Neo-Liberalism and Austerity

"Some say that 'capitalism can be oppressive, exploitative and hard graft for many' before suggesting, insensitively, ... that it can also be 'fun'. Peter Kelly and Jo Pike's edited collection explains why this view of capitalism ... is misguided but understandably commonplace among members of an elite who get to enjoy the 'craziness' far more than most ... For young people's health and wellbeing such views are dangerous, but also another part of the transformation that is underway. When everything changes those at the top see the change come last." (Danny Dorling, University of Oxford, UK) "This theoretically and empirically rich collection ... intricately illuminates the lives of today's young pople in diverse circumstances and in relation to weighty issues. In alerting us to the insidious and seductive moral economies involved it also enlivens youth studies." (Jane Kenway, Monash University, Australia) "This groundbreaking collection ... should be read by anyone interested in the often-ambiguous styles in which young people's health and well-being are treated under neoliberalism." (Peter Kraftl, University of Birmingham, UK)

This collection examines the relationships between a globalising neoliberal capitalism, a post-GFC environment of recession and austerity, and the moral economies of young people’s health and well-being.

This collection examines the relationships between a globalising neoliberal capitalism, a post-GFC environment of recession and austerity, and the moral economies of young people’s health and well-being. Contributors explore how in the second decade of the 21st century, many young people in the OECD/EU economies and in the developing economies of Asia, Africa and Central and South America continue to be carrying a particularly heavy burden for many of the downstream effects of the 2008-09 Global Financial Crisis. The authors explore the ways in which increasing local and global inequalities often have profound consequences for large populations of young people. These consequences are not just related to marginalisation from education, training and work. They also include obstacles to their active participation in the civic life of their communities, to their transitions, to their sense of belonging. The book examines the choices that are made, or not made by governments, businesses and individuals in relation to young people’s education, training, work, health and well-being, sexualities, diets and bodies, in the context of a crisis of neoliberalism and of austerity.