Child Care: Toward What Kind of "Social Europe"?

Abstract

Child care is central to contemporary welfare state redesign. The emergence of the dual-earner family challenges states to take on new responsibilities as families can no longer provide full-time care, nor can they afford to rely exclusively on markets. There are, however, different ways of addressing the care deficit, and each holds different implications for equality. This article examines the three dominant alternatives being pursued in Western European countries, arguing that each establishes a different “horizon of legitimate expectations.” Welfare state redesign no longer takes place exclusively within national boundaries, however. The struggle to build a “social Europe” is engaging member states in reflexive practices, opening them to new and different ideas. The article thus concludes by examining which, if any, of the competing models of care provision has come to define “best practice” for Europe and what this tells us about the emergent contours of social Europe.