The diversity of social protection in
Europe and Europeanization/ la
diversità della protezione sociale in
Europa e l’europeanizazzione
Jean-Claude Barbier
Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne
Lecture, Università di Milano-Biccoca
26 Maggio 2009
Barbier CNRS Université Paris1
Panthéon Sorbonne
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Outline
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Epistemological and methological
dimensions and pre-requisites
What is convergence, what is diversity,
what is ‘Europeanization’?
The diversity of social protection systems
in the literature
‘Social Europe’ and some relevant
features of social protection
Conclusions about diversity and
Europeanization
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I - Epistemological and methological
posture
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1 – Common obstacles
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Five reasons for social scientists to
overestimate the influence of ‘Europe’
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1 Passion/Utopia
2 Capture by actors
3 Mischievous couple:
nationalism/postnationalism
4 Mixing levels of
abstraction: diversity
as a blind spot
5 ‘Economicism’
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a common lack of
significant/adequate
empirical data:
ex: Ulrich Beck –”zombie
science” (rejection of
methodological
nationalism)
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2 - Pre-requisites
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Universalism and relativism
Objectivity and value-judgments
control (Wertfreiheit)
Attention to language
Attention to categories
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Universalism and relativistic
culturalism, parrochialismo
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Universalism: +/- radical/moderate
Culturalism; relativism – cognitive/
cultural; particularism…
=> the solution is in distinguishing
levels of abstraction (scale di
astrazione, Sartori)
From particularistic universalisms to
universalistic particularism (Hyman)
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Scale di astrazione
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reduction/abstraction
what is universal
• ”local” universal (ex: Europe)
•
families, ”clusters”, ”elementary forms”
[poverty: Paugam]
•
what is national specific/singular
•
Etc….
The epistemological debate, distant from
extremes is relatively settled
•
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Objectivity and value-judgments control
(Wertfreiheit)
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The distinction between analysis
and judgment
Autonomy from politics
Wertbeziehung – the researcher’s
value orientation/bias
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Attention to language and concepts
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G. Sartori, « La comparazione nelle
scienze sociali », 1991
What is comparable? « Mele e
pere? »
« Il can-gatto »:
« vacche griggie »
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Esempio di can-gatti e vacche grige:
« workfare »
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Workfare= the « work obligation » –
USA; 1996 TANF (ex-AFDC);
« RMI » and « insertion » as
workfare
Danish « aktivering » as workfare
Workfare a l’italiana?
http://www.laviedesidees.fr/Pourun-bilan-du-workfare-et-de-l.html
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Attention to concepts/notions
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Ex: la parola « attivazione »
Cf. Rivista delle Politiche sociali,
Gennaio-Marzo, 2005
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Political discourse  sociology
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II - What is convergence, what is
diversity, what is ‘Europeanization’?
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Convergence= objects (policies, politics,
instruments, parties, programmes, etc..) become
the same [convergence of what and where to?]
[going in the same direction is not converging:
parallel but different, ex/ religious values in
Europe]
Diversity: at a certain level of abstraction,
differences (national, sub-national, etc.)
Europeanization: a process that tends to render
objects (..) similar and pertaining to the collective
construction of a « Europeanized » type (as
opposed to..); poltics/policies defined, etc. at the
EU-level; socialisation of elites..
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III - The diversity of social protection
systems (1)
The classical approach: regimes of
welfare capitalism and varieties of
capitalism: a progress vis-à-vis the past
 The many limits of the welfare regimes
« industry »:
-number of types (the Southern model;.)
-ideal-types as static and deterministic
classifications
-the problem of many hybrids (the
Netherlands, Switzerland, France..)
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The diversity of social protection
systems (2)
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there is always some singularity
unexplained
Singularity is national or subnational (regional..)
Singularity is linked to political
cultures
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The diversity of social protection
systems (3)
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There is no convergence of systems
There is limited Europeanization
« ideas » are Europeanized: the
Open methods of coordination =
cognitive coordination
« substance » remains national: ex:
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=> coordinating national diversity
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amortizzatori sociali in Italia/pension funds in France
and Germany/ generous social protection in
Sweden..as opposed to the UK
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A sociological question: why does
diversity persist?
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Why, despite (1) far-reaching socialisation
of European élites, and variegated
Europeanisation
(2)The existence of a de facto ‘European
government’ (Andy Smith)
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(3) « die post-nationale Konstellation »
(Habermas)
The ‘social dimension’ has gone so
slowly?
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Content of the book
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1 social protection, a major element of
politics in Europe has remained/will
remain, national (cf. M. Ferrera 2005)
2 important but modest EU intervention
(economic and legal rules)
3 sociology can explain diversity in
Europe, which economics cannot
(generally) =>political communities are
closed by language and the frontiers of
solidarity
5 future (?) the importance of investing in
languages, cultures and humanities
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IV- Looking for the actual ‘social
Europe’: how does it work
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Social Europe= the EU layer + 27
systems, so many families and
clusters
Policies and politics/ the legal order
Sketching the main periods of a
very limited achievement
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The legal order and negative
integration
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An integrated legal order (invented
by the ECJ)
Distribution of competences: social
matters/economic freedoms
Negative integration (Scharpf,
1999)
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Important but modest progress
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General framework: 3 dimensions
matter
- economic objectives from the start
- asymmetry of the legal
sources/competences (social
rights/economic freedoms)
- the pervasive and increasing role
of the ECJ [Legitimation ?]
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Mapping out milestones
Before 1992
 The European Court case-law influence in the
background [four economic freedoms].
 social ‘programmes’: coordination of social
security, and health and safety regulations
 From 1992
 SAMAK and J. Delors
Amsterdam treaty and Lisbon summit (1997-2000):
=> OMCs of various hues: the golden age
 2004-2008
 turning points + the Irish No
 What now? 2009-2010
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Small progress ahead (business as
usual..bar the financial crisis ?)
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EU-wide Minimum wage
Increasing social solidarity through
articulating better fiscal policies (‘the
economic government of Europe’ , the
Party of European Socialists’ programme
and the French presidency..)
‘Minimum’ directives= minimum rights,
including in education (basic education)
A new ‘push’ for social Europe
(declaration by 9 countries, Feb, 7, 2007)
[Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Cyprus
and Hungary]
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And so on…
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EU social programmes
: policies/politics at the EU level
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Policies of a special type:
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- no ‘implementation’
- no funding
- no direct beneficiaries/victims
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Politics of a special type:
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- no electorate
- competition between member states
- left/right divide is masked: surface
general interest
Politicization increasing since
the referendums in 2005 and
2008
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‘cognitive’ policies: crafting
and communicating ‘ideas’
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surface de-politicization
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[« La Commission est politique mais
elle n’est pas partisane », J.M. Barroso,
interview 20 May 2009]
European Parliament +
national politicization of EU issues
(ex: Services directive)
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At the national level,
the triangle of ‘political culture’
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The resilience/ persistence of
national political cultures explain
why ‘social Europe’ is limited
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Within each polity/
nation
« values »
A non-culturalist
approach of
political culture
The language of politics and
social justice
practices
institutions
Outside influences (national, global)
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Political cultures are closed, foster
bonds and ‘speak’ one language
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Following on F. Scharpf, and M.
Ferrera, and B. Rothstein
The absence of a European polity
=> the impossibility of social
justice discussion at the EU level
Surface Europeanisation/Language
problems and ‘welfare Populism’
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Key characteristics of the ‘closure’ for
social protection [il welfare]
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Una nazione sociologica
Identification processes [vs. essentialist identities]
Citizen’s participation and reciprocity (political and
moral logic)
National law and territory (boundaries M. Ferrera)
Language
Elements impossible to bypass
Yet, closure is relative and certainly
not essentialist/ethnic
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Political cultures are
close but closed
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So many countries, so
many polities
The variety of
fundamental values is
limited (common
values, H.-P. Müller)
No EU-level political
culture
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« Ultimate » politics,
« politicized » politics
are national: 27
distinct and « messy »
processes; 27 political
cycles, etc.
National politics:
invisible from
« Brussels »
No EU-level polity
[emerging?]
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V – 1 Normative conclusions: social
Europe needs investing in culture
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Invest in time
Downplay post-national utopias
(Habermas:
Verfassungspatriotismus +
basic minimum income)
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Learn from federalist states
(Canada)
Use exogenous shocks
« Invent a new democratic
system » (Y. Meny)
multilingualism
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Devise genuine EU-level
cultural policies
Contribute to the gradual
building of a European
political community
[including the judiciary]
Teach citizens [children, the
young] the benefits of
diversity and European
common values = universal
access to moral education,
history, languages and
humanities
Priority to the
disadvantaged sections in
unequal countries= the
ever lurking and looming
threat of populism
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V-2 Conclusions: three scenarios
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1 – Gradual degradation of the Eulevel system
2 – within 10 years, restarting more
integration in the social domain
3 – Europe as a single market (vs.
political project)
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