchi propose critical social and institutional policy reform in response to the nation state’s inability to maintain a balanced ecosystem between democracy, the market economy, welfare and the rule of law.

Social Reformism 2.0 provides a diagnosis of the critical issues facing the welfare state, namely the transition to post-industrialisation, globalisation and European integration, and the fourth technological revolution. Situating the European social model within a multi-crisis context, this book surveys the current reform trends in social policy, addressing decades of global development, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the climate emergency, before proposing a number of strategic policy reforms. It ultimately champions a transition towards a greener economy and a realignment of progressive politics, highlighting the central role Europe plays in coordinating and stimulating change.

Offering a highly detailed yet accessible critique, this socially pertinent study will strongly appeal to students and academics with an interest in political science, European studies, sociology, social and public policy analysis and welfare state research. It will also highly benefit policymakers, bureaucrats, practitioners and stakeholders involved in social governance processes at a national and European level.

Maurizio Ferrera, Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Milan, Italy, Joan Miró, Department of Political and Social Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain and Stefano Ronchi, Università degli Studi di Bergamo, Italy