The survey called "Is social Europe fit for globalisation?" tries to respond to the fears expressed by the European citizens about employment, the social security and welfare models, by stating that "such fears are largely groundless". According to the survey commissioned by the EU Commission to the Centre for European Political Studied under the direction of Iain Begg of the London School of Economics, "some of the most thriving economies in northern Europe combine high employment rates with a much higher equal income rate than in other parts of the world, while retaining an important and efficient public sector". In addition, there seems to be no relation between the "corrosion" of the welfare systems and the latest economic dynamics. The EU’s average welfare expenditure amounts to 27-28% of the national GDPs, even if the level of effectiveness depends on the country. However, the survey confirms there is a need to modernise some welfare policies, invest in human resources, get the economy ready to reckon with the ageing of the population and with "the new sources of competitiveness".
