International debate has recently focused on increased inequalities and the adverse effects they may have on both social and economic developments. Income inequality, now at its highest level for the past half-century, may not only undermine the sustainability of European social policy but also put at risk Europe’s sustainable recovery. A common feature of recent reports on inequality (ILO, OECD, IMF, 2015–17) is their recognition that the causes emerge from mechanisms in the world of work. The purpose of this book is to investigate the possible role of industrial relations, and labour policies more generally, in reducing these inequalities.

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.There is a broad consensus across European states and the EU that social and economic inequality is a problem that needs to be addressed. Yet inequality policy is notoriously complex and contested. This book approaches the issue from two linked perspectives. First, a focus on functional requirementshighlights what policymakers think they need to deliver policy successfully, and the gap between their requirements and reality. We identify this gap in relation to the theory and practice of policy learning, and to multiple sectors, to show how it manifests in health, education, and gender equitypolicies. Second, a focus on territorial politics highlights how the problem is interpreted at different scales, subject to competing demands to take responsibility. This contestation and spread of responsibilities contributes to different policy approaches across spatial scales. We conclude thatgovernments promote many separate equity initiatives, across territories and sectors, without knowing if they are complementary or contradictory. This outcome could reflect the fact that ambiguous policy problems and complex policymaking processes are beyond the full knowledge or control ofgovernments. It could also be part of a strategy to make a rhetorically radical case while knowing that they will translate into safer policies. It allows them to replace debates on values, regarding whose definition of equity matters and which inequalities to tolerate, with more technicaldiscussions of policy processes. Governments may be offering new perspectives on spatial justice or new ways to reduce political attention to inequalities.

This edited collection analyses social inequality in the European Union, within and between countries. The work critically explores both vertical inequality, existing between those with high incomes and low incomes, and horizontal inequality, existing between groups according to nationality, age, ethnicity, and gender. Reducing Inequalities has been written by leading academics in the field who describe the current social situation in the European Union, focussing on inequality from a multidimensional perspective that includes income, poverty, social exclusion, education. The authors argue that social issues such as these have become national prerogatives for countries within the European Union. In response they ask: How does the European Union engage with inequality today? What principles of social solidarity ought to be applied between states and citizens of the European Union? What should be the role of European Union and its institutions regarding the challenge of reducing inequality? This book will be of interest to anyone seeking to understand inequality as a multidimensional concept, rather than solely as an economic phenomenon, across different geographical and historical contexts.

Socio-economic inequalities in health are present to a greater or lesser extent in all European countries and the available data suggests that the health gap is increasing. Many studies have been conducted to explain inequalities in health and from them much has been learnt about the different contributory factors. However, in practice it seems hard to translate the knowledge of causes into effective interventions and policies. Reducing Inequalities in Health: a European Perspective: * brings together an unrivalled collection of contemporary data on successful policies and interventions * compares differences in approach in several European countries * includes recent evaluation studies * discusses conceptual issues for research * provides examples of good and bad practice in Europe * draws out the policy and research implications for the future With contributions from leading researchers in 14 different European countries, this book provides a comprehensive source of reference for the reader interested in what really works in the field of health promotion and what sort of policies reduce the health gap.

This SDN studies the evolution of inequality across age groups leading up to and since the global financial crisis, as well as implications for fiscal and labor policies. Europe’s population is aging, child and youth poverty are rising, and income support systems are often better equipped to address old-age poverty than the challenges faced by poor children and/or unemployed youth today.

Europe's Income, Wealth, Consumption, and Inequality offers a novel approach to the analysis of social and economic trends, and the resulting book identifies major policy challenges applicable in the EU and beyond. Georg Fischer, Robert Strauss, and their contributors focus on explaining how policy makers and the media focus on national trends to measure progress among the nations in Europe.

The reduction of inequalities within and between countries stands as a policy goal, and deserves to take centre stage in the design of the Sustainable Development Goals agreed during the Rio+20 Summit in 2012.The 2013 edition of A Planet for Life represents a unique international initiative grounded on conceptual and strategic thinking, and – most importantly – empirical experiments, conducted on five continents and touching on multiple realities. This unprecedented collection of works proposes a solid empirical approach, rather than an ideological one, to inform future debate.The case studies collected in this volume demonstrate the complexity of the new systems required to accommodate each country's specific economic, political and cultural realities. These systems combine technical, financial, legal, fiscal and organizational elements with a great deal of applied expertise, and are articulated within a clear, well-understood, growth- and job-generating development strategy.Inequality reduction does not occur by decree; neither does it automatically arise through economic growth, nor through policies that equalize incomes downward via ill conceived fiscal policies. Inequality reduction involves a collaborative effort that must motivate all concerned parties, one that constitutes a genuine political and social innovation, and one that often runs counter to prevailing political and economic forces.

This book argues that health systems are not, as is often believed, simply a drag on resources, but rather part and parcel of improving health and achieving better economic growth.

Why can't politicians seem to make policies that will reduce social inequality, even when they acknowledge that inequality is harmful?

Unequal distribution of income is one of the most important socio-economic issues. The processes of globalisation and integration are accelerating economic growth; however, at the same time, imbalances between regions are growing. Reducing inequalities within regions and national economies, as well as around the world, is important for individual and societal well-being and cohesion, and for effective state policies. This book investigates the problem of left-behind regions in the European Union (EU). It first introduces the reader to the theories of regional imbalances and problems with measuring them. It then explores imbalances in the EU using a variety of indicators and describes the EU’s regional policy for reducing regional disparities. It uses an empirical shift-share analysis to assess the productivity of EU regions which are lagging behind. The book also provides an empirical analysis of the effectiveness of EU funds in increasing labour productivity performed with DEA methodology. This book can be used as a teaching resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students and can serve as reference material for academics and researchers, as well as policymakers at the European, national and local levels.