The Social Situation Monitor (SSM) team welcomes your abstract for a presentation at a seminar that will take place in Brussels, on 13, 14, 15 or 16 January 2020, subject to speakers’ availability

© Pixabay

Focus of the seminar: (Perceptions of) fairness and solidarity in the European social market economy

Social statistics indicate that Europeans live longer, healthier and more prosperous lives today than ever before. International comparisons also show a high level of individual and social protection. For many around the world, Europe remains a beacon of economic and social development.

Yet, large-scale surveys and qualitative studies do not always corroborate these assertions. Not everyone has experienced similar improvements. Income and wealth inequalities are rising in some parts of Europe. Some fear that they will enjoy fewer opportunities than their parents. Case in point, recent Eurostat data show that 39% of Europeans believe that they are not treated fairly and 42% do not agree that they have equal opportunities in life.

The aim of our next seminar will be to explore this discrepancy. More specifically, we are looking for the following types of presentations:

• Presentations identifying the groups most likely to feel ‘left out’;
• Presentations exploring the difference between objective and subjective measures of life satisfaction, well-being and social mobility;
• Presentations identifying the drivers of (perceived) inequalities including, but not limited to digitalisation and the changing world of work, transition to the carbon neutral economy.
• Presentations identifying/evaluating policies perceived to create a level playing field.   

We welcome presentations based on EU/OECD data, or based on methodologies that could be scaled up at EU/OECD level. The methods and data used should be shortly presented in the abstracts.

How to submit an abstract

Please submit your abstract (2000 characters maximum) and biography (1200 characters maximum) electronically by 25 November 2019, using this link.  

Abstracts will be reviewed by the SSM team, which includes representatives from the European Commission, LSE Enterprise and ICF Consulting. Abstracts will be assessed based on their quality and relevance to the work of the SSM team.

Invited speakers will be given 20 minutes to present and 20 minutes to respond to questions from the audience. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered.

The SSM seminar series

SSM seminars are research seminars. Their aim is to provide a forum to discuss the theoretical, methodological and policy implications of the latest economic and social research. More specifically, SSM seminars aim to inform:

• The economic and social analysis of the European Commission in general, and the Commission’s Employment and Social Developments in Europe review in particular.
• The economic and social analysis of the European Commission’s stakeholders.
• The economic and social policies of the European Commission and its stakeholders.

SSM seminars are primarily intended for:

• Economists and analysts working in policy-making organisations;
• Academic researchers;
• Policy officers with an interest in economic and social analysis.

More information on previous SSM seminars can be found on this webpage.

Contact

Please contact us for more information about this seminar.