Welfare states are the main tool market economies use to redistribute wealth and reduce inequality. Migration and mobility have placed European welfare states before new challenges. This is visible in patterns of public opinion and in the evolution of social legislation.
Subproject 1: Politically Acceptable Redistributive Arrangements for Multi-Ethnic Societies
It is important to understand whether the willingness to enter redistributive arrangements is affected by ethnic images of the beneficiaries. What kind of redistributive arrangements are more politically acceptable in multi-ethnic societies, and to what extent legal provisions on free movement have changed views on entitlements?
We want to study the link between the willingness to redistribute resources and the multi-ethnic character of a society by refining our understanding of redistribution and otherness.
Subproject 2: Free Movement and National Welfare Systems
In connection with subproject 1, this subproject will provide an analysis of the European Union (EU) rules on access to social benefits and of their impact in the Member States and evolution. It investigates the following questions:
To what extent has EU free movement law “opened up” access to social benefits for its beneficiaries in European States?
Has national legislation been adapted in response to such “opening” and to fears of “welfare tourism”?
How has EU free movement law been influenced, in turn, by such responses?
