Approaches to inequality in eu social policy

The article examines existing approaches to inequality in social policy at the present stage of development of the European social model. The study focuses on the differences between vertical and horizontal, or group, inequality, inequality of opportunities and outcomes, compensation policy and social investment, as well as the representation of different groups as objects of policy. Approaches to understanding inequality are considered using the example of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) and the European Social Fund Plus. It is concluded that at the present stage, European social policy pays a lot of attention to group inequality, the problem of inclusion of various vulnerable groups and countering social exclusion. By combating horizontal inequality, the European Union is trying to solve a number of problems, including unemployment, poverty, professional and economic stratification and disappointment in European integration. The focus on horizontal inequality leads to an increasing construction of vulnerable groups within the framework of social policy, and therefore to differences in their representation in the social and research programs of the European Union, and the focus on inclusion in the labor market raises the issue of ignoring groups that are unable to contribute to building of Social Europe.

social inequality, social policy, welfare state, european Union, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, European Social Fund Plus, risks