A study undertaken for DG EMPL by CEPS, in collaboration with LSE (Iain Begg), DIW, Fondazione Rodolfo Debenedetti (fRDB) (Tito Boeri), The Leverhulme Centre for Research on Globalisation and Economic Policy, Nottingham University, TÁRKI Social Research Institute Inc. and János Gács, George Pagoulatos and Panos Tsakloglou.
This study is to trace the possible channels through which globalisation impacts on the social situation in the Member States of the EU. Employment obviously is prominent among such channels. Yet, while drawing on the work of the Commission and others on the impact of globalisation on employment [E.g. chapter 5 in the 2004 Employment in Europe Report] this study should focus specifically on the Social impact. Thus, it is to seek to separate the social impact from the employment impact, while treating the interaction between the two where necessary. The study should furthermore explore the degree to which the social effects of globalisation can be disentangled from those that result from increasing economic interdependence on a lesser geographical scale, such as European economic integration and integration of regions. On the basis of its depiction of patterns of social impact (i.e. identification of risks and opportunities) across the Union, the study should analyse how outcomes relate to capacities and shortcomings of policy and governance structures and discuss which adaptations would be needed to better absorb the negative and exploit the positive social effects.