We construct a composite performance indicator to assess the relative performance of welfare policies in the EU countries. We show that the variability of performances cannot be explained only by the amount of resources devoted to social policies, but also by the composition of social expenditure: countries with higher shares of redistributive public expenditure obtain better results in the social sector. This result confirms the association between the type of welfare system, according to the traditional four-way classification, and the performance level. However, considering a more complete set of indicators of the structure of the welfare systems, we find that European countries cannot be grouped according to the traditional classification. Considering expenditure-side indicators and financing-side indicators together, three groups form: one comprising the UK and Iceland, one the Nordic countries and the Netherlands, one the continental (and southern) countries and Ireland.

Clustering European Welfare Systems through a Performance Index / Antonelli, MARIA ALESSANDRA; DE BONIS, Valeria. - ELETTRONICO. - 18(2016), pp. 1-43. - PUBLIC FINANCE RESEARCH PAPERS.

Clustering European Welfare Systems through a Performance Index

ANTONELLI, MARIA ALESSANDRA;DE BONIS, Valeria
2016

Abstract

We construct a composite performance indicator to assess the relative performance of welfare policies in the EU countries. We show that the variability of performances cannot be explained only by the amount of resources devoted to social policies, but also by the composition of social expenditure: countries with higher shares of redistributive public expenditure obtain better results in the social sector. This result confirms the association between the type of welfare system, according to the traditional four-way classification, and the performance level. However, considering a more complete set of indicators of the structure of the welfare systems, we find that European countries cannot be grouped according to the traditional classification. Considering expenditure-side indicators and financing-side indicators together, three groups form: one comprising the UK and Iceland, one the Nordic countries and the Netherlands, one the continental (and southern) countries and Ireland.
2016
Public Finance Research Papers
Welfare systems; European integration; cluster analysis
02 Pubblicazione su volume::02a Capitolo o Articolo
Clustering European Welfare Systems through a Performance Index / Antonelli, MARIA ALESSANDRA; DE BONIS, Valeria. - ELETTRONICO. - 18(2016), pp. 1-43. - PUBLIC FINANCE RESEARCH PAPERS.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/848825
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