Unemployment is one of Southern Europe's most serious political problems. Though much has been written about unemployment's causes and cures, systematic attention to its consequences is lacking. This collection of original essays deals with the effects of unemployment on regimes, parties, immigrants, economies and families, highlighting the differences and the similarities among Southern European states and offering lessons about the profound human consequences of unemployment in general.

In this first analytical monograph on the subject, George Katrougalos and Gabriella Lazaridis examine the social welfare state of the main four Southern European countries, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece. They conduct an overall system analysis of the welfare state in Southern Europe which challenges the prevalent Ferrera model. Additionally, they present a detailed outlook of policies adopted in the fields of employment, migration, health, social security, pensions and gender-family issues.

Will 'making a Living' remain a dream for the deprived and excluded? Jobs are one of Europe's most important problems. Employment provides the basic means of distributing wealth in society, in providing for families, and ensuring pensions for the elderly. Yet unemployment, and increasingly 'non-employment', continues at near record levels in the European Union. Making a Living in Europe shows how the culture of work has been transformed in the industrialised nations of the EU. Exploring the relationship between employment change, society and economic restructuring, the shift toward 'flexible' work for women in services, away from traditional industrial jobs for men, is demonstrated within three key sectors: business services, retailing and tourism. The outcome of change is discussed in terms of shifts of people and jobs from urban to rural areas. Europe must be understood in the context of the new Europe, of change in the USA and of global change. Drawing on examples from UK and European Regions and USA, the author challenges long-standing assumptions about changes in economy and society and highlights the need for stronger local and European policies to reduce inequality at large and contribute positively to local people's struggles to make a living in Europe.

The New Southern European Diaspora: Youth, Unemployment, and Migration uses a qualitative and ethnographic approach to investigate the movement of young adults from areas in southern Europe that are still impacted by the 2008 economic crisis. With a particular focus on Spain, Portugal, and Italy, Ricucci examines the difficulties faced by young adults who are entering the labor market and are developing plans to move abroad. Ricucci further investigates mobility and its drivers, relationships among mobile youth and their social networks, perceptions of intra-European Union youth mobility, and the role of institutions, especially schools, in the development of mobility plans. This book is recommended for scholars of anthropology, political science, and economics.

This book thoroughly examines the socio-economic and labor market paths of young NEETs, particularly migrants and women, in the disadvantaged regions of Mediterranean Southern Europe—specifically, the island, coastal, and peripheral areas of Greece, Cyprus, Italy, and Spain. It embraces a holistic approach, delving into multiple dimensions of the phenomenon. Rooted in multi-methodological research, it seamlessly integrates quantitative and qualitative methods to provide a comprehensive understanding. Geographically, it spans four Southern European countries, meticulously exploring vulnerable social groups like migrant and women NEETs, which have been understudied. Furthermore, the book illuminates the influence of space and spatial patterns on the NEET phenomenon, effectively connecting precariousness and social exclusion with geography and spatial inequalities across different scales. The book appeals to a diverse audience, spanning human geography, sociology, and migration studies. It extends its relevance to social scientists exploring poverty, social exclusion, precariousness, and socio-spatial injustices. Additionally, it offers valuable insights for postgraduate students in these fields and serves as a complementary resource in social science methodology and theory courses at both graduate and postgraduate levels.

In recent years the countries of southern Europe have undergone, with varying intensity, a serious and prolonged economic crisis. Most have had to implement comprehensive economic adjustment programmes, including a wide range of structural reforms. Economic Crisis and Structural Reforms in Southern Europe examines these reforms, drawing policy lessons from their successes and failures. This book employs two basic strands of analysis: issues of policy design, and political economy considerations. It considers the choice of timing and sequencing of reforms, the choice of the appropriate policy instruments, the pressure of interest groups and the political calculations involved in reforms. Featuring chapters in which contributors explore both national cases of specific structural reforms, and a comparative approach in order to evaluate similar reforms across countries, this important and topical work explores ongoing issues within the economy. Focusing on the challenges of designing and implementing structural reforms under conditions of crisis, this book will be of interest to policy makers and researchers from national and international organizations as well as academics and members of research institutes interested in the economics and politics of the Eurozone crisis.