Rising inequality and the sociaI insecurity of the middle class: measures, drivers, policies
The project aims at analysing the crisis of middle classes in Italy and Europe with the objective of gaining a deeper understanding of its peculiarities and nuances. Contrary to much of the public debate, which has primarily framed this “crisis” in terms of the “impoverishment” of the middle class, RISIng focuses on the decline in the middle class’s ability to shield its members from social risks. In other words, the middle class is increasingly affected by various forms of social insecurity.
Social insecurity refers primarily to the risks of economic uncertainty, income loss, and financial strain. Within this framework, three main aspects are particularly relevant:
- exposure to harmful trigger events;
- a gap between available resources and actual economic needs;
- the temporal dimension and the transient or permanent nature of economic insecurity.
The three main goals of the research project are:
- to provide a comprehensive measurement of social insecurity, distinguishing between temporary and permanent difficulties and identifying multidimensional indicators.
- to identify the main factors contributing to social insecurity and determine which individuals, families, and groups are most at risk.
- to assess the “stratification of insecurity.” By focusing on the “class position” of families, the project aims to evaluate the extent to which insecurity affects the middle class and/or specific groups within it.
- to evaluate the role of welfare and employment policies. Welfare and labor market policies can either exacerbate or mitigate social insecurity. Using a comparative European perspective, the project will analyze policy developments and political dynamics related to key welfare measures aimed at preventing the erosion of the middle class.
Duration
2019–2023
Team LPS
Costanzo Ranci, Manos Matsaganis, Andrea Parma, Maria Giulia Montanari, Lara Maestripieri
Funding Body
MIUR – PRIN call 2017 (project code 20175HE4MS)
Consortium
Politecnico di Milano, University of Trento – Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Milan – Department of Political Science, Sapienza University of Rome – Department of Economics and Law
Website
https://www.rising-prin.it