The thesis presents the European social models of Slovenia and Poland and the comparison of both countries from the point of view of labour market, education, social security, living standards, health care, and tax system. European social model deals with values. Equality, non-discrimination, solidarity, free or cheap access to education and health care and other public services are common basic values in any European social system. The purpose of this thesis is to explain the European social model, its development through history, its characteristics, its social submodels, and the European Union’s future goals in the social field. The main objectives are to compare the social models of Slovenia and Poland and the use of social models in both countries, to emphasis the common features and differences, and to establish whether Slovenia and Poland belong to the same European social model.
Through the analysis, we learned that Slovenia and Poland belong to the same social model – Central/Eastern European model. In most areas, Slovenia is doing better than Poland, however Poland is experiencing a very quick economic growth, as, in the last two decades, the country has seen the highest stable growth in the European Union. On the other hand, Slovenia is still suffering from the consequences of the economic crisis. The country is making progress in all fields, however not at the same pace as Poland. And although Slovenia is currently superior to Poland in most areas, Poland, as one of the ascending countries, will soon surpass Slovenia in all fields.
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