What accounts for changes in the chances of being NEET in the UK?

in Journal of Education and Work (2021)

Rewealthization in twenty-first century Western countries: the defining trend of the socioeconomic squeeze of the middle class

in Journal of Chinese Sociology (2021), 8

The wealth-to-income ratio (WIR) in many Western countries, particularly in Europe and North America, increased by a factor of two in the last three decades. This represents a defining empirical trend: a ... [more ▼]

The wealth-to-income ratio (WIR) in many Western countries, particularly in Europe and North America, increased by a factor of two in the last three decades. This represents a defining empirical trend: a rewealthization (from the French repatrimonialisation)—or the comeback of (inherited) wealth primacy since the mid-1990s. For the sociology of social stratification, “occupational classes” based on jobs worked must now be understood within a context of wealth-based domination. This paper first illustrates important empirical features of an era of rising WIR. We then outline the theory of rewealthization as a major factor of class transformations in relation to regimes stabilized in the post-WWII industrial area. Compared to the period where wealth became secondary to education and earnings for middle-class lifestyles, rewealthization steepens society's vertical structure; the "olive-shaped" Western society is replaced by a new one where wealth "abundance" at the top masks social reproduction and frustrations below. [less ▲]

The feminization of occupations and change in wages: A panel analysis of Britain, Germany, and Switzerland

in Social Forces (2016), 94(3), 1221-1255

Not participating in education, employment or training (NEET): Hope to mitigate new social risks in the UK?

E-print/Working paper (n.d.)

Young people not participating in education, employment or training (NEET) are a key policy concern in Europe. We examine whether hope, as a form of life course agency, plays a protective role against the ... [more ▼]

Young people not participating in education, employment or training (NEET) are a key policy concern in Europe. We examine whether hope, as a form of life course agency, plays a protective role against the risk of being NEET in the context of the British welfare state. Hope is conceptualised as multidimensional: being a temporally embedded, agentic mentality comprised of one’s sense of adaptive decision-making in the present and pathways thinking towards the future. Longitudinal estimations based on the latest Understanding Society microdata (2009-2018) indicate a direct association between higher-hope modes, on average, and a lower likelihood of being NEET. Further, our study assesses whether hopeful agency is moderated by the experience of parental worklessness. Findings indicate that while hope is not more important for those who experienced disadvantages in upbringing, hopeful agency is shown to be equally important in the face of past and present NEET risks. For the UK, building young peoples’ adaptive, agentic mentality towards their future in education or employment over the long-term, may prove one cost-effective policy approach. [less ▲]