Impact of local welfare systems on female labour force participation and social cohesion. The case of Bologna

L'Italia costituisce un ambiente scarsamente favorevole per l'integrazione delle donne nel mercato del lavoro per il carattere familistico del suo sistema di welfare. Tuttavia, Bologna rappresenta da sempre un'eccezione per il tasso comparabile con gli standard europei di partecipazione femminile al lavoro e da più parti, la diversità bolognese viene spiegata con l'efficienza del sistema di welfare locale. Nel presente paper, saranno presentate le caratteristiche salienti del sistema di welfare locale bolognese a confronto con il resto del paese, in particolar modo facendo riferimento agli ambiti di cura prescolare e di supporto alla cura a lungo termine degli anziani non auto-sufficienti. Scopo di quest'analisi è offrire una valutazione complessiva in ottica di genere sul ruolo che queste politiche sociali sono in grado di svolgere nel supportare le donne al lavoro, valutando i principali punti di forza e debolezza del sistema di welfare a livello locale. La ricerca è stata condotta nell'ambito del progetto FLOWS (www.flows-eu.eu) finanziato dal settimo programma quadro

Gioventù bruciata? La condizione giovanile e la sfida del social investment

At the basis of the Europe 2020 strategy there is the confidence that post-industrial societies have a stronger need of qualified workers and that this will reinforce the economic sustainability of the European social model. Not unsurprisingly given the unfavourable context, from the perspective of social investment strategy Italy is a worst practice in Europe. Young generations in Italy are extremely less copious than any older generation (especially confronted with other European countries), but despite their low numbers their labour market indicators are worst. Some scholars actually doubt that Italy will effectively benefit from the improved human capital of new generations, thus putting under investigation of the principle of social investment

Professionalization at work : the case of Italian management consultants

Professionalization is one of the most ancient and popular issues in the sociology of the professions. Starting from the seminal article of Harold Wilensky (1964), scholars have extensively debated on which are the criteria to identify professionals, usually focusing on liberal professions. However, in recent years, post-industrial trends have transformed the character of the labour force dramatically and new groups have raised demands for professionalism going beyond this model. Such a dilemma raises a new interest on the topic: the paper, instead of applying the liberal professional model assumed to be an a- historical standard, will face the problem by analysing the challenges facing knowledge workers' seeking to legitimize their professional status. In this paper, I address this issue through an in-depth analysis of Arianna's account, a female management consultant, using the technique of positioning. The interview with Arianna reveals the strategies and argumentative referents of a freelance management consultant who chooses to stress her professionalism. It presents the role of personal networks, on-the-job training, and market success as evidence to classify who is professional and who is not, but also to explain how she uses their competencies and market experience as the basis of her claim to professionalism. Using Arianna's interview as an emblematic example, this paper argues that management consultants are trying to establish professional status based on a process of professionalization, albeit an innovative one that does not pursue public regulation nor the mediation of intermediate bodies

La professionalizzazione atipica della consulenza di management : il ruolo delle associazioni e delle organizzazioni

The study of professionalization's process is one of the most important themes of the sociology of work, which has given birth to the debate on professional groups since the contribution of Wilensky (1964). However, the growth of knowledge work which does not recognise themselves in the typical evolution of regulated professions has put in question the heuristic capacity of Wilensky's model, especially because the role of professional associations declines in favour of market and organisations. The article aims at discussing these issues, seeing them from the point of view of management consulting. At the light of recent changes in the public regulation of non-regulated professionals (L. 4/2013), it examines the role of professional associations in an atypical professionalization, which relies on market's success and branding more than collective participation in peer bodies.Lo studio del processo di professionalizzazione è uno dei temi portanti della sociologia del lavoro, che fin dal celebre contributo di Wilensky (1964) ha segnato lo sviluppo del dibattitto sull'evoluzione dei gruppi professionali. Tuttavia, la crescita dei cosiddetti knowledge worker che non si riconoscono nel percorso tipico delle professioni regolamentate, ha messo in crisi la capacità euristica del modello proposto da Wilensky, proprio perché il ruolo una volta svolto dalle associazioni professionali è sempre più giocato dal mercato e dalle organizzazioni. Il presente contributo vuole discutere queste problematiche, affrontandole dal punto di vista di una professione emergente come la consulenza di management. Alla luce dei recenti cambiamenti introdotti nella regolazione pubblica delle professioni non regolamentate (L. 4/2013), si discuterà il ruolo delle associazioni professionali in un processo di professionalizzazione atipico, che passa prevalentemente per il successo di mercato e la definizione di strategie di branding più che attraverso la partecipazione collettiva a organismi formati da pari

The Covid-19 pandemics : why intersectionality matters

Covid-19 has been a disrupting event in contemporary social life but is far from being a great equaliser. Preliminary studies have put in evidence how different social groups faced a differentiated risk of contagion and coped differently with the various consequences of the emergency. Evidence shows how minorities and migrants face disproportionally higher risks of contagion than the white upper and middle class, and how vulnerable communities are more exposed to deaths and the rapid spread of the virus. At the same time, societies are coping with social distancing measures and their disruptive social and economic consequences, which have a more significant impact on the most vulnerable segments of societies: women, children, low-income classes and ethnic minorities. This article argues that an intersectional framework allows an understanding of what is occurring in the current pandemic, both in terms of its social determinants and social consequences. To open the black box of inequality, intersectional scholars analyze the intersections of multiple structures of inequalities (such as gender, age, class, ethnicity), which have a multiplying effect when disadvantaged positions intersect in the same individual. Covid-19 is a clear example of an intersectional phenomenon: the impact of individual and community exposure to Covid-19 is the results of multiple and interrelating structures of inequality. Up to now, research in social sciences has underestimated the role of intersectionality in analyzing the social and economic consequences of this pandemic

Solidarity Purchasing Groups

Solidarity Purchasing Groups (GAS) movement is a peculiar bottom up social innovation that has been spreading over the past 20 years in Italy. It is composed mostly of self-organised groups of citizens who collectively buy from small organic producers in Italy. They promote several practices that sustain the alternative food networks in the country, such as: solidarity and critical consumption, organic and km-0 productions as ways to promote environment protection, respect of labour regulation and fair economic relations. Several authors have recognised their role in reducing the marginalization of small and micro farms in the country (Forno and Graziano, 2014; Grasseni, 2014). The historical foundation of GAS can be traced back to the 19th century, when mutual purchasing groups had been promoted in the experience of consumers' cooperatives. More recently, the NoGlobal movement and the expansion of fair trade during the '90s have favoured the progressive increase of consumerism awareness among the middle classes (both in terms of purchasing power and in terms of cultural capital) that sustained the progressive growth of the GASs movement. GASs are now in a mature phase of the social innovation cycle and new more institutionalised forms (such as emporiums and formal associations) have now been established next to the original informal groups of consumers. The aim of this paper is to describe origins, features and transformations of the GASs movement in Italy. Our analysis is based on documents, materials and interviews out of WP7 qualitative phase in order to sketch a case study about Solidarity Purchasing Group. Between September 2015 and January 2016 35 interviews have been conducted with social innovators belonging to 35 GASs, distributed nation-wide. GASs have been selected randomly, stratifying the sample on the basis of a composite index aimed to capture the vulnerability of the contexts, being classified as low, medium and high vulnerable territories. The Italian team has interviewed at least ten social innovators for each type of context. In order to fully understand the life cycle of the social innovation and to trace the historical foundation of GASs movement, starting from the original experience of mutual consumer cooperatives, we have also added up 7 key-informant interviews with national and local representatives of GAS movement and with academic experts

Les jeunes consultants en management entre précarité et ambition

Pour les salariés exerçant un métier relevant d'une activité immatérielle, l'in­vestissement professionnel est tel qu'il absorbe totalement la dimension privée de l'existence (famille, temps libre, façon d'envisager le futur). Cette observation se vérifie pour les métiers basés sur la connaissance et l'organisation par projets dans la mesure où ceux-ci demandent une disponibilité permanente pour faire face à la compétition exacerbée existant entre collègues et pour être à la hauteur des différents projets. C'est en cela que l'on peut dire que ces professionnels vivent une forme de précarité. S'appuyant sur une recherche menée en Italie entre 2009 et 2011, cet article analyse la manière dont la passion et l'am­bition peuvent amener de jeunes professionnels du conseil à tomber dans le piège de la précarité existentielle. Il montre comment leur adhésion totale au principe d'une compétition reconnue comme valeur principale du travail les amène le plus souvent à développer des stratégies d'auto-exploitation pour réaliser leur projet professionnel. Il décrit également les principales formes de vulnérabilité que cet engagement dans le travail induit sur les autres dimensions de leur existence.For employees exercising an occupation involving an immaterial activity, the professional investment is such that it totally absorbs the private dimension of existence (family, free time and ways of envisaging the future). This observation is borne out for occupations based on knowledge and project organization insofar as they demand a permanent availability to deal with the keen competition existing between colleagues and measure up to the challenge these various projects pose. That is why we can say that these professionals live in a form of precariousness. Based on research undertaken in Italy between 2009 and 2011, this article analyses how passion and ambition may lead young professionals in consulting to fall into the trap of existential precariousness. It shows how their total adherence to the principle of competition recognized as a principal value of work most often leads them to develop strategies of self-exploitation in achieving their professional projects. It also describes the principal forms of vulne­rability this level of dedication to work leads to in other dimensions of their existence

Presentation : Who Benefits from childcare expansion? Equal opportunities, social investment and social innovation in early years education and care

The aim of this special issue is to investigate inequality in access to Early Childhood Education and Care services (ECEC) by looking at the extent to which access rules, cost of service and type of provision constitute a barrier for certain socio-economic groups. The monograph engages with discussions on the role of policies addressing the needs of children and the future of welfare states from a Social Investment paradigm. All 8 contributions to this Special Issue were initially presented at the panel on Childcare and Equal Opportunities that we organised in the 8th Congress of the Spanish Social Policy Network (ESPAnet-Spain). The articles present empirical evidence from two research projects: Investing in children: Politics, Policies and Outcomes, financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science (CSO2017-88906-R) coordinated by Margarita León; and Models of early years education and care and labour market participation: a study of social innovation in the city of Barcelona financed by RecerCaixa and coordinated by Raquel Gallego and Sheila González.L'objectiu d'aquest monogràfic és investigar la desigualtat en l'accés als serveis d'educació i atenció a la primera infància, indagant en quina mesura els costos, el tipus de serveis i la seva diferent organització a Espanya poden constituir una barrera per a determinats perfils socioeconòmics. Els diferents articles integren i desenvolupen les discussions teòriques sobre el paper de les polítiques i els serveis adreçats a les necessitats de la infància i el futur dels estats de benestar des del paradigma de la inversió social. Els vuit articles van ser inicialment presentats en el panell sobre Infància i Igualtat d'Oportunitats que vam organitzar en el VIII Congrés de la Xarxa Espanyola de Política Social (REPS, Espanet-Spain). Els articles presenten evidència empírica de dos projectes de recerca: Investing in children: politics, policies and outcomes, finançat pel Ministeri de Ciència, Innovació i Universitats (CSO2017-88906-R) i coordinat per Margarita León; i Models of early years education and care and labour market participation: a study of social innovation in the city of Barcelona, finançat per RecerCaixa i coordinat per Raquel Gallego i Sheila González.El objetivo del presente monográfico es investigar la desigualdad en el acceso a los servicios de educación y atención a la primera infancia, indagando en qué medida los costes, el tipo de servicios y su diferente organización en España pueden constituir una barrera para determinados perfiles socioeconómicos. Los diferentes artículos integran y desarrollan las discusiones teóricas sobre el papel de las políticas y servicios dirigidos a las necesidades de la infancia y el futuro de los estados de bienestar desde el paradigma de la inversión social. Los ocho artículos fueron inicialmente presentados en el panel sobre Infancia e Igualdad de Oportunidades que organizamos en el VIII Congreso de la Red Española de Política Social (REPS, Espanet-Spain). Los artículos presentan evidencia empírica de dos proyectos de investigación: Investing in children: politics, policies and outcomes, financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (CSO2017-88906-R) y coordinado por Margarita León; y Models of early years education and care and labour market participation: a study of social innovation in the city of Barcelona, financiado por RecerCaixa y coordinado por Raquel Gallego y Sheila González

The Intersections of Economic Insecurity, Non-Standard Employment and Gender in Southern Europe

Altres ajuts: Marie-Skłodowska-Curie/74743