Lisbon and social Europe: towards a European 'adult worker model' welfare system

Abstract

The Lisbon Process, launched in 2000 and relaunched in 2005, revived the debate about the existence of a European social model. This article argues that the Lisbon agenda presents a coherent vision of a social model which can be characterized as a Europe-wide Adult Worker Model (AWM). This is a system which assumes paid employment for all adults in order to secure their economic independence. The article identifies evidence of a development in this direction in the European Employment Strategy guidelines from 1997 through to the 2005 integrated macro-economic and employment guidelines. It concludes that this reorientation of the European social model is a vision of a supported AWM welfare system more akin to Sweden than the United States. However, the soft governance method used for social policy makes it vulnerable to changing political constellations in member states.

A Long Goodbye to Bismarck? : The Politics of Welfare Reform in Continental Europe

“…by insisting on a home care allowance). In contrast, the Social Democrats, all the opposition parties, and both social partners give clear priority to the latter concept, which is in line with (but was not explicitly influenced by) the supported 'adult worker model' as emphasized in the revised Lisbon Process (Annesley 2007). …”

Crisi e criticità del modello sociale europeo

“…Tale disuguaglianza è presente in forme assai meno accentuate anche in altri pae si europei, per lo più nell'unica dimensione della disoccupazione. Con l'agenda di Lisbona la Ue sembra aver cambiato politica sociale avvicinando il MSE alle ricette neo liberiste e proponendo un Adult worker model (Annesley, 2007): è davvero quello più adatto, ove fosse implementato? d) L'aumento della disuguaglianza pur in presenza di MSE ha un effetto potenziale devastante per il modello stesso: la crisi del ceto medio.…”

La politique de l'emploi face aux nouveaux modes de gouvernance axés sur la coordination et la performance

“…En l'absence de mécanisme de contrôle, l'une des techniques que la Commission peut employer pour encourager le respect des lignes directrices consiste à développer des « technologies du rendement » 3 qui privilégient une « collaboration compétitive » ou une « coopétition » (Bruno, Jacquot, & Mandin, 2006). Les données produites par ces instruments et la diffusion de ces connaissances auprès des différents États membres, de la presse et des citoyens européens permettent de montrer du doigt les « mauvais élèves » afin de faire ressortir les bonnes pratiques ainsi que les moins bonnes (Annesley, 2007;de la Porte, 2002;Jacobsson, 2004;O'Connor, 2005;Wincott, 2003). En somme, la MOC est un outil de coordination des politiques qui « est susceptible d'avoir des conséquences non négligeables sur la gouvernance nationale et européenne » (de la Porte, Pochet, & Room, 2001, p. 292).…”