Social Quality and Precarity: Approaching New Patterns of Societal (Dis)Integration

Herrmann, Peter and van der Maesen, Laurent J.G. (2008): Social Quality and Precarity: Approaching New Patterns of Societal (Dis)Integration.

Abstract

The main issue of this article is to discuss the question of ‘precarity’ in the context of the theory of social quality (see Beck et al, 2001), with which to pave the way for developing further the theoretical foundation of precarity. Societal practice is the main challenge this concept tries to address. However, the danger is to introduce a new term, yet maintaining a discussion on traditional problems as poverty, marginalisation and exclusion. Our thesis is that these problems, far from being sufficiently tackled, are currently going along with and being adjunct to another challenge, namely precarity. Although the ‘old problems’ are not problems of individuals and expression of their ‘personal failure’, precarity – seen in the context of the theory of social quality – means a new stage of socialisation of the problems by further individualisation of the victims. In principle, we can say that this understanding of precarity is an expression of a further erosion of society, characterising especially periods of transformation of economic systems.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Social Quality; Precarity; Social Exclusion; Social Disintegration; Social Policy
• Subjects: I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty > I30 - General; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty > I31 - General Welfare, Well-Being; D - Microeconomics > D9 - Intertemporal Choice > D90 - General; Z - Other Special Topics > Z1 - Cultural Economics ; Economic Sociology ; Economic Anthropology > Z13 - Economic Sociology ; Economic Anthropology ; Social and Economic Stratification; H - Public Economics > H7 - State and Local Government ; Intergovernmental Relations > H70 - General; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J4 - Particular Labor Markets > J40 - General; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J0 - General > J00 - General; B - History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches > B2 - History of Economic Thought since 1925 > B20 - General; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I0 - General > I00 - General; H - Public Economics > H8 - Miscellaneous Issues > H80 - General; B - History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches > B2 - History of Economic Thought since 1925 > B24 - Socialist ; Marxist ; Sraffian; D - Microeconomics > D5 - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium > D50 - General; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I0 - General; D - Microeconomics > D3 - Distribution > D30 - General; L - Industrial Organization > L1 - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance > L10 - General; B - History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches > B3 - History of Economic Thought: Individuals > B30 - General; H - Public Economics > H0 - General > H00 - General; B - History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches > B0 - General > B00 - General; A - General Economics and Teaching > A1 - General Economics > A10 - General; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty > I32 - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty; A - General Economics and Teaching > A3 - Collective Works > A30 - General; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty > I39 - Other; H - Public Economics > H4 - Publicly Provided Goods > H40 - General; B - History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches > B4 - Economic Methodology > B40 - General; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J1 - Demographic Economics > J10 - General; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty > I38 - Government Policy ; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs; D - Microeconomics > D6 - Welfare Economics > D60 - General

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