Preface

This book is the product of a series of international workshops, seminars and conference streams undertaken by HOPES (How to Progress European Solidarity) Research Network. The HOPES Research Network consists of academics, NGO policy makers and practitioners with specialist interests in transnational social securities, transnational solidarities and the organisation of social protection within and across the European region. Our approach deals with the emergence of contexts and strategies to counter commonly experienced problems of European solidarity, equality, citizenship and freedom within the EU enlargement agenda. The objective is to identify and encourage wider articulation of commonly experienced European issues and policy solutions to sustaining solidarity within an increasingly pressured ‘neoliberalised’ and enlarged Europe within a global economy. The principle of solidarity was central to European integrationist discourse when the European Union was created. The current economic and financial crisis has exacerbated inherent fragilities of European integration, citizenship, orthodoxy and agendas across Europe. This book brings together contributions that aim to develop a framework for discourse, defining and reinventing social solidarity and sustainability (social, economic, religious and cultural) across Europe within a wider global setting.

Acknowledgements

This book has been a collective effort and I would like to thank all of my colleagues in HOPES for their inspiring contributions. In particular, I would like to thank my husband James Ellison for his support, advice and highly valued comments during the development of this book. Thanks are also due to Emeritus Professor Adrian Sinfield for his helpful advice and constructive comments. I would like to also thank all of those who reviewed the book on behalf of The Policy Press for their very helpful comments. Appreciation also goes to my Commissioning Editor Emily Watt and to all of the staff at The Policy Press for their consistent advice and valued support from the inception to the final production of this book.