CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2015
| Author | Epresi, Judit |
|---|---|
| Title | A shift towards social investment? Recent childcare policy changes in Germany and Hungary and their interrelation with the European Union's discourse |
| Summary | The study set out to investigate whether the European Union-promoted emerging policy paradigm called the social investment approach is incorporated into European welfare states in particular ways. This thesis examines recent childcare policy changes in Germany and Hungary between 2008 and 2014 as childcare policies are in the heart of this policy paradigm. The study investigates if there is a shift in Germany and Hungary towards individualization reflective of one dimension of the social investment paradigm, guided by Mary Daly’s analytical framework. Furthermore, the piece investigates the potential role of the European Union as an external factor on national childcare policies and the effects of the economic crisis 2008-2010 as a possible explanation for the timing of German and Hungarian childcare policy reforms. Qualitative content analysis is carried out on German, Hungarian and EU policy documents and legislation. As the findings suggest, both countries put in place policies that activate women instead of keeping them at home, through different instruments historically. However, the shift towards individualization in Germany and Hungary is to different extents. Moreover, Germany seems to be on track in terms of implementing policy instruments and requirements of the EU, while Hungary’s policies are less streamlined when compared to EU recommended policy instruments. Lastly, the financial crisis has not served as a driver for the reforms except for the parental leave policies that aim to increase labor market participation. |
| Supervisor | Kovacs, Borbala |
| Department | Political Science MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2015/epresi_judit.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University