European Welfare Government Between Semantic of Crisis and Inequalities

Welfare is classically envisioned as an  antisystemic instrument, so to maintain the level of social demands in a period of economic crisis (Keynes v Beveridge). With this solving instrument, the bearing of debt can be postponed on the later years  (European programme 2020). The  political economy  of austerity changes this vision of welfare. A new semantic of  public finance and private management  focus on management  of  financial flux, on the economic performance (competitivity). The financial system   governs  a  framework of incitatives (incitatives to work).

So can be specified how the semantic of crisis modifies not only the amount of welfare state intervention but also the style of intervention. Work monitoring implemented by new labour has been complemented by financial monitoring inside austerity policies (Newman 2005). The welfare system is reshaped by these different policies (framework of incitatives, monitoring). The evaluation of these policy changes can be envisioned on  housing policies, on work policies (France, UK), as incitative policies in comparison  with classic redistributive politics : minimum wages and retirement policies (France, UK ) . The North / South Europe divide between export and Welfare competitiveness is  combined with endogeneous modification on the conception and procedures of Welfare state (France, UK /DK, Greece).