The financial crisis which struck the EU countries in 2008 was followed by the severest
economic recession since the end of the Second World War. This book illustrates the development
of unemployment poverty and the distribution of income within the social systems of Sweden
Austria and Spain in the aftermath of the financial crisis 2008. Whether one country has been
more effective in cushioning the negative impacts of the economic downturn and whether
variations in the development of these socio-political indicators are attributable to the
different welfare state models are central to this piece of research. This analysis supports
the findings of previous research. Firstly it could be observed that some societal groups have
been more vulnerable to the negative impacts of the financial crisis 2008 than others. Secondly
less developed welfare states have to react in more active ways to crises compared to countries
which have the schemes already implemented before an economic downturn shows its consequences.
