This study examines the relationship between educational attainment and euroscepticism from 1973 to 2010. Existing research has shown that, driven by utilitarian considerations, political cues and questions of collective identity, education and euroscepticism are negatively related. However, as...

This article builds on previous findings that border residents are less prone to be Eurosceptic. First, it enhances measurement by using a more exact distinction between border and core districts. Second, it extends theory by arguing that the lower propensity towards Euroscepticism among border...

social Europe, European solidarity, open coordination, social investment

Should we explain the disappointing outcomes of the Open Method of Co-ordination on Inclusion by methodological weaknesses or by substantive contradictions in the “social investment” paradigm? To clarify the underlying concepts, we first revisit the original “Lisbon inspiration”, and...

This paper revisits social policy developments in Belgium in the decade 2000-2010 on the basis of stylized facts with regard to spending, employment, the social policy caseload, dependency rates and poverty. With regard to spending it focuses on the long-term evolution in Belgian public social...

The economic crisis has given rise to significant challenges to the welfare state. Given that welfare expenses account for a large proportion of all state spending in the member countries of the European Union, reducing government spending means cutting welfare measures. Yet social protection,...

This study assesses the role of social spending in relation to child poverty in European welfare states. Using macro-level panel data from EU SILC 2005-2012, we analyze the effect of the size of social spending and the effect of how those benefits are targeted. We separately estimate the effect...

No society can ignore inequality in gaining access health care services. The setting up of a generalized safety net against adverse effects of sickness on household, as achieved with the « Maximum yearly health bill» (« Maximum à facturer»), appears to be a key priority. The Belgian...