Séminaire : Social Vulnerability in Western Europe. The Territorial Determinants of New Social Risks

17 mai 2011
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Vendredi 27 mai 2011, de 16h30 à 18h30

“Social Vulnerability in Western Europe. The Territorial Determinants of New Social Risks”

Costanzo Ranci (Politecnico di Milano)

Auteur de Social Vulnerability in Europe. The New Configuration of Social Risks, Palgrave McMillan, 2010

 Président de séance : Marco Oberti (Sciences Po/OSC)

Discussion :

Clément Rivière (Sciences Po/OSC)

Patricia Loncle (EHESP)

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The undergoing changes in Western Europe are rapidly transforming the characteristics and dimensions of social problems. The so-called “European social model” was based for many decades on the association among permanent employment, stability in the division of roles within the nuclear family and the progressive extension of welfare guarantees. All these conditions seem to be lacking in contemporary society because of the greater job insecurity and the consequent discontinuity in incomes, the organizational tensions in the family and the inertia of welfare systems. Taken together these transformations cause a spreading situation of social vulnerability in the population.

The seminar is based on the presentation of some research results from C. Ranci (ed.), Social Vulnerability in Europe. The New Configuration of Social Risks, Palgrave McMillan, 2010. It is primarily aimed at describing the dimensions and characteristics of new social risks in Western Europe. A new concept – social vulnerability – will be proposed in order to account of the new configuration of such risks and of their impact on the material living conditions of the population.

Scale problems (national vs. regional scale) will be specifically discussed in order to overcome the failure of current comparative research to grasp the high variability in territorial distribution of social problems through Western Europe. A specific macro-regional partition of Western Europe will be presented and discussed.

In the second part I will try to verify to what extent social vulnerability is influenced in its extent and distribution by a plurality of social, economic and political factors. Social factors such as class structure, family organization, level of education, are considered, as well as institutional factors, such as social programs addressing either “old” or “new” social risks. Regional determinants will be also discussed. I will consider with special attention: a) the role played by welfare systems in covering social vulnerability; b) the explanatory relevance of macro-regional determinants.

Contact : thomas.aguilera@sciences-po.org

 

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