Precarity – It Isn’t about Employment, It Is the Economy, Stupid
How to Cite
Herrmann P. Precarity – It Isn’t about Employment, It Is the Economy, Stupid. Living Standards of the Population in the Regions of Russia. 2018. Vol. 14. No. 3. P. 73-78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/1999-9836-2018-10030
Abstract
Precarity is commonly referred to as matter of employment and the increasing insecurity and instability of obtaining labour as secure and predictable foundation of socio-economic security – subsequently we find instability of inclusion, cohesiveness and empowerment (and/or perception). Alluding to the slogan «the economy, stupid» which had been guiding Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992, the slogan brought forward is here «Precarity – it isn’t employment, stupid». The thesis is that much of the debate on precarity is referring to a curtailed understanding of the economy, based in four main pillars: monetary gain, growth, competition and employment. The real challenge lies in addressing the limitations of the quadriga that dominates modern social science, namely methodological individualism, methodological nationalism, methodological solutionism and methodological presentism.The Object of the Study. Analysing precarious employmentThe Subject of the Study. Change of Methodological RequirementsThe Purpose of the Study. Identifying flaws of existing methodology of social science and perspectives for alternativesThe main Provisions of the Article. Locating precarity within the framework of a changing economic formation
Keywords:
precarious employment, methodology of social science, economy and society, social quality, work
References
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Drahokoupil, Jan/Piasna, Agnieszka, November 23, 2017: Work in the Platform Economy: Beyond Lower Transaction Costs; in: Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, 52, November/December: 335-340; DOI10.1007/s10272-017-0700-9; available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3076472; 21/08/18
Dubal, Veena B., 2017: The Drive to Precarity: A Political History of Work, Regulation, & Labor. Advocacy in San Francisco’s Taxi & Uber Economies; in: Berkeley Journal of Employment & Labor Law; Vol. 38:1: 73-136; http://labourlawresearch.net/sites/default/files/papers/Dubal%20-%20Drive%20to%20Precarity%20-%20BJELL-2%20copy.pdf; 11/08/18
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Herrmann, Peter, forthcoming b: Economy of Difference and Social Differentiation. Precarity – searching for a new interpretative paradigm; in: Bobkov, Vyacheslav/Herrmann, Peter (eds.) forthcoming: Digitisation and Precarisation – Redefining Work and Redefining Society; Springer
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Phillips, David, 2006: Quality of Life, Concept, Policy and Practice, London: Routledge
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Selwyn, Ben, 2013: Social Upgrading and Labour in Global Production Networks: A Critique and an Alternative Conception; in: competition and change, Vol. 17 No. 1, February, 75–90; DOI 10.1179/1024529412Z.00000000026
Selwyn, Benjamin, June 2016: Global Value Chains or Global Poverty Chains? A new research agenda; Brighton: University of Sussex. Centre for Global Political Economy; CGPwE Working Paper Series; Working Paper 10; https://www.sussex.ac.uk/webteam/gateway/file.php?name=selwyn-global-chains-2016-w-imprint.pdf&site=359; 05/02/18
van der Maesen, Laurent J.G/Alan Walker, eds., 2012: Social Quality. From Theory to Indicators; Houndsmills/New York: Palgrave MacMillan
Weber, Max, 1904/1905 [engl. 1930]: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism; Translated by Talcott Parsons; with an introduction by Anthony Giddens; London/New York: Routledge; 2005
Williamson, John, 2009: A Short History of the Washington Consensus; in: Law and Business Review of the Americas, Volume 15: 7-23; https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1381&context=lbra; 23/08/18
Boyer Robert/Saillard, Yves [eds.], 2002: Régulation Theory. The State of the Art; London/New York: Routledge
Cox, Robert W., 1981: Social Forces, States and World Orders: Beyond International Relations Theory; in: Millennium – Journal of International Studies 1981; 10; 126-155 DOI: 10.1177/03058298810100020501
Dieuaide, Patrick, 2018: Grey Zones and Triangulation of the Employment Relationship in Globalisation: A Business Policy Approach; in: Transfer. European Review of Labour and Research; Vol 24, Issue 3; 297 – 315; https://doi.org/10.1177/1024258918775533
Drahokoupil, Jan/Piasna, Agnieszka, November 23, 2017: Work in the Platform Economy: Beyond Lower Transaction Costs; in: Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, 52, November/December: 335-340; DOI10.1007/s10272-017-0700-9; available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3076472; 21/08/18
Dubal, Veena B., 2017: The Drive to Precarity: A Political History of Work, Regulation, & Labor. Advocacy in San Francisco’s Taxi & Uber Economies; in: Berkeley Journal of Employment & Labor Law; Vol. 38:1: 73-136; http://labourlawresearch.net/sites/default/files/papers/Dubal%20-%20Drive%20to%20Precarity%20-%20BJELL-2%20copy.pdf; 11/08/18
Graber, David, 2001: Toward An Anthropological Theory of Value. The False Coin of Our Own Dreams; New York/Basingstoke: Palgrave
Graeber, David, 2018: Bullshit Jobs. A Theory; New York et altera: Simon & Schuster; iBooks-edition
Herrmann, Peter, 2009: Social Quality. Looking for a Global Social Policy; Bremen: Europaeischer Hochschulverlag: 44 ff.
Herrmann, Peter, 2016: Social Quality – Regaining Political Economy; International Journal for Social Quality, International Journal of Social Quality 6(1), Summer 2016: 88–107
Herrmann, Peter, forthcoming a: Changing the Socio-Economic Formation: New Labour Relations, New Forms of Accumulation, New understanding of Intelligence
Herrmann, Peter, forthcoming b: Economy of Difference and Social Differentiation. Precarity – searching for a new interpretative paradigm; in: Bobkov, Vyacheslav/Herrmann, Peter (eds.) forthcoming: Digitisation and Precarisation – Redefining Work and Redefining Society; Springer
Kudera, Werner/Voß, G. Günter, 2000: Alltägliche Lebensführung - Bilanz und Ausblick; in: Kudera, Werner/Voß, G. Günter (eds.): Lebensführung und Gesellschaft Beiträge zu Konzept und Empirie alltäglicher Lebensführung; Opladen: Leske + Budrich; 11-26
Phillips, David, 2006: Quality of Life, Concept, Policy and Practice, London: Routledge
Russels, Bertrand, 1935: In Praise of Idleness: And Other Essays, Routledge 2004; taken from Harpers Magazine; October 1932: https://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness/; 21/08/18
Selwyn, Ben, 2013: Social Upgrading and Labour in Global Production Networks: A Critique and an Alternative Conception; in: competition and change, Vol. 17 No. 1, February, 75–90; DOI 10.1179/1024529412Z.00000000026
Selwyn, Benjamin, June 2016: Global Value Chains or Global Poverty Chains? A new research agenda; Brighton: University of Sussex. Centre for Global Political Economy; CGPwE Working Paper Series; Working Paper 10; https://www.sussex.ac.uk/webteam/gateway/file.php?name=selwyn-global-chains-2016-w-imprint.pdf&site=359; 05/02/18
van der Maesen, Laurent J.G/Alan Walker, eds., 2012: Social Quality. From Theory to Indicators; Houndsmills/New York: Palgrave MacMillan
Weber, Max, 1904/1905 [engl. 1930]: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism; Translated by Talcott Parsons; with an introduction by Anthony Giddens; London/New York: Routledge; 2005
Williamson, John, 2009: A Short History of the Washington Consensus; in: Law and Business Review of the Americas, Volume 15: 7-23; https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1381&context=lbra; 23/08/18
Citation Formats
Other cite formats:
APA
Herrmann, P. (2018). Precarity – It Isn’t about Employment, It Is the Economy, Stupid. Living Standards of the Population in the Regions of Russia, 14(3), 73-78. https://doi.org/10.19181/1999-9836-2018-10030
Section
SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
