Converging Trends of Social Policy in Europe: Social Security Benefit Reform in the UK, the Netherlands and Finland
| Date | 01 September 2008 |
| Published date | 01 September 2008 |
| DOI | 10.1177/138826270801000301 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
European Jour nal of Social Sec urity, Volume 10 (2008), No. 3 207
CONVERGING TRENDS OF SOCIAL
POLICY IN EUROPE: SOCIAL SECURITY
BENEFIT REFORM IN THE UK, THE
NETHERLANDS AND FINLAND
M V G*
Abstract
It has been suggested that s imilar challenges in the socio-economic environments of
European welfare states necessitate convergence of national social security bene t
programmes. However, convergence remains an ambiguous matter in social policy
research, both with regard to its conceptualisation and to its op erationalisation. is
article attempts to contribute to this debate by revisiting the concept of convergence
and analysing empirically the welfare reforms in three European countries (the
UK, the Netherlands, Finland) and two bene t programmes (unemployment and
disability insurance bene t programmes) over a period of 26 years (1980–2006).
Based on data relating to legal changes in bene t rights and conditions , it is argued
that changes in European social security programme have, over time, moved the
programmes towards common points. e reforms in the countries that are e xamined
highlight four trends, namely increased work-relatedness in bene t rules, growing
activation of bene t recipients, more stringent targeting of the programmes and
reduced generosity of bene t entitlements. e data are also used to demonstrate
the importance of an analytical approach as a ge neral theoretical device: the article
demonstrates how convergence occur red only at the level of broad policy goals, and
not at the level of policy instrument s.
Keywords: welfare state reform; soc ial security; convergence
* Post-doctoral Researcher at the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labou r Studies (AIAS),
University of Amsterdam. Address: Plantage Muidergracht 12, 1018 TV Amsterdam, the
Netherlands; t el: +31–20–5257205; e-mail : M.vanGerven@uva.n l.
Minna Van Gerven
208 Intersentia
1. INTRODUCTION: CONVERGING PRESSURES, BUT DO
WE ALSO FIND CONVERGING REACTIONS?
e academic literature puts forward various reasons for the convergence of Europea n
welfare states. One line of ar gument claims that the welfare state s are converging due
to similar pressures from within. us, it is argued that ageing populations, declining
birth rates, inc reasing (long-term) unemployment, changing gender roles and the shi
to a service economy – among other t hings – undermine the basic pillar s of post-war
welfare states. Another line of argument suggests that welfare states are converging
due to common challenges from above. rough economic internationalisation and
European integration, it is argued that national governments have lost their grip
on the shape of their economies and on their systems of social protection. ese
challenges in t he socio-economic environments of European welf are states have been
blamed for causing convergence in national social security bene t programmes. In
this article, an attempt is made to analyse the convergence of social security bene t
programmes using empir ical evidence of welfare reforms in t hree European countries
(the UK, the Netherlands, Finland), two bene t programmes (unemployment and
disability insurance bene t programmes) over a period of 26 years (1980–2006).
It analyses changes in social security legislation that have altered claimants’ rights
and conditions. Based on this empirical data, it is argued that developments in
European socia l security programmes do provide suppor t for convergence. We found
that reforms in the three countries highlight four trends, namely, increased work-
relatedness in bene t rules, growing activation of bene t recipients, more stringent
targeting of the progra mmes, and reduced generosity of bene t entitlements. It was,
however, notable, that the convergence occurred only at the level of broad policy goa ls,
and not at the level of policy instruments. is empirical evidence underlines the
importance of the analytical level employed. e article is structured as follows: the
concept of convergence is analysed in section 2 and this is followed, in section 3, by
a description of the data employed. en, in sect ion 4, the results of the analysis are
presented, and nally, in section 5, the implications of t hese ndings for the academic
debate on convergence are discussed.
2. A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE THEORY OF
CONVERGENCE
e convergence of the European welfare state institutions has received considerable
academic attention. A number of commentators agree t hat systems of social protection
have converged in the last decades (see e.g. Bouget, 2003; Cornel issen and Goudswaard,
2002; Greve, 1996). However, some analysts (e.g. Ferrera et al., 2000 ; Hall and Soskice,
2001; Huber et al., 1993; Montanari et al., 2007) argue that common challenges are
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