Monica Budowski

Conceptualizing ‘precarious prosperity’: Empirical and theoretical elements for debate:

Empirical studies have recently pointed towards a socio-structural category largely overlooked in social inequality research: the dynamic positions of households adjacent to those of the poor and yet not representing those of the established, more prosperous positions in society. These results suggest that the population in this category fluctuates into and out of poverty more often than moving into and out of secure prosperity. This category — still lacking theoretical conceptualization — is characterized by both precariousness and a certain degree of prosperity; despite a restricted and uncertain living standard it holds a range of opportunities for action. We seek analytical elements to conceptualize ‘precarious prosperity’ for comparative empirical research by subjecting various concepts of social inequality research to critical scrutiny. We then operationally define ‘precarious prosperity’ to screen for this population in three countries. Based on qualitative interviews with households in precarious prosperity, we present first analyses of perceptions and household strategies that underline the relevance of the concept in different countries.

The Impact of Social Inequalities on Personal Health

Health care costs in Switzerland are among the highest worldwide. Revealing the contribution of social inequalities on personal health might point to less costly alternatives for public health. This paper analyzes the effects of social environment on individual health. A growing body of literature posits that social position and relationships are important for well-being. Material circumstances (deprivation, poverty, financial situation) are among the most well-examined factors regarding their impact on personal health. Recent research indicates that health also varies according to the social and material circumstances experienced during youth. Different social environments are considered to hold different risks for the individuals involved and entail different social policy measures. The Swiss Household Panel survey provides a unique data set collecting information on a variety of issues for same individuals over time. It provides a short-term (panel) and a longer-term (social origin) temporal perspective, and allows for a dynamic analysis of changes in health of individuals in Switzerland. A structural equation model identifies causal pathways. Implications for public health policies for individual health are discussed.

Household Role in Coping with Precarious Work. Evidence from Qualitative Research in Urban Romania and Switzerland

Abstract This paper presents the results of a qualitative comparative study that looked at the meaning of ‘precarious work’ in households situated in the position of ‘precarious prosperity’ in Switzerland and Romania in 2013. The aim of this research is to explore the experiences of individuals with precarious work and to embed them into their household and national structural contexts. Employment patterns in the two countries are similar in terms of uncertainty and instability, yet vary in many other aspects. While in Romania insecurity is due mainly to the very low incomes, in Switzerland it stems from nonstandard contracts. The research shows that for households of precarious prosperity, precarious work is both a strategy to cope with uncertainty and instability and a circumstance leading to precariousness. The analysis explores qualitatively the meaning that individuals living in households of precarious prosperity attribute to their employment situation as contextualized by the interplay between household and individual situation.

The Association Between Self-Reported Health Problems and Household Prosperity

This chapter focuses on the relationship between individual health and its financial effects on the household in Switzerland in terms of its welfare, a topic which to date has been rarely explored scientifically. Based on data of the Swiss Household Panel, we ask to what extent the onset of member’s ill health affects his or her household’s welfare position, when this member’s function is that of a breadwinner. The results of the multivariate statistical analysis show that a deterioration in health not only affects individual modes of dealing with everyday activities but also the household’s complex structure of roles and positions. In this regard, there is a clear association between deterioration of the breadwinner’s psychological health troubles in sole-earner households and the risk of a decline in household welfare. The results also depict that demographic and resource-specific household factors (e.g. psychosocial strain) vary in relevance depending on the organization of the provider status amongst the household members.

Cómo se enfrentan los problemas de salud en Chile y Costa Rica: un estudio comparativo y cualitativo

Resumen El estudio compara las practicas de manejo de riesgos de salud de 42 hogares de ingresos medios de Chile y Costa Rica a traves de tres entrevistas semi-estructuradas, realizadas entre 2008 y 2013, y aporta la mirada subjetiva de las experiencias relacionadas con la salud. En el modelo segmentado de asistencia sanitaria de Chile, la capacidad de manejo de los riesgos se relaciona con la situacion economica del hogar y el tipo de problemas de salud; los hogares se perciben fragiles y propensos a arriesgar en otros ambitos de bienestar. En el modelo de salud unificado de Costa Rica, esta se protege independientemente de los recursos y problemas sanitarios. La limitacion del estudio radica en la diversidad de la muestra en relacion al tamano.

Threats to Happiness: How Lower Middle Class Households Deal with Insecurity and Precariousness

Research has pointed towards socio-economic volatility of middle-income households. Little is known about how these households struggle to avoid slipping into poverty or to maintain their socioeconomic position, what they worry about and what this means for their well-being and happiness. By means of qualitative interviews before the onset of the financial crisis (2008) and about one year later, we analyze how various life domains are linked and how dealing with problems in one domain furthers anxieties or worries in another, e.g. debts, health and work. By contrasting the welfare regimes of Chile and Costa Rica, we highlight their role in explaining well-being. Our research contributes to the conceptualising the macro-meso-micro-link and to filling the gap in research on the subjective dimension.