Manifesto Social Europe
Description
The basic idea of the Manifesto is that Europe is a concrete and ‘real’ geographical and social entity with a shared historical heritage, common if diversified roots and values, and a common political, cultural, economic, and social ‘acquis communautaire’ – not in the sense of egalitarianism, but of a shared culture of diversity.
Given these points of departure, the book focuses on three questions. The question ‘why is there a need for Social Europe?’ is answered from an economic, a legal-constitutional, an affective and a geo-political perspective. In answer to the question: ‘what does Social Europe do?’, the Manifesto book addresses four main areas where social citizenship must provide substantive guarantees: jobs, labour standards, social welfare and gender policies. As to ‘how is Social Europe to be implemented?’, the book outlines the institutional reforms necessary for the implementation of social policy and ‘social benchmarking’ as a technique for the implementation of a wide range of social policy objectives.