Table of Contents

Introduction - who and what is the European Union for?, W. Beck , et al.; Part 1 the social quality of Europe: assessing the concept; on the politics and policy of social quality, G. Therborn; a juridical approach to the European model of social quality, A. Ojeda-Aviles; identification of the "Problematique", D. Bouget; gender relations and daily life - towards a cross-cultural approach, M. Calloni; welfare state theory and social quality, K. van Kersbergen; the empirical and policy relevance of social quality, D. Bouget; definitional, conceptual and operational issues, D. Phillips, Y. Berman; reflections on the social quality initiative, W. Beck , et al. Part 2 Tendencies in Europe: developing the concept; urban transformations, the French debate and social quality, J. Berting, Ch. Villain-Gandossi; social market, social quality, and the quality of social institutions, O. de Leonardis; welfare dynamics, the third sector and social quality, A. Evers; social quality from basic security - a redistrebutive strategy, G. Standing; coping with drastic social change - Europe and the US in comparison, G. Vobruba; democratic modernity and social quality, S. Andersen, K. Eliassen; processes challenging the concept of social quality. W. Beck, et al. Part 3 Creating a new perspective; theorizing social quality - the concept's validity, W. Beck, et al.; the concept's empirical and political applicability, W. Beck, et al.