Local Policies and the European Social Fund
Employment Policies Across Europe
By Katharina Zimmermann
Published
Oct 2, 2019Page count
224 pagesBrowse the series
Research in Comparative and Global Social PolicyISBN
978-1447346517Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Policy PressPublished
Oct 2, 2019Page count
224 pagesBrowse the series
Research in Comparative and Global Social PolicyISBN
978-1447346531Imprint
Policy PressPublished
Oct 2, 2019Page count
224 pagesBrowse the series
Research in Comparative and Global Social PolicyISBN
978-1447346531Imprint
Policy Press
Local Policies and the European Social Fund
This book reviews how local social and employment policy fields react to the European Social Fund (ESF) to determine the role of the ESF in local activation policies. Drawing on both sociology and political science literature on welfare state reforms, the author examines what shapes local policy reactions to ESF and what effects these reactions have on change in local policy fields.
Comparing data from 18 local case studies across 6 European countries, and deploying an innovative mixed-method approach, the book presents comparative evidence on everyday challenges in the context of the ESF and discusses how these findings are applicable to other funding schemes.
“Moving beyond the methodological nationalism that has characterised most of the existing literature, this innovative study offers a fresh perspective on the variegated influence of European integration on social policy.” Daniel Clegg, University of Edinburgh
"Without any doubt, the book written by Zimmermann is a timely intervention into current academic research as well as in public and political discussion on potential effects of cohesion policies in implementing European Union (EU) strategies at the ground level." Journal of Social Policy
Katharina Zimmermann is Assistant Professor for Economic Sociology at the University of Hamburg. Her work focuses on labour market policies and comparative welfare state research from a multilevel perspective.
Introduction
Social and employment policies in Europe from a multilevel perspective
Domestic responses to European money: a theoretical perspective
The research programme in a nutshell
Comparative insights into local responses to the ESF
What responses under what conditions? Formal QCA analyses and preliminary interpretations
Beyond numbers: Using case-study insights to support interpretation
A broader perspective on local policies and the European Social Fund
Conclusion
