The Changing Disability Policy System ― Active Citizenship and Disability in Europe

Being an ‘active citizen’ involves exercising social rights and duties, enjoying choice and autonomy, and participating in political decision-making processes which are of importance for one’s life. Amid the new challenges facing contemporary welfare states, debate over just how ‘active’ citizens can and ought to be has redoubled. Presenting research from the first major comparative and cross-national study of active citizenship and disability in Europe, this book analyses the consequences of ongoing changes in Europe – what opportunities do persons with disabilities have to exercise Active Citizenship?

Active Citizenship and Disability in Europe Volume 1: Policies, Practices and Potential approaches the conditions for Active Citizenship from a macro perspective in order to capture the impact of the overall disability policy system. This system takes diverse and changing forms in the nine European countries under study. Central to the analysis are issues of coherence and coordination between three subsystems of the disability policy system, and between levels of governance.

This book identifies the implications and policy lessons of the findings for future disability policy in Europe and beyond. It will appeal to policymakers and policy officials, as well as to researchers and students of disability studies, comparative social policy, international disability law and qualitative research methods.

Jerome Bickenbach is Permanent Visiting Professor at the Department of Health Sciences and Health Policy, University of Lucerne, Switzerland, Professor Emeritus at Queen’s University, Canada and Head of the Disability Policy Unit at Swiss Paraplegic Research (SPF), Nottwil, Switzerland. His research focuses on disability epidemiology, definition and conceptual analysis, as well as issues in disability policy and law.

Delia Ferri is a Lecturer in Law at Maynooth University and member of the Maynooth Centre for European and Eurasian Studies, Ireland. She is also affiliated researcher at the Dirpolis Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Italy. Her research interests include EU Law, European Constitutional Law and International and Comparative Disability Law.

Rune Halvorsen is Associate Professor in Social Policy in the Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway. His research focuses on comparative social policy, disability policy, social movements, social citizenship and recognition politics.

Bjorn Hvinden is Professor in Sociology and Head of Research at Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), an institution at Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway. His main research interests are comparative and European social policies, social citizenship, climate change and welfare, disability, poverty and youth job insecurity.

Ana Marta Guillen Rodriguez is full Professor of Sociology and Head of Department at the University of Oviedo, Spain. Her research interests include comparative social and labour policy, Europeanization and European integration.