The first edition of the SIM Europe Reform Barometer sheds light on how the EU member states address the most pressing social problems.
The level of social justice has declined in most member states of the European Union in recent years. How do the EU member states address the most pressing social problems? Are their reform policies sufficient to restore social inclusion? The first edition of the SIM Europe Reform Barometer gives the answers.
In consequence of the economic and financial crisis, the level of social justice has declined in most member states of the European Union in recent years. Not only has the social imbalance between the northern and southern states increased, but also between the younger and the older generation. How do the EU member states address the most pressing social problems? Are their reform policies sufficient to restore social inclusion?
The pilot study “Social Policy Reforms in the EU – a Cross-national Comparison” gives the answers. It is the first edition of the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s SIM Europe Reform Barometer. The study is based on a qualitative survey among social policy experts across the EU. It examines policy reforms along six dimensions of social inclusion: poverty prevention, equitable education, labour market access, social cohesion and non-discrimination, health and social welfare.
Overall, the results of the study show that many European countries have lost momentum for social policy reforms. Even though one can say that the level of problem awareness among governments is high, the study reveals that there is a clear mismatch between problem awareness and problem response in a number of EU member states. Notably southern countries did not – or have not been able to – pursue reforms to make their societies more socially inclusive. By contrast, some northern member states have legislated acts that managed to stabilise or even increase their level of social inclusion in recent years.
In order to prevent this gap from widening further, the authors of the study conclude that there is an increased need for action at EU level. Concretely, the European Union should align better its two key objectives of growth and social justice and streamline the existing instruments to foster social inclusion.
