Shifting to Post-Crisis Welfare States in Europe? – Long Term and Short Term Perspectives

International conference, Berlin, June 4 – 5, 2013

Welfare states develop, change and adapt to changing circumstances. Long-term incremental transformations, short-term ruptures and crises have been intertwined in the making and changing of welfare states. Over the last five years welfare states have been hit by a severe financial crisis. Its effects are in various ways related to structural changes associated with globalization, immigration, generational structures, and old and new social risks. The financial crisis has demonstrated international interdependencies and made the problems concerning the democratic legitimacy of national welfare states and European integration visible.

Against this background the conference Shifting to Post-Crisis Welfare States in Europe? – Long Term and Short Term Perspectives brings together distinguished academics from across the world to discuss whether we are going through a tough time – as a phase in the normal development and adaptation of welfare states – or whether we are facing a complete transformation or even a decline of the welfare state as we know it.

The conference takes place in Berlin June 4 – 5, 2013. The format of the conference is a combination of plenary keynotes given by some of the most central welfare researchers of today and paper sessions where the work of well-established researchers, post-doctoral researchers and PhD students are discussed. We open up for papers on a variety of topics related to the long- and short-term transformations of welfare states:

• Current crisis and its background, response and experience across Europe
• Relationships between trust, legitimacy and the welfare state
• Poverty and social exclusion in times of crisis
• Public pensions in hard times
• Immigration and the welfare state
• Changing demography, care and gender relations
• Challenges of comparative welfare state research
• The politics of social policy – old and new actors
• Social policy concepts, classifications and language
• Life courses, intergenerational and gender relations interacting with welfare policies
• Crises and restructuring of labour markets
• EU: the problem or the solution of the welfare state in crisis

Venue: The Nordic Embassies, Rauchstr. 1, D-10787 Berlin

SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS

For participation please send an abstract to coordinator Heidi Haggrén(heidi.haggren@helsinki.fi) by February 10, 2013. Abstracts should be about 200 words and sent as a Word or PDF attachment. Successful applicants will be informed by March 1, 2013. Deadline for full papers is May 10, 2013.

Participation in the conference is free of charge. A limited number of travel grants will be available.

For further information please contact coordinator Heidi Haggrén(heidi.haggren@helsinki.fi).

Conference website: http://blogs.helsinki.fi/nord-wel/iwec2013/

The conference takes place at the closing phase of the Nordic Centre of Excellence Programme on Welfare Research funded by NordForsk and is organized in collaboration between NordForsk and the two Centres of Excellence NordWel and REASSESS.

ORGANIZERS:

NordForsk, http://www.nordforsk.org
NordWel, The Nordic Welfare State – Historical Foundations and Future Challenges,
http://blogs.helsinki.fi/nord-wel/
REASSESS, Reassessing the Nordic Welfare Model, http://www.reassess.no