Youth Labor in Transition

This is a timely volume taking seriously the wider perspectives of youth labor: it is not only the problem of unemployment, it is the life course perspective; it is not only the problem of education, it is the effective demand perspective; it is not only economic production, but also the social reproduction perspective that policymakers have to simultaneously consider in their endeavor to navigate all youth into good labor market transitions. If you share this view, dig deep into this highly professional volume and you will come out with richer insights. If you are skeptic, dig even deeper to sharpen your critical mind. * Günther Schmid, Emeritus Director, Berlin Social Science Centre (WZB); former Professor of Political Economy, Freie Universität Berlin *
Liberalization of labor markets and welfare protections, exacerbated by the economic crisis of 2008-9, has created difficulties especially for youth as they seek to transition to employment and adulthood. This impressive volume assembles a wealth of quantitative and qualitative information on the experiences of European countries in coping with these difficulties, and assesses how the dynamics of labor markets generate differences in youth transitions by gender, ethnicity, migration, and family structures. The valuable chapters in this volume make essential reading for social scientists as well as policymakers concerned with this central social and economic problem of our time. * Arne L. Kalleberg, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill *
This book presents and integrates a huge volume of new research analyzing the lives of young people entering labor markets in Europe. The role of families, employers, migration, economic crises, and regional differences in shaping transitions into and out of employment are examined with the highest quality of writing and scholarship. This tome is far more than a collection of excellent chapters; it provides the most comprehensive guide yet to the individual and societal effects of youth labor markets, and should be read by all researchers and policymakers who care about these things. * Brendan Burchell, Reader in the Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge *