Researching Social Europe on the Move

Developments occurring at the supranational level have prompted a lively scholarly debate about the nature and impact of "social Europe". This research trajectory includes the shift from early research focused extensively on formal social rights for mobile citizens, to the early 2000s, and a focus on the open method of coordination and its influence. The financial crisis prompted a renewed interest in the indirect influence of the EU on welfare states, and currently, scholars focus on multiple different issues, including EMU governance and its consequences on pensions and labour market reforms, softer policy coordination and funding, as well as regulatory initiatives in social policy, especially emanating from the 'European Pillar of social rights'. The chapter further discusses the renewed interest in the social rights for mobile EU citizens, and the new stream of studies on EU responses to the COVID pandemic.