ABSTRACT
Seven years ago the global financial crisis hit Europe. Since that moment, several studies have examined the link between the economic recession, social insecurity and deteriorating living standards in EU nations. Others have analysed the role played in welfare change by austerity requirements. There have been few investigations into the relationships between the financial crisis, social policy transformations and social inclusion. This chapter sets out to provide a background against which such an underexplored relationship may be discussed. It intends to contribute to the overall debate on the economic crisis and Social Europe by examining the diverse transformations of Central Eastern (CEE) and Southern European (SE) social policy-making in response to the crisis and its main underlying principles of social justice.
