This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Whelan, C. T. Articles by Maître, B. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Europeanization of inequality and European reference groups

University College Dublin, Ireland

Bertrand Maître

Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin, Ireland,Bertrand.Maitre{at}esri.ie

In this article we take advantage of the availability of European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) data to address both weak and strong versions of the Europeanization of reference groups thesis. The former proposes that common standards of evaluation emerge as a consequence of knowledge of conditions in other societies. The latter argues that people increasingly perceive themselves as part of a larger European stratification system. Our analysis leads us to reject both versions of the thesis. Material deprivation rather than having a uniform effect is highly dependent on national context. If a process of convergence is underway, it is one that as yet has had a limited impact. In circumstances where the Europeanization of inequality is raising issues relating to both national and transnational forms of legitimacy, it is important to understand that there is no necessary relationship between such Europeanization and the Europeanization of reference groups.

Key Words: deprivation • economic stress • Europeanization of inequality • legitimacy • reference groups

Journal of European Social Policy, Vol. 19, No. 2, 117-130 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0958928708101865


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. T. Whelan and B. Maitre Comparing Poverty Indicators in an Enlarged European Union Eur. Sociol. Rev., October 23, 2009; (2009) jcp047v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]