Handbook on Social Policy and Civil Society

Bent Greve, Virginija Poškutė, Alexandra Lopes (Herausgeber)

Buch | Hardcover

318 Seiten

2026
Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd (Verlag)
9781035341597 (ISBN)

Noch nicht erschienen (ca. Februar 2026)
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This comprehensive Handbook provides a fresh analysis of the balance between the state, markets, and civil society that lies at the heart of all governance frameworks. Expert contributors highlight the ways in which civil society contributes to, complements, and challenges traditional welfare structures.

This comprehensive Handbook provides a fresh analysis of the balance between the state, markets and civil society that lies at the heart of all governance frameworks. Expert contributors highlight the ways in which civil society contributes to, complements and challenges traditional welfare structures.

Bringing together key concepts such as social capital, human capital, reciprocity and volunteerism, this Handbook investigates how civil society shapes and is influenced by shifting social policies and societal transformations. It provides a multidimensional perspective on welfare provision across diverse contexts including the long-term care of older people, disability policy and the influence of NGOs on social policy. Chapters incorporate a comprehensive discussion of civil society’s role, clearly mapping the tensions between voluntary initiatives and the broader involvement of the state and society in social policy. This Handbook equips readers with the conceptual tools and empirical knowledge needed to engage critically with ongoing debates and developments in these fields.

This Handbook is a vital resource for students and scholars of social policy, political science and sociology, as well as academics studying the welfare state. Its valuable insights will also benefit practitioners in welfare and social policy.

Edited by Bent Greve, Professor in Social Science, Department of Social Sciences and Business, University of Roskilde, Denmark, Virginija Poškutė, Professor, ISM University of Management and Economics, Lithuania and Alexandra Lopes, Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Porto, Portugal

Contents
PART I CONCEPTS AND CORE ISSUES
1 Introduction to civil society and social policy 2
Bent Greve, Alexandra Lopes and Virginija Poškutė
2 The mixed economy of welfare 10
Mary Murphy and Fiona Dukelow
3 Human capital formation in welfare states in Europe 25
Rūta Kazlauskaitė
4 Civil society and work-family reconciliation policies: focus on the role of
employers 38
Blanka Plasová, Marie Valentová and Aigul Alieva
5 The gift relationship: the impact of Richard Titmuss on social policy 56
James Midgley
PART II SOME METHODOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
6 Marketisation and civil society 69
Julien Mercille
7 Public-private partnerships and interaction with civil society 81
Julia Grace Smith
8 Studying fluid forms of organizing volunteering 96
Christine Dyhrberg Højgaard
9 Welfare, civil society and devolution: the case of youth (un)employment in
England, Scotland, and Wales 108
Sioned Pearce
10 Happiness and the civil society 122
Bent Greve
PART III CIVIL SOCIETY IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WELFARE
STATES SOCIAL POLICY FIELDS
11 Long-term care of older people 132
Virginija Poškutė
12 Disability policy 145
Claudia Coveney and Miro Griffiths
13 Health systems and patient engagement: challenges and new developments 157
Céu Mateus, Ricardo Rodrigues and Julian Perelman
14 Labour market and work-life balance 174
Jeanne Fagnani and Bernard Gazier
15 The complex and diversified childcare mix 188
Chiara Saraceno
16 Civil society and poverty reduction: trends and achievements in the EU
region 200
Alexandra Lopes
17 Solidarity in contentious times: the Dutch populist radical right versus
development NGOs 212
Margit van Wessel
PART IV THE MIX AND ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN DIFFERENT TYPES
OF WELFARE STATES
18 Civil society and welfare states in the Nordic region: cooperation and
privatization 227
Haldor Byrkjeflot
19 Continental welfare states 241
Astrid Pennerstorfer, Karin Heitzmann and August Österle
20 The evolving Southern European welfare mix and the roles of the third
sector 251
Sílvia Ferreira
21 The influence of NGOs on social policy in Central Europe suring the
COVID-19 pandemic 266
Steven Saxonberg, Tomáš Sirovátka and Eduard Csudai
PART V CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS
22 Civil society and social policy – the future role 287
Bent Greve, Alexandra Lopes and Virginija Poškutė

Erscheint lt. Verlag	28.2.2026
Reihe/Serie	Elgar Handbooks in Social Policy and Welfare series
Verlagsort	Cheltenham
Sprache	englisch
Maße	169 x 244 mm
Themenwelt	Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik ► Sozialpädagogik
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Staat / Verwaltung
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie ► Makrosoziologie
ISBN-13	9781035341597 / 9781035341597
Zustand	Neuware