Europe and the Politics of Capabilities

The social agenda of the European Union is shifting towards broad social initiatives that align social and economic objectives with the promotion of employment. This calls for an action framework that permits social dialogue and political deliberation to inform and complement legislative action at all levels. The debate, however, has been dominated by advocates of traditional welfare states. This book, to break out of this sterile stalemate, demonstrates how an employment-orientated social policy in Europe can develop from a new, different set of policy principles, specifically 'a capability approach'. Taking inspiration from the work of Amartya Sen, this book focuses on the effective freedom people need to achieve their goals in life and work. The result of ongoing collaboration between researchers and social actors, it will appeal to social scientists, students, policy-makers and all those concerned with the building of Europe.

Focusing on the building of social Europe, this contributory volume develops an original social policy framework, 'the capability approach'.

1. Introduction: Europe and the politics of capabilities Robert Salais and Robert Villeneuve; Part I. Products, territories and economic activity in Europe: 2. Europe tested through its products: the Renault-Vilvoorde affair and its implication for industry and employment policies Claude Didry; 3. Competences-orientated logics and the politics of unemployability Benedicte Zimmermann; 4. Regional capabilities and the European Employment Strategy Martin Heinenreich; 5. The territorial pacts in Italy: the competitive corporatism assumption in question Serafino Negrelli; 6. Mobilising local capabilities for a European economic project: the case of Marseilles Pierre-Paul Zalio; 7. Employment and social dialogue at the European level: a different approach to governance of territories Robert Villeneuve; Part II. Assessing EU procedures and European initiatives: 8. The European Employment Strategy: from ends to means? Gilles Raveaud; 9. Regional growth, national context and the European Structural Funds: an empirical appraisal Jacky Fayolle and Anne Lecuyer; 10. Sketching European social dialogue freehand Emmanuel Julien; 11. The fourth dimension in collective bargaining and social co-operation Jean Lapeyre; 12. The nature of the open method of co-ordination Philippe Pochet; Part III. What politics of capabilities?: 13. Capabilities, social rights and European market integration Jude Browne, Simon Deakin and Frank Wilkinson; 14. Collective rights, deliberation and capabilities Jean de Munck and Isabelle Ferreras; 15. The gender settlement and social provision: the work-welfare relationship at the level of the household Jane Lewis; 16. Security and the working life: new perspectives Noel Whiteside; 17. Social needs, development, territories and full employment based on solidarity Pierre Bachman; 18. Incorporating the capability approach into social and employment policies Robert Salais; Appendices; Index.

An examination of the European Union's broad social initiatives that align social and economic objectives with the promotion of employment.