Europeanization of social inequalities

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Martin Heidenreich
• Subject Area: Political Science
• Term: from 2012 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 172394079

Sub-project 7 of the research group "Horizontal Europeanization. Europe as an emerging social entity between the national and global sphere" analyses empirical patterns of social inequality in Europe, since cross-border determinants and transnational perceptions of social inequality are becoming increasingly important in the process of European integration. On the basis of European micro data (in particular EU-SILC, LFS), the structure of income inequality, poverty and deprivation as well as unequal opportunities of participating in the labour market and in health care are analysed. In this way, we take into account the multidimensional nature of social inequalities in Europe. These patterns and their development are explained by socio-demographic characteristics and national contextual factors, unearthed in particular through multilevel analyses. In the project, we assume Europe to be first of all a supranational space, secondly a politically managed space, and thirdly a space for the transnational intensification of social relations. A key result of the project has been the "double dualization" of the European territory, as the inequality of objective living conditions has increased since the beginning of the current financial, sovereign debt and economic crisis, both between different social groups and between regions of Europe (Continental und Northern European countries on the one hand, Southern and Eastern European countries on the other hand).In the second project phase, these analyses will be continued and enlarged (e.g. by analysing access to educational opportunities). Furthermore, the project will advance the analysis of social inequalities in three different directions: First, on the basis of the additional module 2013 of EUSILC, the subjective dimensions of social inequality in Europe will be analysed in relationship to the previously analysed indicators of the objective living conditions of Europeans. A possible result might be the Europeanization of reference frames for the evaluation of social inequalities. Second, we will exploit the limited opportunities for a longitudinal analysis offered by EU-SILC in order to discuss the dynamics of poverty and exclusion. Third, multiple correspondence analyses will be used as a technique for the visual representation of the European social space and its inherent social differences and cleavages.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 1539: Horizontal Europeanisation - An Emerging Social Entity Between National and Global Scales
• Co-Investigator: Privatdozentin Dr. Jenny Preunkert