The International Context

Abstract

Social security systems are a central feature of most modern, industrialised countries, but even countries at a similar level of economic development adopt quite different approaches to their social security policies. In the course of this chapter, we focus on a number of these differences. According to Hirsch (1997), social security systems in Europe differ from those in the UK such that:

• Social security is designed to include everyone, not just a poor minority

• Contributions to National Insurance are viewed differently from taxation

• Social security is about ‘solidarity’.

While some of these features have echoes in the UK, it is argued that, in Europe, they form a strong part of the social security system.