Youth Unemployment and the Risk of Social Exclusion -- A Social Policy Study on Social Integration

Author: Zeng Qun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: This book employs the grounded theory method to explore the social consequences of youth unemployment in Shanghai, examining whether China's social policies have promoted social integration in this area. The research question is: What is the impact of unemployment on the social integration of Shanghai youth? In the process of these impacts, what roles do the national welfare system and the family system play? The study finds that unemployed youth in Shanghai face the risk of social exclusion in various aspects, including accessing national welfare, economic status, consumption, entertainment and time allocation, social interaction, and life transitions. The reason lies in China's social policies prioritizing systemic integration, where the state shifts the responsibility of unemployment support to families, while lacking policies to support families in ensuring and promoting their role in social security. As a result, the family becomes the primary social institution for ensuring the social integration of unemployed youth. However, the realization of the family's social security function is not inevitable; it depends on the harmonious interaction of numerous factors such as family economic resources, family structure, family ethics, and family relationships, and is a "negotiated" outcome. When families fail, unemployed youth are inevitably excluded from society. The study suggests that China's social policy goals should emphasize both systemic integration and social integration: establishing a social rights perspective where rights and obligations are fairly balanced; formulating policies to support families; and adopting a "new social policy" perspective to expand the scope of social policy intervention. The book is well-written, with a rigorous structure and comprehensive literature review, demonstrating appropriate theoretical application. The arguments presented are unique and innovative. The publication of this book not only fills the gap in Chinese academic understanding of the issues and needs of unemployed youth but also provides a new theoretical framework and research methodology for further applying social exclusion theory to explore various social problems.