ABSTRACT
Social policy is not only rooted in a social context. It is determined by the real political agenda of governments, and predicated on values which are also the product of a long historical process. The more serious the social situation is, the more effective and reactive social policies will have to be, leaving little room for dogmatism or rigidity. Considerable changes have also taken place in day to day life, probably because of the marketing strategies of consumer goods, food and catering industries, and the increase in personal contacts, through tourism, the expansion of language studies, the international media and business exchanges. The social policies of the future must have a European dimension if they are to make an impact, not just because our problems have become more and more similar, but because the location of decision making is changing. The chapter also presents some closing thoughts on the cencepts discussed in this book.
