Working Poverty in Europe: A Comparative Approach

359 Pages·2011·2.345 MB·English

by  Neil Fraser, Rodolfo Gutiérrez, Ramón Peña-Casas (eds.)

Working Poverty in Europe
Work and Welfare in Europe
Series Editors: Denis Bouget, University of Nantes, France, Jochen Clasen,
University of Edinburgh, UK, Ana M. Guillén, University of Oviedo, Spain,
Jane Lewis, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK and Bruno
Palier, Sciences-po Paris, France
Titles include:
Sigrid Betzelt and Silke Bothfeld
ACTIVATION AND LABOUR MARKET REFORMS IN EUROPE
Challenges to Social Citizenship
Sonja Drobni(cid:254) and Ana M. Guillén
WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN EUROPE
The Role of Job Quality
Colette Fagan, Maria Gonzalez Menendez and Silvia Gomez Anson
WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT
European Employment Policy
Neil Fraser, Rodolfo Gutiérrez and Ramón Peña-Casas
WORKING POVERTY IN EUROPE
A Comparative Approach
Patricia Frericks and Robert Maier
THE LIFE COURSE AND THE ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF THE WELFARE
STATE
Paolo Graziano, Sophie Jacquot and Bruno Palier
THE EU AND THE DOMESTIC POLITICS OF WELFARE STATE REFORMS
Europa, Europae
Karl Hinrichs and Matteo Jessoula
LABOUR MARKET FLEXIBILITY AND PENSION REFORMS
Flexible Today, Secure Tomorrow?
Trudie Knijn
WORK, FAMILY AND TRANSITIONS TO ADULTHOOD IN EUROPE
Birgit Pfau-Effinger and Tine Rostgaard
CARE, WORK AND WELFARE IN EUROPE
Rik van Berkel, Willibrord de Graaf and Tomáš Sirovátka
THE GOVERNANCE OF ACTIVE WELFARE STATES IN EUROPE
Work and Welfare in Europe
Series Standing Order ISBN 978–0–230–28026–7
(outside North America only)
You can receive future titles in this series as they are published by placing a standing order.
Please contact your bookseller or, in case of diffi culty, write to us at the address below with
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Customer Services Department, Macmillan Distribution Ltd, Houndmills, Basingstoke,
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Working Poverty
in Europe
A Comparative Approach
Edited by
Neil Fraser
University of Edinburgh, UK
Rodolfo Gutiérrez
University of Oviedo, Spain
and
Ramón Peña-Casas
European Social Observatory, Belgium
Selection and editorial matter © Neil Fraser, Rodolfo Gutiérrez &
Ramón Peña-Casas 2011
Individual chapters © their respective authors 2011
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2011 978-0-230-29010-5
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
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First published 2011 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
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ISBN 978-1-349-33128-4 ISBN 978-0-230-30759-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230307599
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
Contents
List of Tables vii
List of Figures xi
List of Boxes xiii
Notes on Contributors xiv
Acknowledgements xvii
RECWOWE Book Series: Work and Welfare in Europe xviii
Funding xx
1 Introduction 1
Neil Fraser, Rodolfo Gutiérrez and Ramón Peña-Casas
Part I Comparative Chapters
2 A Comparative Analysis of In-Work Poverty in the
European Union 15
Alexander Goerne
3 Worlds of Working Poverty: National Variations
in Mechanisms 46
Eric Crettaz and Giuliano Bonoli
Part II Country Chapters
4 United Kingdom: Tackling Poverty in a Flexible Labour Market 73
Neil Fraser
5 France: In-Work Poor or Poor due to Lack of Work? 93
Guillaume Allègre
6 Sweden: The Impact of Policy and Labour Market
Transformation 112
Daniel Larsson and Björn Halleröd
7 Spain: Persisting Inequalities in a Growing Employment
Context 133
Isabel García-Espejo and Rodolfo Gutiérrez
v
vi Contents
8 Poland: When Dual Earnership Is not Enough 155
Anna Safuta
Part III Cross-Cutting Themes
9 Mobility and Persistence of In-Work Poverty 175
Rodolfo Gutiérrez, Marta Ibáñez and Aroa Tejero
10 Towards Individualizing Gender In-Work Poverty Risks 202
Ramón Peña-Casas and Dalila Ghailani
11 F rom Wage Inequalities to Living Standard Inequalities
at Household Level 232
Guillaume Allègre
12 In-Work Poverty among Immigrants 250
Berta Álvarez-Miranda
13 M aking Work Pay for Whom? Tax and Benefits Impacts
on In-Work Poverty 278
Guillaume Allègre and Karen Jaehrling
14 Conclusions 304
Neil Fraser, Rodolfo Gutiérrez and Ramón Peña-Casas
Bibliography 317
Index 337
Tables
2.1 In-w ork- poverty and low wages in 23 EU countries 22
2.2 O dds ratios for in work poverty 27
2.1a In-w ork- poverty and related concepts in 23 EU countries 34
2.2a In-w ork- poverty risks for five countries: Break down by
individual level variables 35
2.3a In-w ork- poverty risks for five countries: Break down by
household level variables 35
2.4a I n- work- poverty risks for five countries: Break down by
employment variables 37
2.5a Working poor characteristics for five countries: Break
down by individual level variables 39
2.6a Working poor characteristics for five countries: Break
down by household level variables 40
2.7a Working poor characteristics for five countries: Break
down by employment level variables 42
3.1 Working poor rate and poverty rate, in 2000, in the US,
Spain, Germany, and Sweden 54
3.2 Employment and unemployment rates and low- wage
incidence in 2000 in the US, Spain, Germany and
Sweden 54
3.3 Odds of being a poor worker in the US, Sweden,
Germany and Spain 60
4.1 Employment and in-w ork poverty by activity status 79
4.2 E mployment and in-w ork poverty by occupational
categories in UK 79
4.3 P ercentage of working age adults in households with
less than 60% of median household income before
housing costs 80
4.4 Risk of being in poor household 81
4.5 Children in working families by family work status 85
4.6 Working age adults in poverty households by family
work status 85
4.7 T arget groups and their employment changes 86
4.8 Weekly Minimum Income Guarantees, from
April 2007 88
vii
viii List of Tables
4.9 Equivalent poverty lines 88
4.10 Effects of tax credits on in-w ork poverty among children 89
5.1 Incidence, importance and composition of in-w ork
poverty according to the definition used 94
5.2 Composition of the working age population by most
frequent activity status 95
5.3 Risk of in-w ork poverty by household composition and
odds ratio 96
5.4 Risk of in-w ork poverty by employment variables and
odds ratio 97
5.5 Relative level of minimum wage and proportion of
employees at minimum wage 99
5.6 Unemployment, employment and activity rate for
various groups 101
5.7 Employment rates by gender, working age 105
5.8 Employment rates of women by household composition,
working age 105
6.1 Poverty rate and distribution of the poor among
currently employed 122
6.2 Poverty rates (<60% of median) divided by labour market
position among prime aged 123
6.3 In-w ork poverty risks 127
7.1 Logistic regression for in-w ork poverty in Spain, 2007 138
7.2 Wage income and social transfer per month for
households with at least one working age person in
Spain, 2007 151
9.1 In-w ork poverty risk rate in the European Union,
1997–2008 177
9.2 P ersistent poverty rate in the EU, 1997–2008 181
9.3 I ncome level at origin and destination of in-w ork
poverty entries in five European countries, 2004–2007 192
9.4 Income level at origin and destination of in-w ork
poverty exits in five European countries, 2004–2007 193
9.5 D escription of variables included in regression analysis 196
9.6 R egression analysis of entries into working poverty, 2004–2007 197
10.1 Gender dimension of household level indicators of
poverty 203
10.2 Gender dimension of household level indicators of
in- work poverty 204
10.3 R atios of individual on household levels poverty rates 210
List of Tables ix
10.4 Ratios of individual on household levels in-w ork poverty
rates 211
10.5 Poverty at individual level by country and gender 211
10.6 In-w ork poverty at individual level by country and
gender 211
10.7 Incidence of individual in-w ork poverty by individual
characteristics and gender 214
10.8 I ncidence of individual in-w ork poverty by employment
characteristics and gender 217
10.9 Incidence of individual in-w ork poverty by household
related characteristics and gender 220
10.10 Odds ratios for individual in- work poverty risks – all
sample and countries 224
10.11 Odds ratios for individual in- work poverty
risks – women and men’s samples 227
11.1 From individual wage income to standard of
living – Germany 236
11.2 From individual wage income to standard of
living – Spain 237
11.3 From individual wage income to standard of
living – France 238
11.4 From individual wage income to standard of
living – Poland 239
11.5 F rom individual wage income to standard of
living – Sweden 240
11.6 From individual wage income to standard of
living – United Kingdom 241
11.7 Gini coefficients 245
11.8 Percentage of population below 60% of median and
in-work poverty risk 248
12.1 Percentage of non EU immigrants in the total population,
poverty risk by country of origin, and poverty risk among
workers by country of origin 254
12.2 Risks of poverty among employees and self employed
(plus family workers) by country of birth 256
12.3 Logistic regression for risk of poverty among employees
of non EU origin 270
12.1a S ocio demographic characteristics by origin 273
12.2a Household characteristics by origin 273
12.3a Labour characteristics by origin 274