Table Of ContentMinimum Income
Protection in Flux
Edited by
Ive Marx and Kenneth Nelson
Minimum Income Protection in Flux
Reconciling Work and Welfare in Europe
Series Editors: Denis Bouget, University of Nantes, France; Jochen Clasen, University of
Edinburgh, UK; Ana Guillén Rodriguez, University of Oviedo, Spain; Jane Lewis, London School
of Economics and Political Science, UK and Bruno Palier, Sciences-po Paris, France
Titles include:
Sigrid Betzelt and Silke Bothfeld
ACTIVATION AND LABOUR MARKET REFORMS IN EUROPE
Challenges to Social Citizenship
Sonja Drobnic and Ana Guillén Rodriguez
WORK–LIFE BALANCE IN EUROPE
The Role of Job Quality
Colette Fagan, Maria Gonzalez Menendez and Silvia Gomez Anson
WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT
European Employment Policy
Neil Fraser, Rodolfo Gutierrez and Ramon Pena-Cassas
WORKING POVERTY IN EUROPE
Patricia Frericks and Robert Maier
THE LIFE COURSE AND THE ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF THE WELFARE STATE
Paolo Graziano, Sophie Jacquot and Bruno Palier
THE EU AND THE DOMESTIC POLITICS OF WELFARE STATE REFORMS
Europa, Europae
Karl Hinrichs and Matteo Jessoula
LABOUR MARKET FLEXIBILITY AND PENSION REFORMS
Flexible Today, Secure Tomorrow?
Trudie Knijn
WORK, FAMILY AND TRANSITIONS TO ADULTHOOD IN EUROPE
Ive Marx and Kenneth Nelson
MINIMUM INCOME PROTECTION IN FLUX
Birgit Pfau-Effinger and Tine Rostgaard
CARE, WORK AND WELFARE IN EUROPE
Rik van Berkel, Willibrord de Graaf and Tomáš Sirovátka
THE GOVERNANCE OF ACTIVE WELFARE STATES IN EUROPE
Reconciling Work and Welfare in Europe
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Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS, England
Minimum Income Protection
in Flux
Edited by
Ive Marx
and
Kenneth Nelson
Selection and editorial matter © Ive Marx and Kenneth Nelson 2013
Individual chapters © their respective authors 2013
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2013 978-0-230-34813-4
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First published 2013 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
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registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
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ISBN 978–0–230–34813–4
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ISBN 978-1-349-34533-5 ISBN 978-1-137-29184-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137291844
Contents
List of Figures and Tables vii
Notes on Contributors xiii
Acknowledgements xvii
1 A New Dawn for Minimum Income Protection? 1
Ive Marx and Kenneth Nelson
2 Struggle for Life: Social Assistance Benefits, 1992–2009 28
Natascha Van Mechelen and Sarah Marchal
3 Mind the Gap: Net Incomes of Minimum Wage Workers in
the EU and the US 54
Ive Marx, Sarah Marchal and Brian Nolan
4 Child Poverty as a Government Priority: Child Benefit
Packages for Working Families, 1992–2009 81
Natascha Van Mechelen and Jonathan Bradshaw
5 Minimum Income Protection for Europe’s Elderly: What
and How Much has been Guaranteed during the 2000s? 108
Tim Goedemé
6 From Universalism to Selectivity: Old Wine in New Bottles
for Child Benefits in Europe and Other Countries 137
Tommy Ferrarini, Kenneth Nelson and Helena Höög
7 Categorical Differentiation in the Light of Deservingness
Perceptions: Institutional Structures of Minimum Income
Protection for Immigrants and for the Disabled 161
Vanessa Hubl and Michaela Pfeifer
8 Origin and Genesis of Activation Policies in ‘Old’ Europe:
Towards a Balanced Approach? 190
J. Timo Weishaupt
9 Social Assistance Governance in Europe: Towards a
Multilevel Perspective 217
Yuri Kazepov and Eduardo Barberis
10 Minimum Social Protection in the CEE/CIS Countries:
The Failure of a Model 249
Jonathan Bradshaw, Emese Mayhew and Gordon Alexander
v
vi Contents
11 The EU and Minimum Income Protection: Clarifying
the Policy Conundrum 271
Frank Vandenbroucke, Bea Cantillon, Natascha Van Mechelen,
Tim Goedemé and Anne Van Lancker
Index 318
List of Figures and Tables
Figures
1.1 Poverty and employment rates in the EU countries,
1995–2010 3
1.2 Means-tested cash benefit expenditure as percentage
of GDP in 26 European countries, 2000–8 (index 2000 = 100) 8
2.1 The adequacy of net social assistance benefit packages in
EU member states, 2009 37
2.2 The trend in net social assistance benefit packages in
Western European countries, 1992–2001 41
2.3 The trend in net social assistance benefit packages in
Western European countries, 2001–9 44
2.4 The trend in net social assistance benefit packages in
Central and Eastern European countries and three
US states, 2001–9 46
2.5 Trends in social assistance benefit levels in the
US states, 2001–9 48
3.1 Gross monthly minimum wage levels in 2009 – PPS,
Euro and relative to average wages 62
3.2 Breakdown of net disposable income of a single minimum
wage earner in 2009, relative to the 60 per cent at-risk-of-
poverty threshold 63
3.3 Breakdown of net disposable income of a one-earner family
with two children at minimum wage in 2009, relative to
the 60 per cent at-risk-of-poverty threshold 64
3.4 Breakdown of net disposable income of a lone parent
with two children at minimum wage in 2009, relative to
the 60 per cent at-risk-of-poverty threshold 65
3.5 Net disposable income trends for a one-earner family with
the working adult earning a minimum wage relative to
poverty thresholds, 2001–9 66
3.6 Gross minimum wage trends relative to gross average wage
and median equivalent income, ranked by 2001 level
relative to gross average wage 67
vii
viii List of Figures and Tables
3.7 Trends in income taxes as percentage of gross minimum
wage, 2001–9 69
3.8 Trends in social security contributions as percentage
of gross minimum wage, 2001–9 70
3.9 Trends in child benefits as percentage of gross minimum
wage, 2001–9 71
4.1 The level of the child benefit package (CBP) for two
model families (couples), as percentage of poverty line
(60 per cent of median equivalent income; left-hand axis)
and in PPPs euros per month (right-hand axis), June 2009 92
4.2 The level of the child benefit package (CBP) for lone
parents with two children, as percentage of poverty line
(60 per cent of median equivalent income; left-hand axis)
and in PPPs euros per month (right-hand axis), June 2009 94
4.3 The value of the child benefit package (CBP) for a lone
parent with one preschool child, on minimum/low
earnings, as percentage of poverty line (60 per cent of
median equivalent income), June 2009 95
4.4 The trend in the child benefit package as percentage
of net disposable income, for a couple plus two
children, June 1992 and 2001 98
5.1 Trends in gross benefits for couples, in constant
prices: Countries with relatively little change (2000 = 100) 116
5.2 Trends in gross benefits for couples, in constant prices:
Countries with high increases in benefit levels (2000 = 100) 118
5.3 Trends in gross benefits for couples, in constant prices:
Countries with decreasing benefit levels (2000 = 100) 121
5.4 Income components as a percentage of total gross income
for elderly couples, June 2009 123
5.5 Equivalent net minimum income of elderly couples
as a percentage of the median equivalent household
income, 2001–9 125
5.6 Net minimum income of elderly couples in purchasing
power standards (PPS) and as percentage of the national
median equivalent net disposable household income, 2009 126
6.1 Average composition of child benefit systems: Percentages
of the net wage in 18 countries, 1960–2005 145
6.2a–e Composition of child benefit systems in countries with
universalist trajectories: Percentages of the net wage in
Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, 1960–2005 147
List of Figures and Tables ix
6.3a–e Composition of child benefit systems in countries with
fiscal trajectories: Percentages of the net wage in Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, the United States and
Germany, 1960–2005 149
6.4a–h Composition of child benefit systems in countries with
mixed social and fiscal policy trajectories: Percentages
of the net wage in Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Japan,
the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom,
1960–2005 151
6.5 Income gradient of child benefits in 18 OECD countries,
1960–2005: Benefits for a two-parent family earning half
the average production worker’s wage as percentage of
benefits for a two-parent family earning the average
production worker’s wage 153
6.6 The size of the average child benefit for different
programmes in 18 countries, 2005: Percentages of the
net wage (figures in parenthesis show the number of
countries with each type of benefit) 155
8.1 Employment rate of older male workers aged 60–4, 1997,
2002 and 2008 204
8.2 Public expenditure on labour market training
as a percentage of GDP, 1997, 2002 and 2008 206
8.3 Public expenditure on direct job-creation schemes as a
percentage of GDP, 1997, 2002 and 2008 206
8.4 Evolution of the tax burden (at 67 per cent of average
earnings), 2000 and 2008 208
8.5 Evolution of the tax burden (at 67 per cent of average
earnings), 2000 and 2008 208
8.6 Enrolment rates in childcare for children under the age
of three, 2005 and 2009 210
8.7 Enrolment rates in childcare for children between three
and mandatory school age, 2005 and 2009 211
9.1 Scalar shifts in selected social policies in four
European countries 229
9.2 Rescaling trends in Finland 230
9.3 Rescaling trends in France 232
9.4 Rescaling trends in Italy 234
9.5 Rescaling trends in Poland 236
