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IMPROVING
POLICY RESPONSES AND OUTCOMES TO SOCIO-ECONOMIC
CHALLENGES:
CHANGING FAMILY STRUCTURES, POLICY AND PRACTICE (IPROSEC)
European
Commission Framework Programme 5
(HPSE–CT–1999–00031)
PROJECT
ABSTRACT
The
IPROSEC project brought together social scientists from eight EU
member states (France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain,
Sweden, United Kingdom) and three candidate countries (Estonia,
Hungary, Poland), representing different waves of EU membership
and welfare arrangements. The research was designed to inform
policy by developing a greater understanding of
socio-demographic change in Europe, the social and economic
challenges such change presents, and the efficacy of the policy
responses formulated by national governments and at EU level.
The project was particularly concerned with changing family
structures and relationships and their interface with policy.
The project team analysed the policy process, inputs, outcomes
and impacts and assessed the potential for cross-border learning
and policy development.
Comparative
statistical analysis of socio-economic change (population
decline and ageing, family structure, gender, intergenerational
relations) shows that, in the closing decades of the 20th
century, trends were generally moving in the same direction, but
not all countries started from the same base, and change
occurred at a different rate and pace both between and within
countries.
While
population growth has been slowing down across Europe, and
population ageing has become a widespread phenomenon, Ireland is
the country least affected by these two trends. The candidate
countries are also distinguished by their relatively large young
population, but, in their case, it is accompanied by negative
population growth, due essentially to their much lower life
expectancy. Population ageing is relatively advanced in Germany,
Greece, Italy and Sweden and is generally found in combination
with comparatively high old age family dependency. Family
formation is being delayed and, everywhere, de-institutionalized
family forms are becoming more common, despite marked
differences in the timing of marriage and births. Sweden and
Estonia are characterized by the most advanced stage of
development of alternative living arrangements. Ireland, Italy
and Spain have retained more traditional family forms. Poland is
the outlier in this respect combining traditional family forms
with conventional timing of family formation. Indicators of
changing gender relations set Sweden apart from the other EU
member states in terms of equality of opportunity and
work–life balance. Gender equality has weakened in the three
candidate countries since the ending of Soviet rule. Ireland,
Greece, Italy and Spain are the countries most distinguished by
relatively poor equality of opportunity in combination with
work-life imbalance.
Although
many of the challenges raised are similar, policy context
analysis and interviews with policy actors, including family
members, indicate that the approaches adopted by governments in
response to change vary according to the policy environment, the
political and economic climate and the legitimacy and social
acceptability of state intervention in family life. The IPROSEC
countries fall into several clusters in terms of the historical
development of their family policy, its design and structure,
and the vehicles used for delivery. At the one extreme, in
France and Sweden, policy is highly structured and legitimated.
Policy actors are strongly committed to supporting families. At
the other, in the southern European and candidate countries,
policy is more hesitant, lacking in coherence and
under-resourced. Between the two extremes are countries,
including Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom, where the
rhetoric is supportive of families, but where policy actors are
often reluctant to intervene in private life. Universalistic, or
‘one-size-fits-all’, solutions to socio-economic problems
across Europe are not, therefore, appropriate in the area of
family life.
Comparative
analysis of the research materials suggests a number of
conditions that must be met if family policy is to be effective.
A
family-friendly and supportive social environment is needed,
founded on the principles of equality of opportunity, social
solidarity and vertical redistribution of resources. Economic
security must be ensured, based on a high level of employment
and the guarantee of a living wage or minimum income, making
work pay. An equitable and consensual sharing of
responsibilities is essential between political, economic and
civil society policy actors, with aims and objectives clearly
communicated to the public. Effective mechanisms are needed for
funding, co-ordination across sectors, and for implementation
and delivery of a good standard of benefits and services. Public
policy intervention in family life must command widespread
legitimacy, acceptability and confidence. Policy needs to be
responsive and non-intrusive, to go with the grain of social
change and to complement family responsibilities.
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information on similar projects, go to http://improving-ser.sti.jrc.it/default/
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