Ways forward in welfare – keynote lecture in Poland

Peter Taylor-Gooby gave the keynote lecture at the inaugural meeting of the Polish Social Policy Association/ ESPAnet Poland at the University of Poznan on 3 October, on the topic of Ways Forward in Welfare. He argued that European welfare states face many challenges, from population ageing, the determination of governments to eliminate deficits, a collapse in the care workforce and also from misplaced public concerns about immigration and about welfare dependency. It is essential that new policy directions must build social solidarity, so that people are willing to support welfare spending in the future. This requires less emphasis on activation and on targeting and more on social investment and on public services.