Abstract
This chapter explores how the Dutch welfare system has evolved in the last decade(s). It shows that the economic crisis and the process of demographic change have put the Dutch welfare system to the test. The surmounting pressures from 2007 onwards have revealed structural problems of the Dutch welfare system, such as sustainability of pensions and health care systems, increasing dualisation in the labour market and challenges in reconciliation of care responsibilities and (full-time) employment. Although the Dutch corporatist consensus-driven policy-making has been able to take some action in reforming social security and social services towards the needs of the ‘participatory society’, the paradigmatic policy changes remain unpopular and (still) few in actual numbers. In conclusion, the legitimacy of the welfare state in the Netherlands remains strong, but the actual consequences of the ‘great recession’ are yet to materialize.
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- 1.
Having a multi-tiered system, including the basic pillar of state-led pensions, the second pillar of funded pensions paid by the employees and employers and third pillar of voluntary private funded pension accounts like the one in the Netherlands, is often seen as more effective than having one state-run basic pension only.
- 2.
It is worth mentioning that according to the Statistics Netherlands (CBS), unemployment is actually higher than reported by Eurostat, and that it is increasing: between December 2012 and January 2013 unemployment among the Dutch labour force rose from 7.2 % to 7.5 %.
- 3.
Especially revisions in the unemployment, disability and social assistance benefit systems, for this see van Gerven (2008a).
- 4.
In 2009, the average number of hours worked per week was lower in the Netherlands than the EU-27 average for both women (25.2 % in the Netherlands in comparison to 33.0 % in the EU-27) and men (36.6 % in the Netherlands hours in comparison to 39.9 % in the EU-27). At the same time, gender pay gap (unadjusted) has decreased slightly from 21.0 % in 2000 to 19.6 % in 2009. Source: EC (2011: 146).
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Acknowledgement
The author wants to thank Susann Bartels for her extensive research work for this article and the anonymous reviewers for the constructive comments on the earlier draft.
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van Gerven, M. (2016). Beyond the Dutch Miracle? Challenges to and Responses of the Dutch Welfare System. In: Schubert, K., de Villota, P., Kuhlmann, J. (eds) Challenges to European Welfare Systems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07680-5_24
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