The hidden reform of the ‘unmovable’ objects: from workers’ insurance provision to individualised ‘in-work’ benefits

1. The hidden reform of the ‘unmovable’ objects: from workers’ insurance provision to individualised ‘in-work’ benefits Minna van Gerven M.vanGerven@uva.nl

2. worker’s insurance benefit programmes the least obvious subject to policy change ? New politics of welfare State (Pierson) Institutional rigidities (Esping-Andersen, Korpi) Reforms only at the margins/within certain regimes Shooting down the theoretical ‘straw man’

3. Qualitative inventory of benefit rules In three welfare regimes, UK, NL, FI A long time period 1980-2006 Insurance programmes (against unemployment) Both Bismarckian and Beveridgean programmes VAN GERVEN, M. (2008a) The Broad Tracks of Path Dependent Benefit Reforms. A longitudinal study of social benefit reform in three European countries, 1980-2006, Helsinki, Social Security Institution. Data

4. Table 1 Unemployment benefit programmes and their institutional characteristics as they existed in 2006

5. The hidden reform of the ‘unmovable’ objects Country characteristics relatively stable: The UK: a minimum provision The NL: smaller group of workers protected against loss of income, Finland: basic security preserved Findings 1/ 3

6. BUT: a clear intention of benefit programmes to view the eligibility of each claimant individually Case to case review Willingness to co-operate essential Defacto individualisation rather than de jure individualisation Findings 2/3

7. National differences: FI less, UK and NL more drastic changes Programmatic differences: Basic UB more drastic changes Yet, Workers insurances also underwent drastic reforms (ref. NL) Findings 3/3

8. Certainly no unmovable objects De facto individualisation of benefit rules: hidden transformation Workers insured only if willing to participate and do their utmost best to return to employment:‘in-work’ benefit or benefit in between two jobs rather than traditional insurance/income replacement benefits Conclusion

9. Thank you for your interest! Weishaupt (2009) ‘Constructive comments very welcome’ 