Book Review: Too Sick to Work. Social Security Reforms in Europe for Persons with Reduced Earnings Capacity
| Date | 01 June 2012 |
| Published date | 01 June 2012 |
| DOI | 10.1177/138826271201400206 |
| Author | Els Sol |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
Book Reviews
European Jour nal of Social Secu rity, Volume 14 (2012), No. 2 149
the Nordic welfare model. Hussai n, Kangas and Kvist show how income replacement
has deteriorated and how, in terms of the welfare of the long-term unemployed, the
Nordic countries do not perform well comparat ively. Fritzell, Bäck man and Ritaka llio
in turn n d i nc rea si ng in equ a lit y a nd hi gh er rat es of p ov er ty, an d s how how, es pe ci al ly
with immig rants and young adults, the Nordic countr ies are not the best performers.
Despite such alarms, the editors’ overall verdict is that the Nordic countries are
still doing better than most other countries, although in a less distinct way, mainly
due to catch-up e ects. A er ten years, the genera l conclusion is very similar to the
one given at the turn of the centu ry, but still the pict ure has changed.
How about Nordic similarity? is could also be debated, especially on the
grounds of Meagher’s and Szebehely’s chapter (and not only this chapter), where they
show clear di erences within the Nordic child care fa mily. is book app ears to o er
material for di ering interpretations about the fate of the Nordic model.
Wha t abou t cont inuit y of t he mod el? Her e the c onclu sion is more s trai ghtf orwa rd:
the Nordic welfare states are not what t hey used to be.
REFERENCES
E, R., H, E . J., R, S. and U, H. (eds.) (1987) e Scandinavian
Model. Welfare States and Welfare Research, Armonk: M.E. Shar pe.
H, E.J., R, S., U, H. and E , R. (eds.) (1993) Welfare Trends
in the Scandinavian Countries, A rmonk: M.E. Sharpe.
K, M., H , M., H, B., M, S. and P, N. (eds.) (1999)
Nordic Social Policy. Changing Welfare States, London: Routledge.
K, M., F, J., H, B., K, J. and U, H. (eds.) (2001)
Nordic Welfare States in the European Context, London: Routledge.
Mikko Kautto
Finnish Centre for Pensions, Helsinki
Mikko Kautto is Head of t he Research Department at the Finnish C entre for Pensions
and a docent at the University of Helsink i.
Stamatia Devetzi a nd Sara Stendahl (eds.) Too Sick to Work. Social Security Refor ms
in Europe for Persons with Reduced Ea rnings Capacity, Alphen aan den Rijn: Wolters
Kluwer, 2011, 189 pp., ISBN 978–90–411–3426–3 (paperback), 978–90 –411–3426– 4
(hardcover)
Too Sic k t o Wo rk is a study of s ocial se curity reform in E urope fro m the pers pective o f
legal (in)capacity to work. Well-known specialist s present accounts of national reforms
of incapacity bene t in the UK, t he Netherlands, Germany and Sweden. Currently
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