The book examines the socio-economic dynamics of the current economic crisis that have affected Southern European countries in general, particularly Greece and Spain. These dynamics have caused considerable effects in social, political and cultural level and have influenced the marginalised populations of both countries. This review tries to examine the social impact of the crisis on youth unemployment in Greece and Spain with particular focus on graduates of tertiary education and the constraints of labour market occurred due to the economic and political upheavals followed by the crisis. The increasing levels of unemployment, together with accumulative poverty phenomena and future uncertainty has direct implications on psychological well-being and triggers the danger of social and economic exclusion as has been investigated in the study. A further examination includes the political governance in national and European level during the crisis which have shaped the views of youth unemployed populations in both countries and occurred a shift from traditional politics.

Youth unemployment has become one of the most crucial social problems in many EU countries. In the 90s it can be observed that in most Western countries, the rate of youth unemployment have risen dramatically, in some of these countries the unemployment problem can be considered primarily a problem of refused entry to the labour market for members of the younger generation. This development increases the risk of psychosocial impairment to the individuals affected as well as to the social fabric in general. The present volume draws attention to the health effects of long-term youth unemployment in six European countries. It is based upon the results of an international research project (Youth Unemployment and Social Exclusion: Dimensions, Subjective Experiences, and Innovative Institutional Responses in Six Countries of the EU) (YUSEDER) conducted in the framework of the research programme Targeted Socio-Economic Research (TSER) of the European Commission. Partners with different scientific backgrounds (health psychology, public health research, psychiatry, industrial sociology, medical sociology) from six European countries participated in this project. The contributions in this volume illustrate an initial approach to analysing and comparing empirical evidence on youth unemployment and health from a comparative perspective for three Northern European countries (Sweden, Germany, Belgium) and for three Southern European countries (Spain, Italy, Greece). For each country a specific national report is presented. The comparative section describes and attempts to explain the similarities and dissimilarities between countries having rather diverse historical and social understandings of being in and out of work for young people.

Master's Thesis from the year 2012 in the subject Social Studies/ Civics, grade: 72%, London Metropolitan University, language: English, abstract: The current financial and economic crisis which has largely afflicted Southern European countries, could be seen a complex system of economic failures which have caused considerable effects in social, political and cultural level. The central dynamics of this crisis focusing on the economic and political governance which have influenced societal and individual functioning of marginalised populations in Greece and Spain, such as youth. This review examines the social impact of the crisis on young unemployed graduates with tertiary education, analysing their views and experiences about the current economic and political upheavals caused in Greece and Spain. This recession, which is comparable with Great Depression on its extent and duration, has created considerable social problems including increase in joblessness, poverty, and future uncertainty of the young populations. The increasing unemployment levels considering the fragmented labour markets in Greece and Spain have direct implications in psychological well-being and adverse effects for the integration of young people in the society by triggering the danger of social and economic exclusion. The limited job opportunities together with the elimination of the social safety nets accelerate the phenomena of immigration of high-skilled young graduates, inhibiting the development of their national economies. This paper tries to test the empirical validity of the problems occurred due to the high levels of unemployment on high-skilled youth populations of the two countries, considering the available protective factors. A further examination includes the recent European governance issues emerged alongside with political decisions in national level which have shaped public op--inion and formed the views of youth unemployed populations in Southern Europe regarding the causa

In this volume, the European research project YUSEDER ("Youth Unemployment and Social Exclusion: Dimensions, Subjective Experiences and Institutional Responses in Six Countries of the EU"), supported by the EU Commission (Directorate General Research) as a part of the programme Targeted Socio-Economic Research (TSER), addresses the question of what effects long-term unemployment has on young people in regard of their feeling of belonging to society. Does long-term unemployment imply the risk of social exclusion for young people? How does social exclusion develop, and which factors counteract the processes of exclusion? Thus far, research into unemployment has seldom performed comparative studies. This interdisciplinary project in six European countries has conducted for the first time a qualitative study with 300 long-term unemployment young people from age 20 to 25. The inquiry was carried out in the three northern European countries Sweden, Belgium and Germany and in the three southern European countries Greece, Italy and Spain. Researches from psychology, sociology, public health and psychiatry participated in this research project coordinated by Thomas Kieselbach (University of Bremen, Germany). The volumes in the series published up to now within the YUSEDER project represent a state of the art overview of the topic of youth unemployment and health (volume 1) and youth unemployment and social exclusion (volume 2) in the six participating countries. This third volume focuses on the personal experiences and assessments of young people affected by unemployment. Besides presenting the country-specific manifestations of social exclusion, this new study identifies those important key mechanisms which increase (vulnerability factors) or reduce (protective factors) the risk of social exclusion. The results of this interdisciplinary comparative study represent an important basis for conceptualising future intervention measures in the European Union which could redu

This important new book presents the findings of the first comparative study of unemployed youth in Europe using a large and original data set. It addresses some of the key questions around the issue including: How do young people cope with unemployment? Does unemployment lead to social exclusion of young people, implying a withdrawal from society, financial deprivation and social isolation? Drawing on a research sample of over 17000 young unemployed people in ten European countries, the book examines how different welfare strategies and labour market policies in different countries influence the risk of social exclusion among unemployed youth.

This book is concerned with the contexts, nature and quality of the participation of young people in European democratic life. The authors understand democracy broadly as both institutional politics and civic cultures, and a wide range of methods are used to analyse and assess youth participation and attitudes.