Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

What about the welfare state? exploring precarious youth political participation in the age of grievances

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Acta Politica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper, the authors analyse non-institutionalised political participation patterns of precarious urban youth in five European cities—Cologne (Germany), Geneva (Switzerland), Kielce (Poland), Lyon (France) and Turin (Italy)—following the 2008 financial crisis. In particular, the aim is to test the validity of the ‘grievance theory’ on precarious youth. In fact, the political participation of precarious youth has been overlooked to date. The article shows that across the cities, precarious workers exhibit higher levels of political participation owing to a sense of relative deprivation with respect to their regularly employed counterparts. The authors apply a logit analysis to duly consider the local context (i.e. unemployment regulations and labour market regulations). The empirical results show that precarious youth are more active than regular workers when unemployment regulations and labour market regulations are at their intermediate level, featuring as ‘issue-specific’ political opportunity structures. In sum, the article contributes to the debate on occupational disadvantage and political participation, shifting the focus on precarious young workers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The sampling was based in all countries on a random sample, supported with targeted sample to reach the quota for unemployed youth (CH; FR; DE; PL). The average response rate per country was of 18 (CH), 19 (PL) and 8 per cent (DE). No data were provided in the case of France and Italy by the comtractor.

  2. The full questionnaire can be downloaded from http://www.younex.unige.ch/. Data for all the cities were derived through a CATI survey (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview) on landline telephone from the city of Kielce (Poland), in which a paper-and-pencil interview (PAPI) was used.

  3. Average marginal effects (AME) are calculated using Stata command margins, with the dydx option. AME for dichotomous variable looks at the discrete difference in probability between the two states (0 and 1) holding all other variables in the model at their observed values, those recorded in the survey.

References

  • Almond, G.A., and S. Verba. 1963. The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, C.J. 2001. Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures? In Unemployment in the New Europe, ed. N. Bermeo, 271–290. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, C.J., and J. Pontusson. 2007. Workers, Worries and Welfare States: Social Protection and Job Insecurity in 15 OECD Countries. European Journal of Political Research 46 (2): 211–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arts, W., and J. Gelissen. 2002. Three worlds of welfare capitalism or more? A state-of-the-art report. Journal of European Social Policy 12 (2): 137–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Austin, P.C. 2010. Estimating Multilevel Logistic Regression Models When the Number of Clusters is Low: A Comparison of Different Statistical Software Procedures. The International Journal of Biostatistics 6 (1): 0–18. Article 16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baglioni, S., P. Colloca, and M. Theiss. 2015. Political Participation of Unemployed Youth: The Moderator Effect of Associational Membership. PArtecipazione e COnflitto 8 (3): 770–787.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbieri, P., and S. Scherer. 2005. Le conseguenze sociali della flessibilizzazione del mercato del lavoro in Italia. Stato e mercato (2): 291.

  • Bassoli, M. 2010. Local Governance Arrangements and Democratic Outcomes (with Some Evidence from the Italian Case). Governance 23 (3): 485–508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bassoli, M., and L. Monticelli. 2011. Laureati, precari e politicamente attivi. L’impatto del lavoro e della scuola sulle forme della partecipazione. In La ricerca sociologica e i temi del lavoro. Giovani ricercatori italiani a confronto, ed. M. La Rosa, 150–167. Milano: F. Angeli.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bassoli, M., and L. Monticelli. 2016. Precarious Voices? Types of “Political Citizens” and Repertoires of Action among European Youth. PArtecipazione e COnflitto 9 (3): 824–856.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berthet, T., and C. Bourgeois. 2014. Towards ‘activation-friendly’ integration? Assessing the progress of activation policies in six European countries: Towards ‘activation-friendly’ integration. International Journal of Social Welfare 23: S23–S39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berton, F., M. Richiardi, and S. Sacchi. 2009. Flex-insecurity: perché in Italia la flessibilità diventa precarietà. Bologna: Il mulino.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boeri, T., and P. Garibaldi. 2007. Two Tier Reforms of Employment Protection: a Honeymoon Effect?*: A HONEYMOON EFFECT. The Economic Journal 117 (521): F357–F385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brady, H.E., S. Verba, and K.L. Schlozman. 1995. Beyond Ses: A Resource Model of Political Participation. The American Political Science Review 89 (2): 271–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bussing, A. 1999. Can control at work and social support moderate psychological consequences of job insecurity? results from a quasi-experimental study in the steel industry. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology 8 (2): 219–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castel, R. 1995. Les métamorphoses de la question sociale: une chronique du salariat. Paris: Fayard.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cinalli, M., and M. Giugni. 2010. Welfare States, Political Opportunities, and Claim Making in the Field of Unemployment Politics. In The Contentious Politics of Unemployment in Europe, ed. M. Giugni, 19–42. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. doi:10.1057/9780230304208_2.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Cinalli, M., and M. Giugni. 2013. New Challenges for the Welfare State: The Emergence of Youth Unemployment Regimes in Europe? New Challenges for the Welfare State’. International Journal of Social Welfare 22 (3): 290–299. doi:10.1111/ijsw.12016.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cinalli, M., and M. Giugni. 2014. The Impact of Political Opportunity Structures on the Politicization of Civil Society Organizations in the Field of Unemployment and Precarity. In Civil Society Organizations, Unemployment, and Precarity in Europe, ed. S. Baglioni, and M. Giugni, 85–106. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. doi:10.1057/9780230391437_5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coffé, H., and C. Bolzendahl. 2010. Same Game, Different Rules? Gender Differences in Political Participation. Sex Roles 62 (5–6): 318–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corbetta, P., and P. Colloca. 2013. Job Precariousness and Political Orientations: The Case of Italy. South European Society and Politics 18 (3): 333–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corrigall-Brown, C. 2012. Patterns of protest: trajectories of participation in social movements. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craw, M. 2015. The Effect of Fragmentation and Second-Order Devolution on Efficacy of Local Public Welfare Policy. Publius: The Journal of Federalism 45 (2): 270–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dalton, R.J. 2008. Citizenship Norms and the Expansion of Political Participation. Political Studies 56 (1): 76–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Witte, H., and K. Näswall. 2003. `Objective’ vs `Subjective’ Job Insecurity: Consequences of Temporary Work for Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment in Four European Countries. Economic and Industrial Democracy 24 (2): 149–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Della Porta, D. 2008. Protest on unemployment: forms and opportunities. Mobilization 13 (3): 277–295.

    Google Scholar 

  • Demazière, D., and M.T. Pignoni. 1998. Chômeurs–du silence à la révolte: sociologie d’une action collective. Paris: Hachette littératures.

    Google Scholar 

  • Driskell, R., E. Embry, and L. Lyon. 2008. Faith and Politics: The Influence of Religious Beliefs on Political Participation. Social Science Quarterly 89 (2): 294–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dörre, K., K. Kraemer, and F. Speidel. 2006. The increasing precariousness of the employment society: driving force for a new right wing populism? International Journal of Action Research 2 (1): 98–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eggert, N., and M. Giugni. 2010. Does Associational Involvement Spur Political Integration? Political Interest and Participation of Three Immigrant Groups in Zurich. Swiss Political Science Review 16 (2): 175–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eichhorst, W., and P. Marx (eds.). 2015. Non-standard employment in post-industrial labour markets: an occupational perspective. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emmenegger, P. (ed.). 2012. The age of dualization: the changing face of inequality in deindustrializing societies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emmenegger, P., J. Kvist, P. Marx, and K. Peresen. 2015. Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism: The making of a classic. Journal of European Social Policy 25 (1): 3–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Esping-Andersen, G. 1990. The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • EUROSTAT (2015). EU statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC) methodology—population structure—Statistics Explained. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/EU_statistics_on_income_and_living_conditions_(EU-SILC)_methodology_-_population_structure [Accessed August 18, 2016].

  • Forno, F., and P.R. Graziano. 2014. Sustainable community movement organisations. Journal of Consumer Culture 14 (2): 139–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallie, D., and S. Paugam. 2000. Welfare regimes and the experience of unemployment in Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gamson, W.A. 1968. Power and discontent. vol. 124. Homewood: Dorsey Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gamson, W.A., and D.S. Meyer. 1996. Framing political opportunity. In Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements, eds. D. McAdam, J.D. McCarthy, and M.N. Zald, 275–290. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gebel, M. 2011. Early career consequences of temporary employment in Germany and the UK. Work, Employment & Society 24 (4): 641–660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giugni, M. and Lorenzini, J. (2013) Employment Status and Political Participation: Does Exclusion Influence the Protest Behavior of the Young Unemployed? In: B. Andreosso-O’Callaghan and F. Royall, eds. Economic and Political Change in Asia and Europe. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 179–195. Available at: http://www.springerlink.com/index/10.1007/978-94-007-4653-4_11.

  • Gurr, T.R. 1970. Why men rebel. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrington, J.W., and P.W. Daniels (eds.). 2006. Knowledge-based services, internationalization and regional development. Aldersht: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hooghe, M., B. Hosch-Dayican, and J.W. van Deth. 2014. Conceptualizing political participation. Acta Politica 49 (3): 337–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hooghe, M., and E. Quintelier. 2014. Political participation in European countries: The effect of authoritarian rule, corruption, lack of good governance and economic downturn. Comparative European Politics 12 (2): 209–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inglehart, R. 1997. Modernization and postmodernization: cultural, economic, and political change in 43 societies. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jessoula, M., P.R. Graziano, and I. Madama. 2010. Selective Flexicurity’ in Segmented Labour Markets: The Case of Italian ‘Mid-Siders. Journal of Social Policy 39 (4): 561–583.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kazepov, Y. 2010. Rescaling social policies: towards multilevel governance in Europe, Farnham. Burlington, VT: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kern, A., S. Marien, and M. Hooghe. 2015. Economic Crisis and Levels of Political Participation in Europe (2002–2010): The Role of Resources and Grievances. West European Politics 38 (3): 465–490.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitschelt, H.P. 1986. Political Opportunity Structures and Political Protest: Anti-Nuclear Movements in Four Democracies. British Journal of Political Science 16 (1): 57–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kriesi, H. 2004. Political Context and Opportunity. In The Blackwell companion to social movements. Blackwell companions to sociology, ed. D.A. Snow, S.A. Soule, and H. Kriesi, 67–90. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kriesi, H. 2012. The Political Consequences of the Financial and Economic Crisis in Europe: Electoral Punishment and Popular Protest. Swiss Political Science Review 18 (4): 518–522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kriesi, H., E. Grande, R. Lachar, M. Dolezal, S. Bornschier, and T. Frey. 2006. Globalization and the transformation of the national political space: Six European countries compared. European Journal of Political Research 45 (6): 921–956.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kriesi, H., E. Grande, R. Lachar, M. Dolezal, S. Bornschier, and T. Frey. 2008. West European politics in the age of globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • La Due Lake, R., and R. Huckfeldt. 1998. Social Capital, Social Networks, and Political Participation. Political Psychology 19 (3): 567–584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levi, M., and L. Stoker. 2000. Political Trust and Trustworthiness. Annual Review of Political Science 3 (1): 475–507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lorenzini, J., and M. Bassoli. 2015. Gender ideology: The last barrier to womens participation in political consumerism? International Journal of Comparative Sociology 56 (6): 460–483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lorenzini, J., and M. Giugni. 2015. Welfare institutions, resources, and political learning. Interacting with the State as an Incentive for the Political Participa-tion of Long-Term Unemployed Youth. PArtecipazione e COnflitto 8 (3): 814–844.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lorenzini, J., and M. Giugni. 2012. Employment Status, Social Capital, and Political Participation: A Comparison of Unemployed and Employed Youth in Geneva. Swiss Political Science Review 18 (3): 332–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maclennan, D., and A. O’Sullivan. 2013. Localism. Devolution and Housing Policies. Housing Studies 28 (4): 599–615.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marien, S., M. Hooghe, and E. Quintelier. 2010. Inequalities in Non-institutionalised Forms of Political Participation: A Multi-level Analysis of 25 countries. Political Studies 58 (1): 187–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marx, P. 2014. Labour market risks and political preferences: The case of temporary employment. European Journal of Political Research 53 (1): 136–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marx, P., and G. Picot. 2013. The party preferences of atypical workers in Germany. Journal of European Social Policy 23 (2): 164–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mattoni, A. 2016. Media practices and protest politics: How precarious workers mobilise. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maurer, S., and N. Mayer. 2001. Les chômeurs en action (décembre 1997–mars 1998) mobilisation collective et ressources compensatoires. Paris: l’Harmattan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mertens, A., V. Gash, and F. McGinnity. 2007. The Cost of Flexibility at the Margin. Comparing the Wage Penalty for Fixed-term Contracts in Germany and Spain using Quantile Regression. Labour 21 (4–5): 637–666.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, D.S., and D.C. Minkoff. 2004. Conceptualizing political opportunity. Social Forces 82 (4): 1457–1492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murgia, A., and E. Armano (eds.). 2012. Mappe della precarieta. Spazi, rappresentazioni, esperienze e critica delle politiche del lavoro che cambia. Bologna: I libri di Emil.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niemi, R.G., S.C. Craig, and F. Mattei. 1991. Measuring internal political efficacy in the 1988 national election study. The American Political Science Review 85: 1407–1413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palier, B. (ed.). 2010. A long goodbye to Bismarck?: the politics of welfare reforms in continental Europe. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perea, E.A. 2002. Individual characteristics, institutional incentives and electoral abstention in Western Europe. European Journal of Political Research 41 (5): 643–673.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piven, F.F., and R.A. Cloward. 1977. Poor people’s movements: why they succeed, how they fail. New York: Pantheon Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosanvallon, P. 2008. Counter-democracy: politics in an age of distrust. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Schlozman, K.L., N. Burns, and S. Verba. 1999. ‘What Happened at Work Today?’: A Multistage Model of Gender, Employment, and Political Participation. The Journal of Politics 61 (1): 29–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schur, L. 2003. Employment and the Creation of an Active Citizenry. British Journal of Industrial Relations 41 (4): 751–771.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solt, F. 2008. Economic Inequality and Democratic Political Engagement. American Journal of Political Science 52 (1): 48–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Standing, G. 2011. The precariat: the new dangerous class. London: Bloomsbury Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stiglitz, J.E. 2015. Devolution, independence, and the optimal provision of public goods. Economics of Transportation 4 (1–2): 82–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stolle, D., and M. Hooghe. 2011. Shifting Inequalities: Patterns of exclusion and inclusion in emerging forms of political participation. European Societies 13 (1): 119–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sverke, M., J. Hellgren, and K. Näswall. 2002. No security: a meta-analysis and review of job insecurity and its consequences. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 7 (3): 242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Der Meer, T.T., and E.E. Van Ingen. 2009. Schools of democracy? Disentangling the relationship between civic participation and political action in 17 European countries. European Journal of Political Research 48 (2): 281–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Deth, J.W. 2014. A conceptual map of political participation. Acta Politica 49 (3): 349–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verba, S., et al. 1993. Citizen Activity: Who Participates? What Do They Say? The American Political Science Review 87 (2): 303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verba, S., K.L. Schlozman, H. Brady, and N.H. Nie. 1973. The modes of participation. Continuities in research. Comparative Political Studies 6 (2): 235–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verba, S., H.N. Nie, and J.-O. Kim. 1978. Participation and political equality: a seven-nation comparison. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vráblíková, K. 2014. How Context Matters? Mobilization, Political Opportunity Structures, and Nonelectoral Political Participation in Old and New Democracies. Comparative Political Studies 47 (2): 203–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilkes, R. 2004. First nation politics: deprivation, resources, and participation in collective action. Sociological Inquiry 74 (4): 570–589.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Law, eCampus University, Via Isimbardi 10, Novedrate, 22060, Italy

    Matteo Bassoli

  2. Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza degli Strozzi 1, Florence, 50123, Italy

    Lara Monticelli

Authors
  1. Matteo Bassoli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lara Monticelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matteo Bassoli.

Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 4, 5, 6, 7.

Table 4 Confirmatory factor analysis (Oblimin) on selected items of political participation
Full size table
Table 5 Summary statistics for control and explanatory variables
Full size table
Table 6 Logistic regression model on non-institutionalised political participation
Full size table
Table 7 Logistic regression model on non-institutionalised political participation, per country
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bassoli, M., Monticelli, L. What about the welfare state? exploring precarious youth political participation in the age of grievances. Acta Polit 53, 204–230 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41269-017-0047-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41269-017-0047-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation