France

The 2020 Monitor assesses the state of social Europe in terms of equality of opportunities, fair working conditions, social protection, inclusion and civic space. It does so on the basis of observations of National Strategy Groups (NSG) set up in each of the 17 countries by a SOLIDAR member or partner. These groups pool the expertise of civil society organisations, academics and experts in the field and support this with statistical data and scientific findings.

The dramatic increase in working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the poor working conditions experienced by many homeworkers who, prior to the crisis, numbered an estimated 260 million people worldwide.

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The US state of California has voted to keep rideshare and delivery industry workers as independent contractors in the recent election cycle. The Financial Times, in its editorial titled ‘A California setback for gig economy workers’, was quick to denounce the referendum, calling on other US lawmakers to not follow suit. 

Despite rising interest in income inequality, scholars remain divided over the mechanisms most amenable to inclusive income growth, how these mechanisms vary across country, and the trade-offs between levels and inclusivity of growth. This study introduces the concept of national growth profiles, the additive contribution of changes in taxes, transfers, composition, and institutions to changes across a country’s income distribution.

Christine Jardine, a Scottish politician who represents Edinburgh in the UK parliament, was not a fan of universal basic income before the pandemic hit.  "It was regarded in some quarters as a kind of socialist idea," said Jardine, a member of the centrist Liberal Democrats party. But not long after the government shut schools, shops, restaurants and pubs in March with little warning, she started to reconsider her position.

This study explores the mobility–welfare nexus from a comparative perspective by bridging two bodies of literature – social policy studies and migration research – in an innovative way. This book is part of a series of three volumes involving a large number of scholars from different European and non-European institutions.

This study explores the mobility–welfare nexus from a comparative perspective by bridging two bodies of literature – social policy studies and migration research – in an innovative way. This book is part of a series of three volumes involving a large number of scholars from different European and non-European institutions. 

France will consider proposals to protect gig workers after pandemic lockdowns pushed the status of people who rely on tech platforms for their income to the forefront. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has appointed a group of nine experts to suggest increased protection for platform workers, such as Uber Technologies Inc. and Deliveroo drivers, and others by October, according to a copy of the request made public by one of the members.