Reforms in Long-Term Care Policies in Europe: An Introduction

Long-term care (LTC) is one of the most rapidly developing policy areas in Europe, where significant institutional change and innovation have taken place over the last two decades throughout the continent. In contrast to mainstream policy fields (e.g., pensions, labor market policies, and health care), where attempts to reduce public intervention has been the most common trend (Castles, The Future of the Welfare State: Crisis Myths and Crisis Realities, 2004, Policy and Politics, 33(3), 411–430, 2005; Korpi and Palme, American Political Science Review, 97(3), 425–446, 2003; Pierson, The New Politics of the Welfare State, 2001), LTC has seen a broader scope of transformations, ranging from retrenchment and cost containment to a growth in public financing and an expansion of coverage. In many European countries, LTC policies over the last two decades have been characterized by a recognition of social rights on the one hand and yet increasing social responsibilities on the other (Morel, The Politics of Post-Industrial Welfare States, 2006). This book is aimed at describing these general trends, identifying the factors, which explain these broad developments, highlighting both the main differences between European countries and outlining the main consequences of the various policy developments that have taken place