The European Union’s ideas on social policy have moved away from the traditional social protection model towards promoting social inclusion, gender equality and investing in children. These new policies represent the social investment perspective, which advocates preparing the population for a knowledge-based economy to increase economic growth, job creation and to break the intergenerational transmission of poverty. Drawing on a series of interviews conducted during a research experience in Brussels, this paper is a descriptive analysis of the recent modifications to the EU’s social dimension. It focuses on the changes created by the Europe 2020 Strategy and the Social Investment Package. By tracing the genesis and evolution of these initiatives, it is possible to determine which actors are applying pressures to innovate the social dimension. While interest from various bodies of the European Commission often fluctuates, the main driving force continues to come from think tanks, lobbyists and academics.
