Social policy and international interventions in South East Europe: conclusions

This book has brought together three fields of study; that concerned with the role of international actors and their influence on national polices; changes taking place to social policies in the context of globalisation, transnationalism and Europeanisation; and the political transformations taking place in South Eastern Europe. It has reported the results of empirical investigations into recent changes in social policy in the region and the ways in which transnational actors are influencing these changes. We divide this concluding chapter into three parts. The first part summarises the actual developments in social policy in the countries of the region and the several and diverse ways in which international actors have, to varying degrees, been influential. We then draw some analytical conclusions arguing how the case studies lead to changes in the ways social scientists should make sense of: the role of international actors engaged in transnational policy making including that of the EU; the role and nature of states in this “multi-level and multi-actor“ process; and the prospects for social policy and the diversity of welfare regimes. Finally we make suggestions about the kind of research that is needed to advance understanding in these inter-related areas

From 'Safety Nets' Back to 'Universal Social Provision'

This short article draws upon a number of recent reports from several international organizations to argue the case that, at least at the level of discourse, the tide has turned from the period in the 1990s when a targeted and means tested safety net future for welfare policy especially in the context of development was being constructed. Now even within the World Bank there is some evidence that the case for a universal approach to social welfare provision is again being recognized. This shift suggests that one locus of the struggle for the future of national and international social policy continues to be the international epistemic community of social policy analysts working for and advising international agencies

Globalization, Postcommunism and Social Policy: Issues in Croatia

Ovaj članak izvještava o istraživanju globalizacije socijalne politike koja je u tijeku u Hrvatskoj, a tiče se širih istraživanja razvoja socijalne politike u postkomunističkoj Srednjoj i Istočnoj Europi i bivšem Sovjetskom Savezu. Brojne specifične teme pojavile su se u Hrvatskoj u okolnostima ratova i prisilne migracije. Autori određuju deset područja za daljnje istraživanje: Intervencija međunarodne zajednice, Uloga inozemnih NVO (NGO – nongovernmental organization, NVO – nevladina organizacija), Učinci humanitarne pomoći, Financiranje od inozemnih partnera, Poremećaji u obrascima zapošljavanja, Problemi hrvatskih NVO, Prioriteti hrvatske Vlade, Vjerske i etničke osnove pružanja usluga, Globalizacija odozdo i Poslije ove krize.This article reports on work in progress in Croatia concerning the globalization of social policy, related to wider research on the development of social policy in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. In the context of wars and forced migration, a number of specific issues have emerged in Croatia. The authors identify ten areas for further research. The intervention of the international community, The role of foreign NGO’s, The effects of humanitarian aid, Funding by foreign partners, Distortion in employment patterns, The problems of Croatian NGO’s, The priorities of Croatian government, The religious and ethnic basis of provision, Globalization from below and after the crisis

Globalisation

Summaries This article argues that the current phase of neoliberal globalisation presents a challenge to the prospects for equitable social development in developing and transition economies. This challenge flows partly from the unregulated nature of the emerging global economy and partly from the intellectual currents dominant in the global discourse concerning social policy and social development. In particular the article argues that a combination of the World Bank' s preference for a safety net and privatising strategy for welfare, the self interest of International NGOs in being providers of associated basic education, health and livelihood services, and the World Trade Organisation's push for a global market in health, education and insurance services, is generating a set of global conditions which undermine the prospects for any alternative scenario of equitable public social provision. This disturbing trend is taking place within the context of an apparent shift in the politics of globalisation from fundamentalist economic liberalism to global social concern

Global public policy, transnational policy communities, and their networks

Public policy has been a prisoner of the word "state." Yet, the state is reconfigured by globalization. Through "global public–private partnerships" and "transnational executive networks," new forms of authority are emerging through global and regional policy processes that coexist alongside nation-state policy processes. Accordingly, this article asks what is "global public policy"? The first part of the article identifies new public spaces where global policies occur. These spaces are multiple in character and variety and will be collectively referred to as the "global agora." The second section adapts the conventional policy cycle heuristic by conceptually stretching it to the global and regional levels to reveal the higher degree of pluralization of actors and multiple-authority structures than is the case at national levels. The third section asks: who is involved in the delivery of global public policy? The focus is on transnational policy communities. The global agora is a public space of policymaking and administration, although it is one where authority is more diffuse, decision making is dispersed and sovereignty muddled. Trapped by methodological nationalism and an intellectual agoraphobia of globalization, public policy scholars have yet to examine fully global policy processes and new managerial modes of transnational public administration

The social dimension of globalization: A review of the literature

With globalization affecting so many inter-connected areas, it is difficult to grasp its full impact. This literature review of over 120 sources considers the impact of globalization on wages and taxes, poverty, inequality, insecurity, child labour, gender, and migration. Opening with some stylized facts concerning globalization in 1985-2002, the authors then highlight recent findings on these areas, reporting on controversies and on emerging consensus where it exists. There follows a review of national and international policy responses designed to make globalization more sustainable and equitable and to deliver decent jobs, security and a voice in decision-making