Economic Restructuring and Social Exclusion

In the drive towards economic recovery and material prosperity, issues relating to social and economic inequalities have been submerged beneath a rhetoric of mobility and competitiveness in the “new Europe”. This book provides a timely reminder of persisting inequalities of class, race and gender which may worsen as a consequence of the momentous changes which have engulfed Europe in less than a decade. The contributors consider key debates including the possibility, in the West, of a two-tier Europe within a single market, which is seen to work to the distinct disadvantage of some countries and social groups. Democracy, social justice and citizenship are key issues in both East and West, and the factors which militate against the democratic dream of universal rights of citizenship are subjected to rigorous analysis. Even in the most successful economies, moves towards universalism can be zero-sum in that the gains of the majority are at the expense of significant minorities, such as immigrants, guest workers and working class women. There is evidence that social and economic polarization is increasing and the prospect of a conspicuous and growing “underclass” in Europe’s urban centres is fast becoming a reality. This volume will be particularly valuable for undergraduate and postgraduate sociology courses in social structure and political sociology, and will have significant appeal to researchers and students in social policy, politics, European studies and others interested in European integration.