Provides an overview of research activities and publications in 2015 and 2016.

The European welfare state is generally considered to be one of the finest achievements of the post-1945 world. Set up to eradicate poverty by providing a minimum standard of living and social safety net, the welfare state has come under increasing strain from ageing societies, growing unemployment, a deskilling society, and mass migration (both from inside and outside of Europe). With contributions from some of Europe’s leading experts on this subject, and edited by Bernd Marin, this path-breaking volume highlights the internal and external pressures on the welfare state and asks whether any European welfare model is sustainable in the long term. This book will be of interest to all students, academics and professions working in the field of European social policy.

The Policy brief aims to provide an overview of housing deficiencies in EU Member States and to examine the extent to which they are linked to low income. Housing is a key aspect of poverty and social exclusion.The quality of housing has an impact on, for instance, social relations and access to employment. Poor housing quality is also a major element of deprivation and when coupled with income poverty, it reinforces social disadvantage. Besides presenting empirical results, the Policy Brief also highlights potential problems with the indicator on shortage of space in the dwelling, concerning measurement, cultural factors and aspects of adaptation as well as environmental concerns.

The present Policy brief looks at the portability of pensions and health insurance for pensioners in the migration corridors Austria/Germany vs. Turkey and focuses on the situation in Austria and Germany. The bilateral social security agreement between Germany and Turkey was already concluded in 1964, between Austria and Turkey in 1966. They represent typical recruitment agreements with a broad objective area of application incl. health insurance.

The Active Ageing Index (AAI) has been developed for the EU countries during 2012, the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. This Policy Brief summarises the results of the latest 2014 AAI for the 28 EU countries. The in-depth analysis of the constituent parts of the AAI (its 22 indicators in four domains) helps to explore what forms of active ageing potentials of older people have yet to be realised in different countries. With results now available for three data points, the AAI has started to facilitate the benchmarking of country performances, to encourage countries to look at policies and programmes that other countries have adopted and learn from those experiences.