Converging Europe Transformation of Social Policy in the Enlarged European Union and in Turkey

'Converging Europe' evaluates the impact of European integration on social policy development since the launch and re-launch of the Lisbon strategy discussing the challenges posed by the still unfolding global economic crisis of 2007-2009. Given the unsettling economic conditions, does European coordination of social policies generate more social cohesion and integration or growing xenophobia, nationalism and exclusion? Informed by diverse theoretical perspectives, this book brings together a team of international experts working on an extensive range of policy issues central to the Lisbon agenda such as labour market policies, social protection systems, and social exclusion/poverty. Contributions assess the interfaces between European integration, the Lisbon strategy and social policy in three groups of countries related to the EU: old member states; the new member states; and a candidate country - Turkey. The richness of content and data allows rigorous analysis and critical comparative insights not only on the social outcomes of the Lisbon strategy but also more broadly on the dynamics and dimensions of European social policy. Pioneering the scholarly reflections on the repercussions of the global economic crisis of 2007-2009 for both the road map drawn at Lisbon and viability of national systems of social provision in Europe, this book is an important acquisition for policy makers and academics alike.

Chapter 1 Lisbon Strategy and Social Policy in the Enlarged European Union and in Turkey, ?pek Eren Vural; Part I Lisbon Strategy and European Integration; Chapter 2 European Integration and Social Policy Reform, Hans-Jürgen Bieling; Chapter 3 Socio-economic Convergence in the European Union: Conceptualization and Measurement Issues, Julia S. O’Connor; Chapter 4 Lisbon Agenda, New Structural Policy and Social Cohesion in Times of Economic Crisis, Otto Holman; Part II Reform Dynamics in Old Europe; Chapter 5 Pension Reforms in Europe: Directions and Consequences, Karl Hinrichs; Chapter 6 Ideas, Institutions and Interest in European and National Reforms of Employment and Social Policy: The Case of Flexicurity, Marcel Fink; Part III Eastern Enlargement and European Social Model; Chapter 7 The Politics of Welfare Restructuring in Transition Countries and the Crisis of 2008, Jan Drahokoupil, Martin Myant; Chapter 8 EU Integration and Post-communist Welfare: Catch-up Convergence before and after the Economic Crisis, Noèmi Lendvai; Part IV European Integration and Social Policy Transformation in Turkey; Chapter 9 Domestic Social Policy Change due to the Pressures of European Integration: Equality between Women and Men at Work and Women’s Employment Policies in Turkey, Asuman Göksel; Chapter 10 Discourse and Practice of Poverty Reduction Strategies: Reflections on the Turkish Case in the 2000s, Galip L. Yalman; Part V European Integration, Social Policy and the Lisbon Strategy; Chapter 11 Social Outcomes of the Lisbon Strategy and Beyond, ?pek Eren Vural;

Ipek ErenVural