Restructuring the Welfare State: Theory and Reform of Social Policy

The welfare state has largely been fully developed in North-West Europe - in Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden. It is also in these countries that the crisis and financial problems of the welfare state are felt first. The need for restructuring the welfare state is a challenge on a supra-national, European and international scale. This text analyzes the different welfare states in German, Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden, with outlooks to Eastern Europe and Japan. It examines the proposals for reforming and restructuring the welfare state in Europe, combining empirical and philosphical-ethical analysis.