Policy Press

The Welfare of the Middle Class

Changing Relations in European Welfare States

By Remo Siza

Published

Sep 22, 2022

Page count

156 pages

ISBN

978-1447359999

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Policy Press

Published

Sep 22, 2022

Page count

156 pages

ISBN

978-1447360001

Dimensions

Imprint

Policy Press

Published

Sep 22, 2022

Page count

156 pages

ISBN

978-1447360001

Dimensions

Imprint

Policy Press
The Welfare of the Middle Class

In many European countries, processes of individualisation have contributed to transforming the middle class into a multitude of people, a sort of ‘middle mass’ with an unstable social identity and radical activism. The different ‘worlds’ of European welfare states seem progressively less able to manage this new kind of middle-class activism.

This book is an essential contribution to ongoing public and academic debates on the unpredictability of middle-class attitudes and on their changing relations with the welfare state. Identifying key trends in the literature, it considers the impact of recent welfare reforms on the needs and preferences of the middle class.

Remo Siza is a senior consultant for research institutes. He has written books on middle class and poverty and collaborates with several international journals on sociology and social policy.

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Radicalisation of Middle-Class Activism: A Theoretical Overview

Chapter 2: A Long-Lasting Transition

Chapter 3: The Rise of a New ‘Middle Mass’

Chapter 4: The Shifting Relations With the Welfare State

Chapter 5: A Welfare for a Highly Individualised Society

Conclusions: The ‘Worlds’ of Welfare and the Divided Middle Class