Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T02:23:34.427Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Children and their Rights and Entitlements in EU Welfare States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2019

MARY DALY Open the ORCID record for MARY DALY [Opens in a new window]
MARY DALY*
Affiliation:
Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, UK email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In light of social policy’s growing focus on children and a changing family policy portfolio, we need better classifications and a more nuanced understanding of policy approaches to children. The aim here is to contribute to further thinking and analysis by reviewing some of the existing conceptualisations and the latest relevant policy developments on the one hand and developing an analytic framework for further research on the other. The article takes an EU-wide approach and empirically examines developments in income support policy, parenting-related leaves, early childhood education and care and children’s right to participation to see what they reveal about prevailing approaches to children. The paper identifies some strong moves towards a greater focus on children in social policy but suggests differentiating between three different approaches: family-oriented, childhood-oriented and child-oriented. These approaches differ in terms of whether their primary focus is on children or adults, whether they engage with children directly or indirectly, the set of entitlements involved and the desired outcome.

Keywords

child policychildren’s rightsfamily policyearly childhood education and carechildren’s agencysocial investment
Type
Article
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 49 , Issue 2 , April 2020 , pp. 343 - 360
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

I offer my sincere thanks to the editors and former editors for their help with this article. I also acknowledge with gratitude the excellent feedback from the reviewers.

References

Ariès, P. (1962), Centuries of Childhood, London: Jonathan Cape.Google Scholar
Axford, N. (2009), ‘Child well-being through different lenses: Why concept matters’, Child & Family Social Work, 14, 372–383.10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00611.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Birnbaum, S., Ferrarini, T., Nelson, K. and Palme, J. (2017), The Generational Welfare Contract: Justice, Institutions and Outcomes, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.Google Scholar
Blum, S., Koslowski, A., and Moss, P. (eds) (2017), 13th International Review of Leave Policies and Related Research 2017, London: International Network on Leave Policies and Research.Google Scholar
Brandth, B. and Gíslason, I.V. (2011), ‘Family policies and the best interests of the child’, in Eydal, G.B., and Gíslason, I.V. (eds), Parental Leave, Childcare and Gender Equality in the Nordic Countries, Copenhagen: Norden, pp. 109–145.Google Scholar
Brannen, J. (1999), ‘Reconsidering children and childhood: Sociological and policy perspectives’, in Silva, E.B., and Smart, C. (eds) The New Family?, London: Sage, pp. 143–158.Google Scholar
Collins, T.M. (2017), ‘A child’s right to participate: Implications for international child protection, 21: 1, 14–46.Google Scholar
Council of the European Union (2015), EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, Brussels: Council.Google Scholar
Daly, M. (2010), ‘Families versus state and market’, in Castles, F., Leibfried, S., Lewis, J., Obinger, H., and Pierson, C. (eds) The Oxford Handbook of the Welfare State, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 139–151.Google Scholar
Daly, M. (2018), ‘Generations, age and life course: Towards an integral social policy framework of analysis’, Contemporary Social Science. DOI: 10.1080/21582041.2018.1455107CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daly, M. and Ferragina, E. (2018), ‘Family policy in high-income countries: Five decades of development’, Journal of European Social Policy, 28: 3, 255–270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daniel, P. and Ivatts, J. (1998), Children and Social Policy, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Esping-Andersen, G. (2002), Why We Need a New Welfare State, Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Esser, F., Baader, M.S., Betz, T., and Hungerland, B. (eds) (2016), Reconceptualising Agency and Childhood, London: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eurofound (2015), Families in the Economic Crisis: Changes in Policy Measures in the EU, Dublin: Eurofound.Google Scholar
European Commission (2011), An EU Action Plan on the Rights of the Child, COM(2011) 60 final, Brussels: European Commission.Google Scholar
European Commission (2013a), Commission Recommendation Investing in Children: Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage, Brussels: European Commission COM (2013) 778 final.Google Scholar
European Commission (2013b), Barcelona Objectives The Development of Childcare Facilities for Young Children in Europe with a View to Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, Brussels: European Commission.Google Scholar
European Commission (2015), Evaluation of Legislation, Policy and Practice on Child Participation in the European Union (EU), Final Report, Brussels: European Commission.Google Scholar
European Commission (2017), Taking Stock of the 2013 Recommendation on ‘Investing in Children: Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage’, Commission Staff Working Document, SWD(2017) 258 final. Brussels.Google Scholar
European Parliament, Council and Commission (2007), Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2007/C 303/01). Official Journal of the European Union, 14.12. 2007.Google Scholar
Eydal, G. and Rostgaard, T. (2011), ‘Day-care schemes and cash-for-care at home’, in Eydal, G. B. and Gíslason, I. V. (eds), Parental Leave, Childcare and Gender Equality in the Nordic Countries, Copenhagen: Norden, pp. 65–107.Google Scholar
Ferrarini, T., Nelson, K. and Höög, H. (2012), The Fiscalization of Child Benefits in OECD Countries’, GINI Discussion Paper, No. 49. Amsterdam: AIOS (Institute for Advanced Labour Studies).Google Scholar
Frazer, H. and Marlier, E. (2017), Progress across Europe in the Implementation of the 2013 EU Recommendation on ‘Investing in Children: Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage’, Brussels: European Commission.Google Scholar
Gauthier, A.H. (1996), The State and the Family: A Comparative Analysis of Family Policies in Industrialized Countries, Oxford: Clarendon.Google Scholar
Heimer, M. and Palme, J. (2016), ‘Rethinking child policy post UN-convention on the Rights of the Child: Vulnerable children’s welfare in Sweden’, Journal of Social Policy, 45: 3, 435–452.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hemerijck, A. (2015), ‘The quiet paradigm revolution of social investment’, Social Politics, 22: 1, 242–256.10.1093/sp/jxv009CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kamerman, S. and Kahn, A.J. (eds) (1978), Family Policy: Government and Families in Fourteen Countries, New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
James, A. (2011), ‘To be (come) or not to be (come): Understanding children’s citizenship’, Annals, AAPSS, 633, 167–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lansdown, G. (2005), The Evolving Capacities of the Child, Innocenti Insight, Florence: UNICEF.Google Scholar
Lansdown, G. (2011), A Framework for Monitoring and Evaluating Children’s Participation A Preparatory Draft for Piloting, London: Save the Children.Google Scholar
Leisering, L. and Leibfried, S. (1999), Time and Poverty in Western Welfare States: United Germany in Perspective, Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lewis, J. (ed) (2006), Children, Changing Families and Welfare States, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lister, R. (2003), ‘Investing in the citizen-workers of the future: Transformations in citizenship and the state under New Labour’, Social Policy & Administration, 37: 5, 427–443.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lister, R. (2007), ‘Why citizenship: Where, when and how children?’, Theoretical Enquiries in Law, 8: 2, 693–718.Google Scholar
Lohmann, H. and Zagel, H. (2016), ‘Family policy in comparative perspective: The concepts and measurement of familization and defamilization’, Journal of European Social Policy, 26: 1, 48–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lundy, L., Kilkelly, U., Byrne, B. and Kang, J. (2013), The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: A Study of Legal Implementation in 12 Countries, UK: UNICEF.Google Scholar
Mayall, B. (2000), ‘The sociology of childhood in relation to children’s rights’, The International Journal of Children’s Rights, 8, 243–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mätzke, M. and Ostner, I. (2010), ‘Introduction: Change and continuity in recent family policies’, Journal of European Social Policy, 20: 5, 387–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Millar, J. and Warman, A. (1996), Family Obligations in Europe, London: Family Policy Studies Centre.Google Scholar
Morel, N., Palme, J., and Palier, B. (eds) (2012), Towards a Social Investment Welfare State? Ideas, Policies and Challenges, Bristol: Policy Press.Google Scholar
Moss, P. (2006), ‘From a childcare to a pedagogical discourse’, in Lewis, J. (ed) Children, Changing Families and Welfare States, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 154–172.Google Scholar
Percy-Smith, B. and Thomas, N. (eds) (2009), A Handbook of Children and Young People’s Participation: Perspectives from theory and practice. London: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qvortrup, J. (1994), ‘Childhood matters: An introduction’, in Qvortrup, J., Bardy, M., Sigritta, G., and Wintersburger, H. (eds), Childhood Matters, Social Theory, Practice and Politics, Aldershot: Avebury, pp. 1–23.Google Scholar
Rehfeld, A. (2011), ‘The child as democratic citizen’, Annals, AAPSS, 633, 141–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ridge, T. (2002), Childhood Poverty and Social Exclusion: From a Child’s Perspective, Bristol: Policy Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scheiwe, K. and Willekens, H. (eds) (2009), Child Care and Preschool Development in Europe, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Skevik, A. (2003), ‘Children of the welfare state: Individuals with entitlements, or hidden in the family?’, Journal of Social Policy, 32: 3, 423–440.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strandell, H. (2010), ‘From structure-action to politics of childhood Sociological childhood research in Finland’, Current Sociology, 58: 2, 165–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Therborn, G. (1993), ‘The politics of childhood: The rights of children in modern times’, in Castles, F.G. (ed) Families of Nations: Patterns of Public Policy in Western Democracies, Aldershot: Dartmouth, pp. 241–291.Google Scholar
Therborn, G. (1996), ‘Child politics: Dimensions and perspectives’, Childhood, 3: 1, 29–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tisdall, E. K. M. (2015), ‘Children’s rights and children’s wellbeing: Equivalent policy concepts?’, Journal of Social Policy, 44: 4, 807–823.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tisdall, E. K. M. and Punch, S. (2012), ‘Not so ‘new’? Looking critically at childhood studies’, Children’s Geographies, 10: 3, 249–264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waldock, T. (2016), ‘Theorising children’s rights and child welfare paradigms’, International Journal of Children’s Rights, 24, 304–329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wennemo, I. (1994), Sharing the Costs of Children Studies on the Development of Family Support in the OECD, Stockholm: Swedish Institute for Social Research.Google Scholar
Wyness, M. (2006), Childhood and Society An Introduction to the Sociology of Childhood, Basingstoke: Palgrave.Google Scholar
Wyness, M. (2014), ‘Child, family and the state: Revisiting public and private realms’, Sociology, 48: 1, 59–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar