Featuring contributions from leading international scholars of social policy, this dynamic Research Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of conceptual and methodological developments in leave policy research, as well as state-of-the-art findings on leave policy determinants and outcomes globally. The topic of inequality is placed at the centre of the Research Handbook, to strengthen the global debate and encourage broader thinking about the interconnections between leave policy design and social inequalities. Chapters illustrate the continued relevance of this correlation in the context of gendered care and employment practices, precarious, underinsured, and nonstandard employment, informal economies, migration, family changes, and growing financial strains for parents. Using parental leave policy as an empirical lens to further our understanding of the intersectional nature of social inequalities, the editors ultimately consider whether there is a case to reconfigure leave policy as a social right. This incisive Research Handbook will be essential reading for a multi-disciplinary audience of students and scholars of social policy, family studies, gender studies, sociology, social work, and public policy. Its evaluation of cutting-edge developments in leave policy will also benefit national and international policy makers, as well as HR leaders interested in parenting leave best practice.

Published ten years after the first edition, this new Handbook offers topical, and comprehensive information on the welfare systems of all 28 EU member states and their recent reforms, giving the reader an invaluable introduction and basis for comparative welfare research. Additional chapters provide detailed information on EU social policy, as well as comparative analyses of European welfare systems and their reform pathways. For this second edition, all chapters have been updated and substantially revised, and Croatia additionally included. The second edition of this Handbook is most timely, given the often-fundamental welfare state transformations against the background of the financial and economic crises, transforming social policy ideas, as well as political shifts in a number of European countries. The book sets out to analyse these new developments when it comes to social policy. In the first part, all country chapters provide systematic and comparable information on the foundations of the different national welfare systems and their characteristics. In the second part, using a joint conceptual foundation, they focus on policy changes (especially of the last two decades) in different social policy areas, including old-age, labour market, family, healthcare, and social assistance policies. As the comparative chapters conclude, European welfare system landscapes have been in constant motion in the last two decades. While austerity is not to be seen on the aggregate level, the in-depth country studies show that all policy sectors have been characterised by different reform directions and ideas. The findings not only reveal both change and continuity, but also policy reversal as a distinct type that characterises social policy reform. The book provides a rich resource to the international welfare state research community, and is also useful for social policy teaching.

In this book, an international group of public policy scholars revisit the stage of formulating policy solutions by investigating the basic political dimensions inherent to this critical phase of the policy process. The book focuses attention on how policy makers craft their policy proposals, match them with public problems, debate their feasibility to build coalitions and dispute their acceptability as serious contenders for government consideration. Based on international case studies, this book is an invitation to examine the uncertain and often indeterminate aspects of policy-making using qualitative analysis embedded in a political perspective.

This volume brings together contributors from 18 countries to provide international perspectives on the politics of parental leave policies in different parts of the world. Initially looking at the politics of care leave policies in eight countries across Europe, the US, Latin America and Asia, the book moves on to consider a variety of key issues in depth, including gender equality, flexibility and challenges for fathers in using leave. In the final section of the book, contributors look beyond the early parenthood period to consider possible future directions for care leave policy in order to address the wider changes and challenges that our societies face.

This comprehensive study, part of the International Library of Policy Analysis, brings together for the first time a systemic overview of policy analysis activities in Germany. Written by leading experts in the field - including informed practitioners - it outlines the development of the discipline, identifies its role in academic education and research, and examines its styles and methods. The book also focuses on the role of policy analysis for governments and parliaments, for parties, social partners, and interest groups. By offering a rich and timely analysis of policy analysis in Germany, this book is a valuable resource for academic exchange and for teaching, particularly in the fields of political science, social sciences, economics and geography. Moreover, by its broad, comprehensive understanding of 'policy analysis', the book will be of practical relevance and shape the debate for the future development of policy analysis in Germany and the different spheres where it is practised.

Published ten years after the first edition, this new Handbook offers topical, and comprehensive information on the welfare systems of all 28 EU member states and their recent reforms, giving the reader an invaluable introduction and basis for comparative welfare research. Additional chapters provide detailed information on EU social policy, as well as comparative analyses of European welfare systems and their reform pathways. For this second edition, all chapters have been updated and substantially revised, and Croatia additionally included. The second edition of this Handbook is most timely, given the often-fundamental welfare state transformations against the background of the financial and economic crises, transforming social policy ideas, as well as political shifts in a number of European countries. The book sets out to analyse these new developments when it comes to social policy. In the first part, all country chapters provide systematic and comparable information on the foundations of the different national welfare systems and their characteristics. In the second part, using a joint conceptual foundation, they focus on policy changes (especially of the last two decades) in different social policy areas, including old-age, labour market, family, healthcare, and social assistance policies. As the comparative chapters conclude, European welfare system landscapes have been in constant motion in the last two decades. While austerity is not to be seen on the aggregate level, the in-depth country studies show that all policy sectors have been characterised by different reform directions and ideas. The findings not only reveal both change and continuity, but also policy reversal as a distinct type that characterises social policy reform. The book provides a rich resource to the international welfare state research community, and is also useful for social policy teaching.

Die Familienpolitik stellte wahrend der letzten Jahre sowohl in Deutschland als auch in OEsterreich eines der Politikfelder mit der hoechsten Reformtatigkeit dar. Fur die vergleichende Wohlfahrtsstaatsforschung kam dies uberraschend, war doch regelmassig auf die Reformunfahigkeit der sogenannten konservativen, familialistischen Wohlfahrtsstaaten v.a. im Bereich neuer sozialer Risiken wie der Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf hingewiesen worden. Wie also sind diese ploetzlichen, weitreichenden Reformen zu erklaren? Um dies zu beantworten, untersucht Sonja Blum die Reformprozesse in der Elternzeit sowie der oeffentlichen Kinderbetreuung, darunter z.B. die Einfuhrung des Elterngelds in Deutschland 2007 oder die Einfuhrung des einkommensabhangigen Kinderbetreuungsgelds in OEsterreich 2010. Das Buch zeichnet ein umfassendes Bild der veranderten Determinanten von Familienpolitik in beiden Landern, darunter v.a. neue Akteurskonstellationen, neue Ideen sowie vertikale und horizontale Policytransfers im Kontext eines verstarkten familienpolitischen Engagements der Europaischen Union.

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2008 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Other States, grade: 2,3, University of Osnabruck, language: English, abstract: "The Western Balkans, and in particular Kosovo, constitute an interesting area of study in the field political science and international relations in that, it not only brings into focus the development and evolution of the European Union (EU) since its inception, but also offers to define the transatlantic relationship between the European Union and the United States of America (USA). The Kosovo Conflict and the surrounding events throughout the Balkans have repeatedly demonstrated that the European Union still lacks the political, judicial and military competencies in its collective approaches to security and foreign policy. Since its inception, the EU had been, and continues to be greatly dependent on its partner and ally, the United States. Hence, the EU was characterized with the Capability-Expectations Gap (CEP), stating that the international environment and the EU itself expect higher outcomes than it is actually capable of delivering. Consequently, the incidents within mainland Europe were accompanied by continuous efforts to improve their Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). During the course of this paper I would like bring into view an objective assessment, in the application of the European Union's collective approach to regional and international security, and the outreach of its common foreign policy objectives. (...) I would (also) like to find out whether the presence and involvement of the EU and the US in Kosovo, is simply a method to impose stability and increase security in the region, whether a larger picture is emerging regarding the geopolitical positioning of both entities in Kosovo, or if their interventions are based on a well-functioning and genuine transatlantic cooperation which results in a successful outcome. Furthermore, the questions arise as to whether or

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Osnabruck (Institut fur Anglistik / Amerikanistik), course: Contemporary Asian American Literature: Themes, Topics, Concerns, 22 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: "The inclusion of Indian American authors into the genre of Asian American literature is widely discussed and criticized. In my opinion as well as in the view of a great amount of other people, ''Asian American literature' is not an ethically or nationally bound category of writing. Instead, it is a term which is used to refer to texts written by North American writers of Asian descent.' This is the reason why I have chosen works by Bharati Mukherjee and Meera Nair for the following analysis. Both writers are born in India, both immigrated to the United States of America, both deal with 'the urgent negotiation and re-negotiation of the problematics of gendered, ethicised and nationalised identity.' However, either one of them reveals a different attitude towards their home country, uses a different language style and enjoys different success. (...)"

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,7, University of Osnabruck (Institut fur Anglistik/Amerikanistik), course: Introduction to Gender Theory, 28 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: "'How can they tell if I am male or female?' With this last line of 'The Ballad of Mulan' the (anonymous) author raises the gender question already in the 6th century. In this essay, I would like to analyse The Representation of Gender in Walt Disney's 'Mulan', using the structure of the movie to focus on The Protagonist Fa Mulan, the Treatment of Women and the Depiction of Men. Additionally, the inquiry concerning the Meaning of Song Texts in Disney's 'Mulan' appears useful as these always play an important role in conveying movie themes. In order to establish a connection to the seminar on which this paper is based, I will illustrate how the movie is a good example for Judith Butler's theory of Gender as Performance. Last but not least, I would like to show the Influence of Disney's 'Mulan' on Society because fairy tales and movies ' ...] do influence the manner in which children conceive the world and their places in it ...]'. Drawing the 'Conclusion', I will try a careful approach to find out if Disney's 'Mulan' might even be considered as a feminist movie. (...)"

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2008 im Fachbereich Soziologie - Wirtschaft und Industrie, Note: 1,3, Universitat Osnabruck, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: "Warum ist das Unternehmen besser als der Markt? Eine Frage, die nicht einfach zu beantworten ist, besonders in Anbetracht der Tatsache, dass Markt und Unternehmung nicht eindeutig voneinander zu trennen sind und eine Firma ausschliesslich durch ihre Beziehung zum Markt analysiert wird. Auch ist die Fragestellung an sich schwer fassbar, da es nicht das Unternehmen und den Markt gibt, sondern von beidem diverse in verschiedenen Bereichen existieren. Dennoch werde ich in der vorliegenden Arbeit versuchen, eine Antwort auf diese Frage zu finden. Um dieses zu erreichen, werde ich zunachst die Begriffe von Markt und Unternehmen definieren, um die Ausgangsinformation zu schaffen. Daraufhin erklare ich im Hauptteil dieser Arbeit die wichtigsten Aspekte des Transaktionskostenansatzes - laut R.H. Coase die Existenzbegrundung von Unternehmungen. Dazu gehoren erstens die Definition von Transaktionskosten an sich, zweitens die Verhaltensmuster der Akteure und drittens die Variablen, welche die Kosten einer Transaktion beeinflussen. Da der Arbeitstitel eine gewisse Uberlegenheit des Unternehmens gegenuber dem Markt voraussetzt und dieses gangigerweise am Unternehmenserfolg gemessen wird, darf ein kleiner Einblick in die internen unternehmerischen Handlungsablaufe nicht fehlen, die zu eben diesem Erfolg beitragen. Aus diesem Grund gehe ich jeweils kurz auf die Motivationstheorie und die wissensbasierte Unternehmenssicht ein, die Ansatze liefern, wie es zu Wettbewerbsvorteilen kommen kann. Daraufhin komme ich auf die schon angesprochene Interdependenz der beiden Institutionen zuruck, was zu einer Darstellung der unternehmerischen Marktmacht fuhrt. Abschliessend werde ich die Voraussetzungen, unter welchen Gegebenheiten das Unternehmen besser ist als der Markt, nochmals konkret zusammenfassen. (...)&quo