Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

How European Welfare States perpetuate the Growth Imperative - And why Alternatives are needed

Rhades, Kristy Louise LU (2020) EUHR18 20201
European Studies
Abstract
In industrial circles, in political parties, and in newspapers, there is seldom one reiterating issue that concerns the general public more than the situation of a national economy, as well as how to secure or to undo the practice of it.
What is arguably one of the core principals of modern cultures, especially in European societies, not just being a nuclear unit in a bigger economy, but enacting and reenacting the social construct of a normative system a political state economy offers, is strangely overlooked by the majority. Perhaps it is the deep rootage of a welfare state in its economic and societal context that backs the unwillingness to question its practice, and thus there is little one can do to change the face of a welfare... (More)
In industrial circles, in political parties, and in newspapers, there is seldom one reiterating issue that concerns the general public more than the situation of a national economy, as well as how to secure or to undo the practice of it.
What is arguably one of the core principals of modern cultures, especially in European societies, not just being a nuclear unit in a bigger economy, but enacting and reenacting the social construct of a normative system a political state economy offers, is strangely overlooked by the majority. Perhaps it is the deep rootage of a welfare state in its economic and societal context that backs the unwillingness to question its practice, and thus there is little one can do to change the face of a welfare state fundamentally.
In contrast, this work commits to the belief that under the current predictions of environmental degradation and social insecurity, it is indispensable to start questioning the present lines of action in order to be able to adapt to the environmental and social challenges that are now approaching us. It will furthermore need an entire uplifting and reshuffling of the economic narrative to change the output of modern welfare states effectively. However, what it first takes is scrutinising the current system and the underlying thought mechanisms, and not least the ability to critically reflect on one’s own practices.
The study sets out to explore the cultural mechanisms that lie behind modern approaches to welfare, which are given by the predominantly European conceptions on economics, society and politics. As a theoretical framework, Braudel’s Annales school, European history and structuralism are used to explain the underlying thought mechanisms in European welfare state-making. Other points of interest rely on a discourse analysis of the European Green Deal that emphasises the work’s topicality, as well as backing the thesis that European welfare states are unable to adequately react to contemporary struggles such as climate change. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Rhades, Kristy Louise LU
supervisor
organization
course
EUHR18 20201
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
European welfare states, European thought paradigms, economic growth, climate emergency, European Green Deal, Euopean Studies
language
English
additional info
Footnotes indicating only author and publication date are utilised to note that something (as a word, phrase, or idea) is to be found at many places throughout the section, book, or writings of the author cited.
id
9011501
date added to LUP
2020-06-08 10:59:17
date last changed
2020-08-01 03:40:10
@misc{9011501,
  abstract     = {{In industrial circles, in political parties, and in newspapers, there is seldom one reiterating issue that concerns the general public more than the situation of a national economy, as well as how to secure or to undo the practice of it. 
What is arguably one of the core principals of modern cultures, especially in European societies, not just being a nuclear unit in a bigger economy, but enacting and reenacting the social construct of a normative system a political state economy offers, is strangely overlooked by the majority. Perhaps it is the deep rootage of a welfare state in its economic and societal context that backs the unwillingness to question its practice, and thus there is little one can do to change the face of a welfare state fundamentally. 
In contrast, this work commits to the belief that under the current predictions of environmental degradation and social insecurity, it is indispensable to start questioning the present lines of action in order to be able to adapt to the environmental and social challenges that are now approaching us. It will furthermore need an entire uplifting and reshuffling of the economic narrative to change the output of modern welfare states effectively. However, what it first takes is scrutinising the current system and the underlying thought mechanisms, and not least the ability to critically reflect on one’s own practices.
The study sets out to explore the cultural mechanisms that lie behind modern approaches to welfare, which are given by the predominantly European conceptions on economics, society and politics. As a theoretical framework, Braudel’s Annales school, European history and structuralism are used to explain the underlying thought mechanisms in European welfare state-making. Other points of interest rely on a discourse analysis of the European Green Deal that emphasises the work’s topicality, as well as backing the thesis that European welfare states are unable to adequately react to contemporary struggles such as climate change.}},
  author       = {{Rhades, Kristy Louise}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{How European Welfare States perpetuate the Growth Imperative - And why Alternatives are needed}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}