There have been major shifts in the framework of social policy and welfare across Europe. Adopting a multi-level, comparative and interdisciplinary approach, this book develops a critical analysis of policy change and welfare reform in Europe. It specifically asks: To what extent do welfare states undergo profound change? Is the welfare state moving in qualitatively different directions? What generates change? What are the outcomes of change in terms of social cohesion? policy changes that are often poorly understood in the welfare literature, and contributes to a further development of the theoretical and conceptual frameworks for understanding social change. simultaneously: changes in the discipline of Social Policy itself; the changing character of social problems; changes in social policy and citizenship; and the emergence of new forms of social integration. The book also speculates on how different dimensions of change are interlinked. postgraduate or level 3 students in social policy, sociology and politics.

In all Western countries, people are leaving work earlier than ever before - at a time when their life expectancy keeps increasing. How has this paradoxical process been brought about? What is the impact of labour markets and social policy? And what will be the effect of this massive lengthening of retirement? Time for Retirement addresses the 'aging of society' and the restructuring of the life course in terms of the changing relationship between work and reitrement. Detailed information based on the retirement policies of seven countries provides the basis for a comparative analysis aimed at assessing the range of possible political responses to these changes. The editors and contributors are among the leading social scientists in the field of life-course studies, aging, and social policy.

In all Western countries, people are retiring earlier than ever before, and people are living longer, thus prolonging the length of retirement. What are the effects of this phenomenon on society in general and on the labor force, and what are the psychological effects on retirees? Time for Retirement addresses the "aging of society" and the restructuring of the life course in terms of the changing relationship between work and retirement. Practically, it assesses the range of possible political answers to this process, with a comparative analysis of different national regimes.