ABSTRACT
A commitment to social progress has played a prominent part in national politics in most countries in Western Europe since the First World War, and more intensely since the Second World War. Issues such as the introduction of comprehensive social security schemes and protection of employees in terms of health and safety, job security, working hours and paid leave have been a much more important part of government programmes in Europe compared to those of the USA and Japan. Another feature of Western Europe is the protection of individual employees’ rights to organize and take action and the regulation of industrial relations, whether in law or by custom. In addition politics in Western Europe has a corporatist dimension with the two sides of industry having a more or less formalized consultative role in national policy-making. Although there are differences in levels of development between countries and in the individual measures which make up the social and employment policy of different countries as well as differences in emphasis between political ideologies and parties, social policy in the widest sense is very much a hallmark of politics in Western Europe, regardless of country or government. Social policy is indeed a European invention.
