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

Peter Herrmann and Laurent J.G. van der Maesen

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

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.

Keywords: Social Quality; Precarity; Social Exclusion; Social Disintegration; Social Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A10 A30 B00 B20 B24 B30 B40 D30 D50 D60 D90 H00 H40 H70 H80 I0 I00 I30 I31 I32 I38 I39 J00 J10 J40 L10 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cwa, nep-hpe and nep-pke
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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