A crucial function of wealth is to protect individuals from the consequences of adverse life events. However, sometimes wealth also implies additional financial risks. In addition to the insurance function of homeownership (the most common form of wealth), we therefore also examine financial squeezes that reflect the indebtedness and social embeddedness of homeowners and limit their options for dealing with social risks. A third hypothesis expects a trade‐off between social protection and homeownership. Taking the example of unemployment, we examine the effects of short‐term unemployment on the perceived financial situation of households based on data derived from EU‐SILC for 27 European countries. It can be shown that debt‐free homeownership reduces financial stress in the case of unemployment compared to tenants and indebted owners. A debt‐free home thus offers an additional buffer and insurance against the financial consequences of unemployment. However, indebted homeowners are particularly hard hit by unemployment because they have to use all their financial resources to pay off their mortgages. Finally, we did not find a trade‐off but a cumulation of advantages due to homeownership and generous unemployment benefits in countries with high net replacement rates.
Social Inclusion Lisbon : Cogitatio Press, 2013 11(2023), 1, Seite 163-175 Online-Ressource
Political sociology; Europe—Politics and government; Regionalism; Welfare economics; Economic policy; Economic and Technological Disparities; Labour Force Participation; National Wage Inequalities; Employment Risks; Educational Poverty; Social Cohesion in Europe; Barriers to Modernisation; SDG 10; Sustainable Development GoalsEuropäische UnionSozialstrukturSoziale UngleichheitStrukturBrüsselStraßburgEuropäische Gemeinschaften01.11.1993-Ungleichheit
This book examines social inequalities in Europe, especially those caused by economic factors. It starts with the paradox of European inequality, where on the one hand, even total income inequality in Europe is significantly lower than in most parts of the world; but on the other, Europe is also characterised by profound and durable inequalities within the continent. It discusses inequalities caused by the exclusion of marginalised groups from the labour market, with considerable and sometimes increasing differences between central and peripheral regions, pronounced wealth and labour market inequalities, and significant rates of persistent poverty, deprivation, educational poverty, low wages and unemployment. The book also discusses broader territorial inequalities, which are the basis for divisions between Northern and Southern Europe, East and West, between qualified and unqualified employees, younger and older people, men and women, and migrants and non-migrants. The book raises questions about the winners and losers of the social transformations linked to the introduction of the Euro, the Eastern enlargement of the EU, and the financial and Eurozone crises. It is based on a comprehensive analysis of a European-wide microdata set on income and living conditions (EU-SILC). The empirical research material, which is the first to deploy this data in a comprehensive manner, consists of detailed empirical analyses of social divisions and Europeanisation processes in 30 European countries. It analyses and explains the transformation of the previously dominant national spaces into a European social space. This topical book is of interest to academics and students in the fields of sociology and comparative social sciences, along with those studying European regional geography, anthropology, international relations, and international politics.
1 Online-Ressource(XIX, 437 S. 54 Abb., 10 Abb. in Farbe.).
Europäische Integration; Wirtschaftliche Konvergenz; Soziale Ungleichheit; Regionale Einkommensverteilung; EU-Staaten; Political sociology; Social structure; Equality; Europäische Union; Soziale Integration
Soziale Ungleichheiten auf nationaler und europäischer Ebene -- Daten und Methoden -- Zwischen Konvergenz und Agglomeration. Wirtschaftliche Disparitäten in der EU -- Europäische Arbeitsmärkte zwischen Segmentierung und Aktivierung -- Lohnungleichheiten in der EU -- Europäisierung der Einkommensungleichheit vor und während der Krise in der Eurozone: inter-, supra- und transnationale Perspektiven -- Kumulierung und Konzentration von Armut und Ausgrenzung -- Bildung, Qualifikationen und soziale Mobilität -- Der gesellschaftliche Zusammenhalt in Europa. Zwischen europaweiter Konvergenz und sozialer Spaltung -- Anhang: Die verwendeten Variablen, ihre Operationalisierung und ihre Quellen.
Soziale Ungleichheiten sind eine zentrale Herausforderung für die europäische Integration. Die zahlreichen räumlichen und sozialen Spaltungslinien in Europa gefährden nicht nur den nationalen, sondern auch den europäischen Zusammenhalt. Die Ursachen für Benachteiligungen, Armut und Ausgrenzung werden von den Bürgern auch auf europäischer Ebene verortet. Auf Grundlage aktueller Daten über das Leben und Arbeiten in Europa werden in dem Buch die nationalen und transnationalen Muster sozialer Ungleichheiten analysiert und damit ein besseres Verständnis der Europäisierung gesellschaftlicher Konflikte ermöglicht. Der Autor Prof. Dr. Martin Heidenreich ist Professor für Sozialstrukturanalyse an der Universität Oldenburg und Leiter des Jean Monnet Centre for Europeanisation and Transnational Regulations. .
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