The main purpose of social policy is to provide individuals with a certain level of security from various risks that exist in society and the life course. Although vast literature explore the effectiveness of various social policies in reducing the probability of risks for individuals, may it be unemployment, poverty, etc., not much has been done on individual’s perceptions and “feelings of insecurity”. Especially in the context of the recent and on-going financial crisis, individuals are more susceptible to feel insecure. Fundamental transformations of the social security system and intensified pressures of competition triggered by processes of globalization and internationalization are just some of the other aspects that may have increased the overall level of insecurities of individuals.
One crucial aspect to investigate is whether or not institutions matter. Are certain institutional configurations of welfare state more effective in providing individuals with a higher level of perceived security, or can the level of insecurity better explained through cyclical or structural socio-economic changes? Is this effect different across different individuals and social classes? What are some of the outcomes of this insecurity?
This session aims to bring together papers on subjective insecurity of individuals in Europe. Papers explaining the reasons behind this insecurity through both individual and national level indicators and exploring some of the outcomes of insecurities are welcome. The session especially welcomes, but is not only limited to cross-national comparative studies.
The topics dealt in this stream will include;
1. The prevalence of insecurity across Europe – job, employment, income etc.
2. The variation of insecurity across different groups and social classes
3. The role of welfare state institutions in reducing insecurities – for different groups and classes
4. Institutional impact in the outcomes of insecurity – both psychological, emotional and physical
5. Practices of coping with insecurity