Social situation in Member States of the European Union: the relevance of quantitative indicators in social policy analysis

Progress towards European integration and the extension of the Commission's competence in social affairs have encouraged the proliferation of studies designed to produce information at European level and to enable comparative work to be undertaken between Member States. Researchers now have available a large amount of quantitative data in the form of harmonised statistics, Community surveys and social indicators, as well as the findings from comparative surveys in the various areas of social policy. However, in many cases the information available does not satisfy the demand. Not only is data missing on some topics but there is often a gap between the supply of information and the needs of end-users. The report provides recommendations about ways in which information can be developed and applied, and proposes a series of tracks for future work to improve international comparisons in the areas of social policy.
ISBN: 92-828-4112-X