ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book examines the different structures and forms of socio-economic inequality in Europe. It focuses on Western Europe, the heartland of what has become the European Union (EU), the states of which consolidated the different forms of the welfare state in the second half of the last century. The book reviews inequalities from two different perspectives. It also examines the relationship between the UK, Europe and the USA. The book suggests that in terms of its inequalities the UK and the USA have been increasingly aligned. It outlines key socio-economic inequalities within Europe. If social rights have any meaning at the European level, then EU policies and institutions will have directly or indirectly restrained inequalities. The EU has some small overall impact on the distribution of income within the Member States.
