The current economic crisis has presented itself as a formidable challenge to the welfare states of Europe. It is more relevant than ever to ask: do existing minimum income protection schemes succeed in adequately protecting citizens, be it whether they are excluded from work, working, retired, or having children? Drawing on in-depth and up-to-date institutional data from across Europe and the US, this volume details the reality of minimum income protection policies over time. Including contributions from leading scholars in the field, each chapter provides a systematic cross-national analysis of minimum income protection policies, developing concrete policy guidance on an issue at the heart of the European debate.

'This book surely deserves an award for its timeliness - and also for its scholarly qualities. It offers a coverage of the key issues related to minimum income protection policies that is simply unmatched, be it in terms of thoroughness, reach or depth: a must-read contribution for anyone working in the social policy field.' - Gosta Esping-Andersen, Professor of Sociology at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain

'Significant work providing a rich overview of minimum income systems, highly relevant to the current and future EU social policy debate.' - László Andor, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Belgium

'We live in a world with ever-increasing inequality in rich European and Anglo -Saxon nations. The minimum income question the basic right of all persons, especially vulnerable ones like children and the elderly, to sufficient resources to live in a manner compatible with human dignity takes on new importance in such a world. I urge all who are interested in poverty and inequality, especially policy makers and advocates, to read Marx and Nelson for a refreshing, sobering and important take on the minimum income question.' - Timothy M. Smeeding, Director for the Institute for Research on Poverty and A & S Distinguished Professor of Public Affairs and Economics at the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, USA

'This volume provides the most authoritative comparative analysis of policy developments in the realmof minimum income rotection available today. Based on unique up-to-date institutional data and rigorous analyses, it yields new insights and is essential reading for all who care about changing welfare states.' - Walter Korpi, Professor of Social Policy, Stockholm University, Sweden

Autorentext
GORDON ALEXANDER Director of UNICEF's Office of Research in Florence, Italy EDUARDO BARBERIS Postdoctoral student at the Department of Economy, Society and Politics, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Italy JONATHAN BRADSHAW Professor of Social Policy at the University of York, UK BEA CANTILLON Professor of Social Policy and director of the Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp, Belgium TOMMY FERRARINI Associate professor at the Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University, Sweden TIM GOEDEMÉ Researcher at the Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy University of Antwerp, Belgium HELENA HÖÖG Research Assistant at the Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University, Sweden VANESSA HUBL PhD candidate at the University of Mannheim, Germany YURI KAZEPOV Professor of Urban Sociology and Compared Welfare Systems at the University of Urbino, Italy SARAH MARCHAL Researcher at the Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, Belgium EMESE MAYHEW Research Fellow at the University of York, UK BRIAN NOLAN Professor of Public Policy at University College Dublin, Ireland MICHAELA PFEIFER PhD candidate at the University of Mannheim, Germany FRANK VANDENBROUCKE Professor at the KU Leuven, Belgium ANNE VAN LANCKER currently working as independent consultant NATASCHA VAN MECHELEN Post-doctoral Researcher at the Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy at the University of Antwerp, Belgium J. TIMO WEISHAUPT Junior Professor forthe Sociology of the Welfare State at the University of Mannheim, Germany

Inhalt
A New Dawn for Minimum Income Protection?; I.Marx & K.Nelson Struggle for Life: Social Assistance Benefits, 1992-2009; N.Van Mechelen & S.Marchal Mind the Gap: Net Incomes of Minimum Wage Workers in the EU and the US; I.Marx, S.Marchal & B.Nolan Child Poverty as a Government Priority: Child Benefit Packages for Working Families, 1992-2009; N.Van Mechelen & J.Bradshaw Minimum Income Protection for Europe's Elderly. What and How Much has been Guaranteed During the 2000s?; T.Goedemé From Universalism to Selectivity: Old Wine in New Bottles for Child Benefits in Europe and Other Countries; T.Ferrarini , K.Nelson & H.Höög Categorical Differentiation in the Light of Deservingness Perceptions: Institutional Structures of Minimum Income Protection for Immigrants and for the Disabled; V.Hubl & M.Pfeifer Origin and Genesis of Activation Policies in 'Old' Europe: Toward a Balanced Approach?; J.T.Weishaupt Social Assistance Governance in Europe. Towards a Multi-level Perspective; Y.Kazepov & E.Barberis Minimum Social Protection in the CEE/CIS Countries. The Failure of a Model; J.Bradshaw , E.Mayhew & G.Alexander The EU and Minimum Income Protection: Clarifying the Policy Conundrum; F.Vandenbroucke , B.Cantillon , N.Van Mechelen , T.Goedemé & A.Van Lancker