European Inequalities [antikvár]

Introduction and Executive Summary Origins and scope of this book This book summarizes four years of research on social inclusion and income distribution across the European Union carried out in the framework of the European Observatory on the Social Situation and Demography, which has been established by the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of the European Commission. It gives an overview of the comparative information that is available for the EU Member States on income distribution, poverty and its causes, access to benefits and social services and material deprivation. It also offers a good insight into the potential of European surveys and notably the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), the main survey used for the analysis presented in this publication. Over four years, the consortium — consisting of Applica in Brussels (leader), the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research in Vienna, ISER at the University of Essex in the UK and TÁRKI Social Research Institute in Budapest — analysed various issues relating to income distribution and poverty, including the effect on inequalities of aspects other than income, such as benefits in kind, or social services more generally, or the need to cover essential costs like housing. It also examined non-monetary indicators of exclusion, such as material deprivation. Research was also undertaken into the various causes of inequality and low income and into the changes in these over time (such as the level of economic activity and employment, and the rate of growth in both of these). In addition, using a microsimulation model, detailed analysis was carried out on the effect of various countries' tax and social transfer systems on the distribution of income between households, as well as on the support provided to families with children or to those beyond retirement age. The effect of education levels was likewise examined, together with the influence of a person's family background (such as the education level of their parents and the jobs that they did) on their life chances — or, in other words, the extent to which advantages and disadvantages are transferred between generations. Efforts were also made to identify the social groups most severely affected by low Income and economic hardship, such as lone parents, the elderly with inadequate pensions, migrants and ethnic minorities. Regular reports were prepared by a network of national experts on the fiscal and other policies introduced in EU Member States, focusing on their implications for income distribution, and paying particular attention to those people at the bottom end of the scale. Network on Income Distribution and Living Conditions