This book addresses a topic that is currently high on the agenda in many fora: how to specify and secure a social minimum. The term 'social minimum' has different meanings, depending on the context. These contexts are examined in this book from different perspectives, including law, sociology, philosophy, politics and economics. In the first part, the social minimum is discussed from a conceptual and theoretical point of view. The second part shows the various ways in which the social minimum can be specified and measured. There is a need for new indicators that take into account, for instance, aspects of adequate social participation. As this part shows, the choice of indicators is closely intertwined with political choices. The third part approaches the social minimum from the perspective of legal obligations, addressing the nature of different obligations imposed on individuals and states. The fourth part deals with the question of social minimum in the context of courts, adjudication and justiciability. The role of international treaties and national constitutions – the interpretation of the rights they enshrine and the way these are dealt with by expert committees and courts – is discussed with a view to understanding how the guarantee of a social minimum can be promoted within individual countries. Besides being of interest for academics in fields ranging from legal theory and human rights to the social sciences, the book also serves as an important source for students as well as practitioners interested in the social minimum, and anyone who wants to gain an insight into the current debates on this extremely important issue.

Highlighting the diversity and complexity of the global Basic Income debate, Malcolm Torry assesses the history, current state, and future of research in this important field. Each chapter offers a concise history of a particular subfield of Basic Income research, describes the current state of research in that area, and makes proposals for the research required if the increasingly widespread global debate on Basic Income is to be constructive.

This book proposes a new way of thinking about the controversial and complex challenges associated with the regulation of high-cost credit, specifically payday lending. These products have received significant attention in both the media and political arena. The inadequacy of regulatory interventions has created ongoing problems with the provision of high-cost credit, particularly for consumers with lesser bargaining power and who are already financially vulnerable. The book tackles two specific gaps in the existing literature. The first involves inadequate analysis of the relevant philosophical concepts around high-cost credit, which can result in an over-simplification of what are particularly complex issues. The second is a lack of engagement in both the market and lived experience of borrowers, resulting in limited understanding of those who use these financial products. The Future of High-Cost Credit explores the theoretical grounding, policy initiatives and interdisciplinary perspectives associated with high-cost credit, making a novel and insightful contribution to the existing literature. The problems with debt extend far beyond the legal sphere, and the book will therefore be of interest to many other academic disciplines, as well as for those working in public policy and 'the third sector'.

This is the first study of anti-discrimination law as it applies to housing law in Europe. It offers an important perspective in a field dominated by employment law studies, while drawing on concepts significant in that field as well. Legislative discussion looks at EU law, the European Convention on Human Rights, the European Social Charter and related case law. The book goes further to examine United Nations human rights instruments and related practice of UN committees. This unique focus allows for a fuller understanding of anti-discrimination law's implications, potential, and challenges.

The global Basic Income debate is now widespread, diverse, and relatively well resourced by academic and more popular literature: but that does not mean that there is universal agreement about every topic of discussion. In fact, there is still a quite heated debate about some of the most basic questions, such as ‘What is a Basic Income?’ ‘What’s the point?’, and ‘Is it feasible?’ This book is not yet another general introduction to Basic Income. There are already plenty of those. It is entirely about those aspects of the debate about which there is most discussion and sometimes the most conflict. It is based on conference papers, previously published chapters, and other previously published articles, working papers, and reports: material that has already benefited from consultation and debate, as is appropriate for a book about aspects of a debate that are the subject of frequent consultation and discussion.

This comprehensive second edition Research Handbook discusses a wide range of timely questions and dilemmas ensuing from the present state of European social security law. Presenting a kaleidoscopic concept of social security, a new generation of leading experts identifies future lines of inquiry that are likely to dominate the discourse in the coming years.

Although a sophisticated body of international social security law is active and growing, a number of States still appear unable to honour it. This thorough, well-researched survey and analysis of existing international social security law – its sources, its content, its historical development – is thus especially valuable for its informed consideration of the barriers to the law’s full effectiveness. Part of the renowned multi-volume Encyclopaedia of Laws, the book focuses on the analysis of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions and Recommendations on Social Security. It examines the most recent public debates on social protection (dealing with health insurance, unemployment benefits, pension age, minimum income, social security benefits in case of expatriation, parental leave, and much more), includes an updated bibliography, and opens some perspectives for the future work of the global institutions. It integrates the latest instruments, in particular ILO Recommendation No. 202 concerning national floors of social protection. Even in the absence of ratification and therefore of legal force, international social security standards are invaluable benchmarks in comparative law. Indeed, ILO standards are both useful instruments of analysis and excellent yardsticks for identifying common denominators among national systems. For these reasons this book will be welcomed by legislators, government officials, employers’ organizations, trade unions, and the judiciary, as well as by human resources managers and academics.