Jon Kvist is Senior Researcher at the Danish National Institute of Social Research, Copenhagen, Denmark.Juho Saari is Professor of Sociology, University of Kuopio, Finland

• European Union developments and national social protection ~ Juho Saari and Jon Kvist; Germany: moving towards Europe but putting national autonomy first ~ Milena Büchs and Karl Hinrichs; The United Kingdom: more an economic than a social European ~ Julian Le Grand, Elias Mossialos and Morgan Long; France: defending our model ~ Bruno Palier and Luana Petrescu; Italy: between indifference, exploitation and the construction of a national interest ~ Stefano Sacchi; Poland: redefining social policies ~ Irena Wóycicka and Maciej Grabowski; Spain: starting from periphery, becoming centre ~ Ana Guillén; The Czech Republic: tradition compatible with modernisation? ~ Martin Potucek; Finland: towards more proactive policies ~ Juho Saari and Olli Kangas; The Netherlands: social and economic normalisation in an era of European Union controversy ~ Anton Hemerijck and Peter Sleegers; Denmark: From foot dragging to pace setting in European Union social policy ~ Jon Kvist; Greece: the quest for national welfare expansion through more social Europe ~ Theodoros Sakellaropoulos; The Europeanisation of social protection: domestic impact and national responses ~ Jon Kvist and Juho Saari; Seeking a new balance ~ Juho Saari and Kari Välimäki.

"An excellent book focusing on how national social policy has been shaped by the developments in the EU. Very good editing, informative and thought-provoking." Antonios Roumpakis, University of Bath