1. Is Age the New Class? Economic Crisis and Demographics in European Politics.
- Author
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Elbert, Rodolfo
- Subjects
- *
LABOR movement , *NEOLIBERALISM , *CULTURAL maintenance , *BUSINESS enterprises , *SOCIOLOGY - Abstract
As the crisis turns into long-term economic downturn, younger age-groups in Europe seem to be hit with higher levels of unemployment while the welfare state is steadily shrinking. The young have suddenly become a social group united by collective material interests, but does this translate into a sense of a collective political interest? The paper examines to what extent the dominant class-based social science of the post-war years can help us understand the politics of age-groups. The analysis highlights four changes since post-war years: the workplace has changed, impacting socialization; modern media has changed, impacting mobilization; the political landscape is fairly institutionalized, tempering the possibilities for new political concerns to find voice; and those who would define and articulate the political priorities of the young are leaving the Old Continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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