Abstract

This article stems from an awareness that the ‘European social model’ is marked – in the discourse that proposes it and in the policies that attempt to implement it – by an original combination of the dimensions of economic competitiveness and social cohesion. Today, this combination is in the midst of a crisis whose nature and outcome are variously interpreted, in politics as in social sciences. The current debate would have much to gain from the use of several classic analytical categories, which, though well enough known, are rarely if ever applied in this context. After a schematic presentation of the characteristics that discussion of the European model has now assumed, an institutional approach to interpreting it will be proposed which revolves around the Weberian concept of ‘legitimate order’. Particular attention will be devoted to the organizational means whereby policies are formulated and pursued, and the territorial dimension of policies and their effects will be discussed. The concluding remarks will present policy implications and considerations concerning the present crisis and possible developments of the European model, elaborated on the basis of the proposed methodological approach.