Young People and Social Policy in Europe ― Dealing With Risk, Inequality and Precarity in Times of Crisis

In Europe's current economic and socio-political climate, young peoples' exposure to social risks is escalating. This edited collection provides the first in-depth analysis of youth as an important case for contemporary social policy. By combining social policy and youth studies, the book explores the effects of both the economic crisis and austerity policies on the lives of young Europeans. This timely publication focusses on two fundamental contemporary challenges for European welfare states: the changing conditions faced by young people, characterized by precarity and social exclusion; and the role of social policies and welfare sources in shaping youth transitions. Through a unique combination of comparative studies and case-studies studies conducted across Europe by leading experts, the book covers a number of policy areas relevant to youth transitions including education, labour market, housing and social security policies. This book will be essential reading for academics, policy-makers and students interested in understanding how welfare states are responding to the challenges faced by young people.

Lorenza Antonucci is Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of the West of Scotland, UK. In 2010 she won the first Policy Press Award for her doctoral research. She researches on welfare state changes in relation to young people and has advised European policy-making in this area.


Dr Myra Hamilton is a Research Fellow at the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, Australia. Her research interests and areas of publication are in the perceptions and management of social risks over the lifecourse.


Dr Steven Roberts is Lecturer in Social Policy and Sociology at the University of Kent, UK. His work on issues to do with young people's experiences of work, education, housing and the domestic sphere is published widely in international journals.