This chapter studies the MIP systems in the 17 European countries in comparative perspective. The first section analyses the MIP benefit levels for adults of working age and their families. The crucial aspect is how the generosity of needs-based social citizenship rights deviates from average incomes and other social benefits (see Chapter Two). The more deviation can be observed, the less are generous basic social citizenship rights institutionalised in society. The second section compares aggregate MIP caseloads (recipients) across countries for three population groups: the total population (including children), adults at working age, and persons at pension age. These figures indicate the salience of MIP within the overall welfare state and society. They relate to the issue of inclusiveness of social citizenship rights as outlined in Chapter Two.

Since higher-level social benefits usually operate as ‘protective filters’, a high salience of MIP indicates a concept of social citizenship that is more strongly based on need than on accrued or universal rights. In some countries, however, a low salience of MIP indicates a weak institutionalisation of basic social citizenship rights in terms of entitlement. The results show that MIP systems affect sizeable population groups in many countries while they play only a marginal role in some. Moreover, total recipient figures in some countries are significantly higher when the various categorical MIP schemes are added up than when only the last residual scheme is considered. The third section of this chapter analyses expenditure on MIP, which seems to be more closely linked to the number of beneficiaries than to generosity. Despite international differences, MIP spending tends to be rather modest in terms of the share of national GDP or share of total social spending.

The next section of this chapter studies the institutional differentiation of national MIP systems in various categorical schemes in a comparative-historical perspective. Categorical differentiation within MIP systems indicates an important dimension of the institutionalisation of basic social citizenship rights. The more important categorical differentiation between different population groups is, the less coherent and equal are social citizenship rights. In this respect, individual countries have followed different paths of development in their MIP systems, leading to different institutionalised forms of fundamental social citizenship rights in Europe. Some countries have nationally unified last safety nets while others have highly segmented MIP systems.