Regulating Social Policy in the EU and Mercosur: Patterns and Developments in Social Security and Related Areas

Abstract

Neither the European Union (EU) founding Treaty of Rome (1957) nor the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) Tratado de Asunción (1991) included strong competences for social policy provisions. Rather, both regional integration processes emphasize market integration. The dominant philosophy is that economic growth stemming from the liberalization of a common market should provide for social policy advances. Nevertheless, over the years, the EU and Mercosur have developed a substantial social dimension. Comparing regional integration processes, Deacon et al. (2011, p. 351) classified the EU as most advanced in social policy, followed by the Southern American regional integration process. Taking these assessments as a starting point, this chapter is interested in a more detailed description of social policy developments and patterns that have emerged over time and across sub-areas.