This report explores the extent to which there has been an increase in unmet needs due to affordability and unavailability of services before and during the recent financial and economic crisis and identifies vulnerable social groups.

The research note presented here provides an overview of existing research into the effects of caring on the employment and health of carers, and into the benefits already available to carers in Europe. These include care services, cash benefits and leave for carers.

Building on ample research in 13 European countries, evidence is provided for how the construction of long-term care systems can be taken forward by practitioners, policy-makers and stakeholder organizations.

“With his Welfare in an Idle Society? Bernd Marin has set a ‘gold standard’. Congratulations! Nobody who will give new thoughts to re-designing Social Security can go past this encyclopaedic opus.” (Bert Rürup)

This Policy Brief reports on an exploration of German care home providers’ experiences to move (or not to move) their activities to Austria in the context of EU regulations.