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Call for contributions to a special edition of the Journal of Contemporary European Studies (Volume 22 (2), June 2014):

“Social welfare and the ethics of austerity in Europe: justice, ideology and equality”

Guest Editors: Dr Adam Whitworth & Prof Jan Windebank, University of Sheffield, UK.

Even before 2008, social welfare systems across Europe were facing a considerable number and range of challenges: shifts in production and employment patterns following globalisation, new labour market risks, long-term unemployment and labour market inactivity; changing household formations; and an ageing population (Clasen & Siegel).  These issues remain and have been brought into sharp focus by the financial meltdown of 2008. The sovereign debt crisis and ensuing economic slowdown witnessed across Europe since 2008 have required governments to seek ways to reduce the public debt through changes to tax regimes, to welfare expenditure and more broadly to the nature of welfare provision. However, the balance across these various response options to the crisis has varied between countries, producing divergent impacts as far as welfare is concerned. This special issue will therefore not only ask what has been the range of policy responses to the ‘welfare crisis’ across Europe, but will seek to understand the policy choices underlying these responses in terms of the ideologies and notions of social justice and equality which inform them.

Given that five years have now passed since the financial crisis and that its longer-term effects are playing out quite differently across European countries it is an appropriate time to reflect on the ethics of the different welfare policy choices that have manifested themselves across Europe over this period. This special issue will therefore ask in what ways policy responses to the ‘welfare crisis’ have been informed by, and in turn influenced, alternative constructions of social justice; in what ways policy discourses have sought to frame and justify particular reform strategies; what the ideological forces are that are driving change in social welfare as well as those that are opposing it; what is the distribution and equity of the responses across different European countries; and what has been the differential impacts of policy change on various groups in society in particular national contexts?

The special issue will therefore ask how governments across Europe have responded to the economic crisis in terms of changes to their social policy regimes – including the nature and size of cash benefits, services and tax systems – and by what processes they have decided how the budgetary reductions will be shared across the population. How have policy responses been framed and justified and on what notions of social justice have these decisions been based? To what extent do these decisions reflect existing political and economic conditions and institutions? What evidence has been presented to support the reforms?

As Farnsworth & Irving (2011) suggest, the extent to which economic crisis will impact on welfare states in the short, medium and long term depends not only on the objective facts of the extent of economic collapse but also on the more ideological dimensions of crisis management which concern the ways in which the crisis has been defined, understood and responded to. It is necessary to ask, therefore, in what ways have national politics influenced the form that social welfare reforms have taken? Have recent elections produced right or left-wing governments with what kinds of agendas for social policy regimes? Have responses to the crisis been in line with previously prescribed national paths consonant with traditional typologies and categorisations of welfare regimes? How has the view of the relationship between economic performance and social welfare been affected by the crisis in different institutional settings? As Gough (2011) suggests, these may be seen as compatible by some and incompatible by others depending on one’s ideological position.

As Grimshaw & Rubery (2012) argue in the context of the UK, the crisis has permitted the intensification of neo-liberal policy on social welfare with the redrawing or abolition of minimum standards and the failure to meet changing patterns of social need. To what extent has the recession opened a ‘window of opportunity’ through which prior policy ideas and more ideologically driven agendas can be pursued?  What have been the policy discourses and rhethoric surrounding policy change in particular national contexts? To what extent is ideology rather than evidence or objective need driving policy in certain European countries? To what extent has the crisis led to a questioning or a reinforcement of neo-liberal ideas about social welfare in particular national contexts? If a strengthening of a neo-liberal social project is taking place, what effect is it having on a ‘European social model’ within the EU?

Hill (2011) has suggested that the culpability of the banking sector and the unfairness of the many paying for the recklessness of the few is helping to challenge neo-liberal orthodoxy and that this sense of injustice has reawakened participation in grassroots protest movements. Indeed, the implementation of austerity measures has not gone unchallenged. It is necessary to ask, therefore, to what extent political actors in specific national contexts have managed to veto, shape or redirect the implementation of austerity measures. To what extent have voices of resistance to austerity managed to get themselves heard? What / who are these forces of resistance (for example, the Occupy movement, trades unions, youth movements)?

Author instructions and timetable

Interested colleagues are requested to submit an abstract of between 500 - 750 words by Monday 8th April 2013. Abstracts should contain a short statement detailing the aims, results and conclusions of the submission. The editors will make selections and inform contributors of the outcome of this process as soon as possible thereafter. Please note that paper acceptance will still be subject to satisfactory peer review.

Full papers in the Journal of Contemporary European Studies format should be submitted via ScholarOne online (see the journal’s Authors’ Instructions) by Monday 2nd September 2013.

Following full peer review, authors will be contacted by end November 2013 with a final decision on inclusion in the Special Issue and any revisions to selected articles will need to be made by end January 2014.

For further details please contact:
Adam Whitworth: [log in to unmask]
Jan Windebank: [log in to unmask]