The Precarious Generation: A Political Economy of Young People

by Judith Bessant, Rys Farthing, Rob Watts

Overview

This book draws on a wealth of evidence including young people’s own stories, to document how they are now faring in increasingly unequal societies like America, Britain, Australia, France and Spain. It points to systematic generational inequality as those born since 1980 become the first generation to have a lower standard of living than previous generations. While governments and experts typically explain this by referring to globalization, new technologies, or young people’s deficits, the authors of this book offer a new political economy of generations, which identifies the central role played by governments promoting neoliberal policies that exacerbate existing social inequalities based on age, ethnicity, gender and class. The book is a must read for social science students, human service workers and policy-makers and indeed for anyone interested in understanding the impact of government policy over the last 40 years on young people.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138603226
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/09/2018
Series:	Routledge Advances in Sociology
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	238
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Judith Bessant is a Professor in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University, Australia.

Rys Farthing is a consultant based in London, UK.

Rob Watts is a Professor in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University, Australia.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. The state of play: how young people are faring

2. A political economy of generations

3. Neoliberal social policy and young people

4. Intergenerational equity and justice

5. Broken promise: human capital theory, education and work

6. Penalizing the young and the justice System

7. Young people making sense of it

8. Taking action: young people and politics

9. A new intergenerational contract

Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

This fascinating volume on the political economy of young people is a great resource for students and researchers in the social sciences. It draws on a wealth of evidence including young people’s own stories, to document their opportunities, challenges and problems in increasingly unequal societies including America, Britain, Australia, France and Spain.

The book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the conditions faced by young people today but also for making sense of what could be done to solve these problems and redevelop a new politics that can offer real opportunities and raise living standards for future generations. In this sense, the book is a celebration of the importance and centrality of politics for shaping our destinies as societies.

Maria Grasso, British Journal of Sociology, 2018

From the Publisher