Reinventing social security worldwide: Back to essentials

by Vladimir Rys

Overview

Prior to the onset of the recent financial crisis, global trends of social security in industrialised societies were indicating a progressive disengagement of the State, in favour of tax-financed measures similar to social assistance, which may fail to ensure a basic standard of living. In this timely book the author, with his life-long experience of international social security, advocates reinstating social insurance by reducing the volume of income redistribution, increasing the transparency of money flows and improving citizen information. It will be of interest to a wide audience, including undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers and lecturers, policy makers, social partners, professionals dealing with social security institutions and civil society groups.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781847426406
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	05/05/2010
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Vladimir Rys is a former secretary general of the International Social Security Association in Geneva. He has written a pioneering study on the sociology of social security. On retirement, he returned to academic research and studied social security in transition countries with special reference to the Czech Republic. His current research focus is on social security problems at worldwide level.

Table of Contents

About the author v

Foreword Carmelo Mesa-Lago vi

Introduction 1

Part 1 Social security evolution in a global perspective: what is at stake?

1 A brief history of social security 9

Institutional predecessors of social insurance 9

The coming of social insurance 13

The road to social security 17

The beginning of retrenchment 19

2 Essential issues of social protection in our society 25

Social security in a globalised world: the changing environment 25

The changing content of social security and limits of income redistribution 27

The global economic trap of human rights 31

The problem of the integration of social and economic policies 32

Social security and communism 35

Social security and neoliberalism 39

Social security and solidarity 46

Social security and democracy 48

3 The new approaches to securing human existence in society 53

The road to social insecurity 53

Towards new approaches in industrialised countries 55

Social security and the developing world 57

Part 2 Understanding social security in its societal environment: which methodology?

4 A brief history of the sociology of social security 63

The beginning of the art: the quest for understanding 63

The revival in the 1980s: the quest for rationalisation 66

The final pattern: sociological studies of social policy and welfare 70

5 A macro-sociological approach to the study of social security 73

Presentation of an early forerunner of macro-sociological factor analysis 73

The stages of maturation 74

Themacro-sociological factor analysis of social security and its use 77

6 The use of macro-sociological factor analysis in comparative studies 97

Comparing the social product of the institution 97

Taking account of the 'cultural factor' 98

The question of practical applicability 99

The use of macro-sociological factor analysis in more recent studies 100

Part 3 Reinventing social security in times of economic crisis: foundations of a new political consensus

7 Adapting social security to a new societal environment 107

The impact of economic crises on the institution in a historical perspective 107

The initial impact of the present economic crisis 109

National economy as a permanent support of social security systems 110

Search for a new political consensus on social security 112

Final reflections 115

References 119

Index 123

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The intended audience for the book is policy makers and international organisations as well as students and researchers." European Journal of Social Security

"Drawing upon a lifetime of international experience in social security, a case is made in defence of the integrity of institutional 'social security' - earnings-related social insurance programmes. In this thought-provoking volume, Rys argues that the trend towards a blurring of the roles of social insurance and social assistance must be reversed." Roddy McKinnon, Editor, International Social Security Review

Editorial Reviews

"This short but informative and provocative book has much to recommend it." Peter Saunders in International Journal of Social Welfare

From the Publisher