Administering social care in the European Union: moving towards one-stop shops?

• Author: Branko Boskovic
• Position: Faculty of Humanistic Studies, University of Donja Gorica, Podgorica, Montenegro
• Pages: 398-414

Administering social care in the European Union:

moving towards one-stop shops?

Teaching assistant Branko BOŠKOVIĆ1

Abstract

Protection and inclusion have for long been some of the guiding principles of the

European welfare states. The crisis of 2008 placed social investment high on the social

policy agenda in the EU and specific policies that the new paradigm embraces have been in

focus. Unfortunately, little attention is paid to administering policies. Creating one-stop

shops, as a new way of easier and more efficient use of available resources for citizens, is

perceived as the most suitable way for administration of specific policies. This paper is a

contribution to this debate, looking at ways social policy is administered across the EU,

from a double perspective. First, having social investment as the theoretical but also

practical approach and second, looking at different welfare state regimes. This approach

should point to major differences in social policy administration but also present which

models perform the best. Most importantly, the paper aims to show how administering

social care influences implementation of policy changes across the European Union.

Keywords: one-stop shop, European Union, social investment, decentralisation,

activation.

JEL Classification: K23, K33

1. Introduction

Social care has been in focus of the public debate for a long time in

Europe, but is the last decade, after the 2008 crisis that has seen an increased

debate. Finding ways to improve efficiency of specific policies and improve quality

of life has been the key aim of the measures the European Union has undertaken.

However, it has been proved that unified approach is not possible, on the one hand

and on the other, measures has to be well coordinated between all of the actors

involved. Policies and their outcomes have been in the focus of the EU’s attention

but increasing awareness of the relevance of the way policies are administered has

paved a way towards thinking of one-stop shops. Permanent changes in the way

policies are organised and administered, in addition to already different social

models across the member states created a need of studying how social care

administration is organised and how they function.

The paper is looking into administration of social care, with the focus on

administering employment policies. It is a contribution to a missing debate, in

comparison to studies on policies and outcomes, on how to improve functionality

of the administration and enable citizens easier and more friendly use of services.

1 Branko Bošković - Faculty of Humanistic Studies, University of Donja Gorica, Podgorica,

Montenegro, branko.boskovic@ udg.edu.me

Volume 8, Issue 2, June 2018 Juridical Tribune 399

The paper is divided into four main parts. The first part is looking into relevance of

studying social care administration and provides the methodology and the research

question of the paper. The second part defines one-stop shops and focuses on their

development. The third part represents the study of the countries the paper uses and

fourth part is a discussion of the findings.

2. Welfare state in Europe: why study administration?

Welfare state has been one of the most recognisable features of the

European continent and it is especially after the Second World War that it has been

expanded and social rights were recognised2. There have been incommensurable

changes throughout the period of the golden age of the welfare state and up to now.

In other words, there is a significantly greater instability of the social

circumstances we live in, concerning both the individual and systemic level and

alterations became an essential part of everyday life. Sources of the change are

external (globalisation, introduction of service based economy, instability of

markets and unexpected labour market shocks, moving from cyclical to structural

risks)3 and internal (declining fertility, ageing population, new family forms)4, just

to name a few. This paper is interested in structural transformation of

administration of the social services as a response to these alterations.

The literature on the welfare state is in most instances focused on policy

effects and outcomes and a detailed research of social policy administration is

substantially less represented. Governance of social policy is crucial for providing

citizens with quality services, especially having in mind increasing unemployment

and a need for institutional support. Governance can here be defined in Rhodes’5

sense, as new processes, conditions and methods the society is governed. The focus

of the paper is on social policy, with stress on employment policies, due to

importance of the issue, rising unemployment and important policy changes in the

recent years. The European Union has recognised relevance of the issue on several

occasions6, especially having in mind the effects of the 2008 crisis, rising new

2 Marshall, Thomas Humphrey. Citizenship and Social Class. The University Press, Cambridge, 1950.

3 Clasen, Jochen., Clegg, Daniel. Beyond Activation: Reforming European Unemployment Protection

Systems in Post-Industrial Labour Markets. European Societies, 8, 4. 2006. pp. 527-53; Esping

Andersen, Gosta., Gallie, Duncan., Hemerijck, Anton., Myles, John. Why We Need a New Welfare

State. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 2002; Hemerijck, Anton. Changing welfare states. Oxford

University Press. Oxford. 2013.

4 Esping Andersen, Gosta., Gallie, Duncan., Hemerijck, Anton., Myles, John. Why We Need a New

Welfare State. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 2002; Hemerijck, Anton. Changing welfare states.

Oxford University Press. Oxford. 2013.

5 Rhodes, Roderick. The New Governance: Governing Without Government. Political Studies, 1996,

p. 653-4.

6 European Commission. An Agenda for new skills and jobs. COM(2010) 682 final, 2010.; European

Commission. Europe 2020. A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. COM(2010)

2020, 2010.; European Commission. Investing in children: breaking the cycle of disadvantage.

COM(2013) 778 final, 2013.; European Commission. Towards Social Investment for Growth and