In recent years, many academics and policymakers have argued that the welfare state needs to be modernized. It is claimed that social protection systems still largely reflect the ‘old social risks’ created under industrial capitalism and that they need to be adapted to the ‘new social risks’ that have developed with the transition to a post-industrial society. The changes that have accompanied this transition include the growth in female employment, the shift from ‘male breadwinner’ to ‘dual earner’ households, the decline in marriage and rise in cohabitation, increased divorce and separation and population ageing resulting from declining fertility and increasing longevity. Attention has also been drawn to job insecurity and low pay, particularly among young people, women and the low skilled. This book addresses some of the challenges for social protection posed by these demographic, social and economic transformations. The contributions are based on a selection of papers presented at a seminar organized by the Foundation for International Studies of Social Security.