Amandine Crespy will present research from her new book, Welfare Markets in Europe: The Democratic Challenge of European Integration (2016, Palgrave), which discusses political contention over the marketization of welfare services in the context of European integration.
In the current era of austerity in Europe, welfare services (energy, postal services, rail and local transport, culture and education, health, social and elderly care) are a main target of pan-European fiscal discipline. In addition to significant cuts in funding and jobs, the further marketization of these services is seen as a main option for reducing public expenditure and deficits. Crespy argues that EU integration has accelerated this marketization. Through key episodes of contention in the 2000s the book shows how contentious politics could partially slow down but never reverse the marketization agenda.
