Uncertainty and Attitudes Pro-redistributive: Labour Market and Welfare Models in Europe

Abstract

The link between employment policies and social policies infl uence the subjective perception of individual uncertainty. The labor market model has an important role on the perception of uncertainty. Employment in itself is not enough insurance guarantee income. Part-time work and temporary contracts generates a growing demand for policies of income redistribution in the South and Eastern Europe. In Scandinavia countries the same types of labor contracts generate less inequality because government employment contributes to a “virtuous circle” that favors equality policies and the reconciliation of work and family life. Individually pro-redistributive attitudes are implemented more by women, also for those with uncertainty in their income and low education. By contrast, those who rely more on individual success and merit are the young college-educated and those earning higher incomes.