ABSTRACT
This book revolves around questions concerning the changes and challenges facing the European welfare states. It has been widely perceived that the welfare state has been threatened and in crisis for many years. The OECD already declared in 1981 that the welfare state was in crisis (OECD, 1981). This came subsequent to the impact of the first and second energy crises, which shook the world economy and also had a strong impact on Europe. Despite this pronounced crisis in the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially pertaining to goals regarding employment and equity, the welfare state would seem to have survived and even been further developed in most EU countries. Increases in social security spending and the convergence of spending between EU member states are two indicators of this tendency (Greve, 2004).
