Welfare and Religion in a European Perspective: Introduction to a Europe-Wide Research Project
Grace Davie
The aim of the project Welfare and Religion in a European Perspective (WREP) has been to look at the role of majority churches as agents of social welfare across different European societies. Its essence can be found in the following questions:
- what roles do the historic churches of Europe play within the different welfare systems that exist in the continent?
- to what extent are they providers of welfare?
- how, more broadly, how do they influence welfare at a normative level – either through their historical roles or through continuing public debate? – and finally,
- how do these activities match, or fail to match, with public expectations?
The background to the project lies in (a) the significant economic and social changes currently taking place in all developed societies, not least in Europe and (b) an equally significant set of changes which relate to religion.Taken together these transformations challenge existing models of welfare organisation. The task moreover is highly topical: questions concerning the organisation of social welfare are high on the political agenda all over Europe.
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