Part A. Income Inequality and Poverty in Britain and Europe: 1. What is happening to the distribution of income in the UK?

2. Income distribution in European countries with L. Rainwater and T. Smeeding

3. Poverty statistics and progress in Europe

4. Comparing poverty rates internationally: recent studies in OECD countries

5. Two nations in early retirement? The case of Britain with H. Sutherland

Part B. Analysis of the Welfare State: 6. Is the Welfare State necessarily a barrier to economic growth?

7. A national minimum? A history of ambiguity in the determination of benefit scales in Britain

8. The development of state pensions in the United Kingdom

9. Income maintenance for the unemployed in Britain and the response to high unemployment

10. Institutional features of unemployment insurance and the working of the labour market

11. Social insurance

Part C. Targeting and the Future of Social Security Policy: 12. On targeting and family benefits

13. The Western experience with social safety nets

14. Towards a European safety net? 15. Beveridge, the national minimum and its future in a European context

16. State pensions for today and tomorrow

Bibliography.