Part One of this new book presents four lectures not meant to be a textbook in the traditional sense. Nevertheless, it is meant to be used as material guiding lectures and students alike through their work in the field of European social policy-making. Being understood as guidance, this means as well that many parts are not fully elaborated. Some hints are given -- and in many cases there is a debate behind them that would justify its own book. For example there is a complex debate on European integration and the question if and in which sense it is legitimate to interpret current processes as processes of 'nation' or 'state building'. Part II is seemingly quite different, a piece of academic work, going back to the authors involvement in a project on social indicators under the auspices of the European Foundation on Social Quality. Still, there are at least two strong links or similarities. This document is as well very much a discussion document -- it evolved from an intense debate in the project, being already a revision of previous versions.