Studying the reconfiguration of EU social policy

This chapter studies the development of distributive, coordinative, and regulatory EU social policy, as well as its governance mix. Focusing on internal and external pressures, we investigate whether EU social policy has changed in offering support for citizens and Member States in the new millennium. The early 2000s were characterized by overall stagnation marked by fewer social policy directives, subordination of social to economic priorities, and little change in distributive instruments. Later phases show some re-dynamization: more and sometimes highly visible directives; a programmatic trend towards social investment; positive conditionality in coordinative instruments; and more resources channeled through old and new spending instruments. EU support has adapted to external and internal pressures, putting more emphasis on spending policies. The literature has moved focus from Member State interests and the EU's institutional set-up to explaining changes through comparative political analysis, for instance, rising Euroscepticism, electoral competition, and public opinion.

Hartlapp, Miriam, and Jana Windwehr. "27: Studying the reconfiguration of EU social policy". Handbook on Welfare State Reform. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781839108808.00038.

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