Abstract

In this essay the author analyses, in a comparative perspective, the origins of the public expenditure review and the national legislation which has led to a reorganization of the public expenditure regarding social rights in Spain, Greece, Portugal and Germany. The author delineates the differences and the similarities among the measures concerning social rights, even through the analysis of the constitutional case law. In particular, the author focuses the attention upon the limits outlined by the constitucional Courts to the restictions imposed on social rights. In this regard, the "right to a dignified minimum existence" adquire a central importance.