EU social policies [What Think Tanks are thinking]

Written by Marcin Grajewski,

On 26 April, the European Commission presented a European Pillar of Social Rights, which is a package of legislative proposals and recommendations aimed at enhancing work-life balance, fostering equal opportunities and better access to the labour market, as well as improving working conditions. Under the proposal, for example, new fathers would receive 10 days of paid parental leave, and parents of young children would be entitled to flexible working arrangements.

The plan, generally welcomed by trade unions but criticised by employers’ organisations, forms part of a wider Commission drive to strengthen the social dimension of the Economic and Monetary Union. This can be seen in the context of declining trust for the EU by citizens, in the wake of the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

This note offers a selection of recent studies, reports and commentaries by some of the major international think tanks and research institutes on EU social policies. More studies on the subject can be found in a previous edition of ‘What Think Tanks are thinking’.

Saving the French social model at the expense of the EU?
Clingendael, April 2017

The global decline in the labour income share: Is capital the answer to Germany’s current account surplus?
Bruegel, April 2017

Investments in green and social sectors can create 2.8 million jobs in the EU
Fondation Européenne d’Études Progressistes, April 2017

The effect of income distribution and fiscal policy on growth, investment, and budget balance: The case of Europe
Fondation Européenne d’Études Progressistes, April 2017

Social investment first! A precondition for a modern social Europe
European Policy Centre, March 2017

Closing routes to retirement: how do people respond?
Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, March 2017

The role of aggregate preferences for labor supply: Evidence from low-paid employment
Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, March 2017

Social harmonization and labor market performance in Europe
Center for Social and Economic Research, March 2017

Social harmonization in the eyes of Polish stakeholders: in search of consensus
Center for Social and Economic Research, March 2017

Listened to, but not heard? Social partners’ multilevel involvement in the European Semester
European Social Observatory, March 2017

Social policy in the EU: Reform barometer 2016. Social inclusion monitor Europe
Bertelsmann Stiftung, European Bureau for Policy Consulting and Social Research, University of St. Gallen, February 2017

Promouvoir l’Europe sociale: La quête du progrès pendant “l’ère Delors”
Notre Europe, February 2017

Women’s economic empowerment at international level
Overseas Development Institute, February 2017

Ambiguities of social Europe: Political agenda setting among trade unionists from Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe
Max Planck Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung, February 2017

Feasibility and added value of a European unemployment benefits scheme
Centre for European Policy Studies, February 2017

Design of a European unemployment benefit scheme
Centre for European Policy Studies, February 2017

Europe’s new social reality: The case against universal basic income
Policy Network, February 2017

L’introduction du salaire minimum en Allemagne: Un premier bilan
Institut français des relations internationales, February 2017

Les clés d’un nouveau modèle social: La révolution du revenu universel
La Vie des Idées, February 2017

Comment financer le revenu universel?
La Vie des Idées, February 2017

Les jeunes, ces citoyens de seconde zone
La Vie des Idées, February 2017

Should pensions be redistributive? The impact of Spanish reforms on the system’s sustainability and adequacy
Fundación de Estudios de Economía Aplicada, February 2017

British business strategy, EU social and employment policy and the emerging politics of Brexit
Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute, February 2017

Social Policy in the European Union: State of play
European Trade Union Institute, January 2017

Towards a European pillar of social rights: Upgrading the EU social acquis
College of Europe, January 2017

The free movement of people: Principle, stakes and challenges
Fondation Robert Schuman, January 2017

Contextual determinants of citizens’ support for gender equality in leadership positions across Europe
Mannheimer Zentrum für Europäische Sozialforschung, January 2017

Effectiveness of early retirement disincentives: Individual welfare, distributional and fiscal implications
Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, January 2017

Why is it so hard to reach the EU’s ‘poverty’ target?
Bruegel, January 2017

A European unemployment benefits scheme: Lessons from Canada
Centre for European Policy Studies, January 2017

Will a European unemployment benefits scheme affect labour mobility?
Centre for European Policy Studies, December 2016

Personal pensions in the European Union
Lithuanian Free Market Institute, December 2016

The future of work: Challenges for men and women
Research Institute of the Finnish Economy, November 2016

Rethinking the EU’s investment strategy: EFSI 2.0 needs a Social Pillar to address economic insecurity
European Policy Centre, November 2016

What is the cost of total pension provision and who pays the bill? Cross-national comparison of pension contributions
Finnish Centre for Pensions, November 2016

The reform of the posted workers directive
Fondation Robert Schuman, October 2016

An anatomy of inclusive growth in Europe
Bruegel, October 2017

Chances and risks of a European unemployment benefit scheme
Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung, October 2016

Paternity and parental leave policies across the European Union
Rand Europe, October 2016

Maternity leave policies: Trade-offs between labour market demands and health benefits for children
Rand Europe, October 2016

What role can minimum wages play in overcoming the low-wage model in Central and Eastern Europe?
European Trade Union Institute, October 2016

Is there such a thing as “Social Europe”?
Notre Europe, September 2016

Automatic stabilizers for the euro area and the European social model
Notre Europe, September 2016

Social Europe at a crossroads
Clingendael, September 2016

The stabilisation properties of a European unemployment benefits scheme
Centre for European Policy Studies, September 2016

Equal rights for all families: Applying human rights principles in national and EU policy-making
Foundation for European Progressive Studies, September 2016

Social Europe, but how? A view from Sweden
Clingendael, July 2015

Labour mobility in the EU: Addressing challenges and ensuring ‘fair mobility’
Centre for European Policy Studies, July 2016

A web tool-based equal gender pay analysis for a competitive Europe (equal pacE): Overview, elements and lessons learned
Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln, July 2016

Labour market and social policy in Italy: Challenges and changes
Bertelsmann Stiftung, June 2016

The European pillar of social rights: Critical legal analysis and proposals
European Trade Union Institute, June 2016

Too little, too late? Evaluating the European Works Councils Recast directive
European Trade Union Institute, June 2016

Access to social benefits for EU mobile citizens: “Tourism” or myth?
Notre Europe, June 2016

Social benefits and cross-border mobility
Notre Europe, June 2016