Social Policy Exam Study Guide

Flashcards covering key concepts in citizenship, European social policy, and global governance.

Citizenship

Relationship between individuals and communities they inhabit with civil, political, and social rights and responsibilities, creating inclusion/exclusion dynamics.

Communitarian Approach

Emphasizes community importance, active civic duties, and collective responsibilities preceding rights.

Liberal Approach

Emphasizes individual liberty, equality before the law, and citizenship as a status bestowing unconditional rights.

T.H. Marshall's Social Citizenship Theory

Includes civil, political, and social rights aiming for universal equality of status, complemented by a post-war welfare state.

Conditional Citizenship

Shift from unconditional entitlements to 'no rights without responsibilities,' implementing welfare conditionality and extending it to previously exempt groups.

Positive Integration

Correcting market failures through regulation in European social policy.

Negative Integration

Market-building through ECJ rulings in European social policy.

Automatic Social Policy

Belief that economic integration would automatically improve welfare (pre-1970s).

Social Protectionist Interventionism

Active regulation to control free movement effects ('Politics against Markets' approach, 1970s-1980s).

Market-Building Interventionism

Using social policy to support market creation, emphasizing competitiveness and economic growth (post-1980s).

International Governmental Organizations (IGOs)

Forums for sovereign government collaboration (e.g., UN, WHO, World Bank, IMF, EU).

International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs)

Voluntary, charitable, professional associations involved in agenda-setting, advocacy, and service provision (e.g., Oxfam, Gates Foundation, trade unions).

Global inequality

Determined by country of birth vs. merit, with differential voting rights in international institutions.

Varieties of Capitalism (VoC)

Highlights institutional differences, dividing advanced economies into: Liberal Market Economies (LMEs) and Coordinated Market Economies (CMEs).

Liberal Market Economies (LMEs)

Feature competitive markets, shareholder value, and flexible labor markets (e.g., USA, UK).

Coordinated Market Economies (CMEs)

Emphasize stakeholder coordination, relational investing, and employment protection (e.g., Germany, Japan).

European Social Model (ESM)

A welfare model committed to full employment, social protection, and social inclusion, with variations across countries.

Four Worlds of Welfare Capitalism

Esping-Andersen's classification: Social Democratic, Conservative, Liberal, Southern European.

Social Democratic Welfare States

Characterized by universalism, decommodification, and strong labor movements (e.g., Scandinavia).

Conservative Welfare States

Maintain status differentials, emphasize family, and have corporatist features (e.g., Germany, France).

Liberal Welfare States

Target needs-based assistance, with modest universal transfers and dominant market provision (e.g., USA, UK).

Southern European Welfare States

Fragmented systems with rudimentary welfare, reliance on family, and clientelism (e.g., Italy, Spain, Greece).

Welfare State Retrenchment

Involves budget cuts, benefit restrictions, and privatization in response to economic pressures.

Challenges to the European Social Model

Globalization has increased international competition, technological changes has increased the need for skilled workers, demographic changes involves aging populations.

Skills Mismatch

Occurs when workers' skills do not align with available job requirements.

What are the three core elements of citizenship according to Dwyer (2016)?

Civil, political, and social rights.

Citizenship

Relationship between individuals and communities they inhabit with civil, political, and social rights and responsibilities, creating inclusion/exclusion dynamics.

What dynamics does citizenship create?

Inclusion and exclusion dynamics.

How does the Communitarian approach view citizenship?

As a practice emphasizing community and responsibilities before rights.

How does the Liberal approach define citizenship?

As a status focused on individual rights and largely unconditional entitlements.

What are T.H. Marshall’s three elements of citizenship?

Civil rights, political rights, and social rights.

What is a criticism of Marshall’s social citizenship theory?

It ignores cost, is not truly universal, and is criticized by both left and right ideologies.

What is “conditional citizenship”?

The trend toward making social rights conditional on responsibilities (e.g., workfare policies).

EUROPEAN AND NATIONAL SOCIAL POLICY (Schmidt, 2021)

Key Themes

What are the three processes of EU social policy development?

Positive integration, negative integration, and indirect pressures.

What is “positive integration”?

Regulation to correct market failures.

What are the three principles of social policy steering over time in the EU?

Automatic social policy, social protectionist interventionism, and market-building interventionism.

What is the Lindberg-Scheingold Scale used for?

Measuring the degree of Europeanization in social policy (1 = national control, 5 = full EU control).

What are the main barriers to further Europeanization of social policy?

Socio-economic diversity, varied welfare models, institutional constraints, and national resistance.

GLOBALISATION AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS (Yeates, 2016)

Key Themes

What are the two main types of international organizations?

IGOs (e.g., UN, IMF) and INGOs (e.g., Oxfam, trade unions).

Name four ways international organizations shape social policy.

Forums for debate, standard-setting, resource provision, regulatory reform.

What challenges exist in global social reform?

Weak enforcement, donor dependency, lack of legal redress, northern dominance.

What does the 0.7% GDP target refer to?

Recommended development aid contribution from wealthy countries.

COMPARATIVE/INTEGRATIVE THEMES

Key Themes

What is meant by “multi-level governance”?

Social policy is influenced at national, European, and global levels.

What ongoing tension exists in social policy?

Between unconditional rights and conditional responsibilities.

What is the democratic deficit in global governance?

Lack of adequate representation and legitimacy in supranational decision-making.

Why is economic integration often faster than social integration?

Economic goals tend to align more easily across countries than social protection priorities.