ABSTRACT
Europe has long been known and distinguished from other parts of the world for its social dimension; the social dimension is fundamentally about what we consider a ‘good’ society and lies at the heart of the functioning of democracy and citizenship. In this chapter, we explore the assumptions and norms that frame this understanding and that are considered to be distinctively European. We distinguish between the more family-oriented social models of southern and continental European countries, the Protestant-ethic-based models of northern and Nordic countries, the Anglo-Saxon system, as well as the emerging Central Eastern European social model. We also examine ‘the European social model’ developed in the framework of the European Union, which reflects a division of labour between the European ‘project’ that aims to provide economic integration and foster growth, and the member states that provide social welfare and ensure that the benefits of higher growth are equitably distributed among different social groups. Through this, we map out how social protection has evolved in Europe in the post-war period and focus on the transformations that have occurred during the last three decades due to the common pressures, challenges, and opportunities presented by globalisation, digitisation, demographic and societal transformations, and, increasingly, the need to address the climate emergency and support the green transition.
