Abstract
This book analyses how the European Union (EU) has affected welfare state reforms in the Member States most severely hit by the crisis. This introductory chapter contextualizes our contribution to the vibrant literature that has been published since the special issue on which this book is based has been in press. We further remind the reader of the severe crisis context in which the EU altered existing tools and developed new ones in the governance of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and of social policy. The findings of this book show that the nature of EU intervention into domestic welfare states has changed, with an enhanced focus on fiscal consolidation, increased surveillance and enforcement of EU measures. Overall, this represents a radical alteration of EU integration, whereby the EU is involved in domestic affairs to an unprecedented degree, particularly with regard to national budgets of which welfare state spending is an important component. Since these changes are highly institutionalized, particularly with regard to balanced budgets, it is necessary that the EU encourages social investment much more than it does presently.
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de la Porte, C., Heins, E. (2016). Introduction: Is the European Union More Involved in Welfare State Reform Following the Sovereign Debt Crisis?. In: De La Porte, C., Heins, E. (eds) The Sovereign Debt Crisis, the EU and Welfare State Reform. Work and Welfare in Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58179-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58179-2_1
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