International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Volume 35, Issue 1/2, March 2015.
Purpose In this article we examine the relationship between unemployment and social participation and aim to identify the role of national policies and attitudes as possible mediators. Design/methodology/approach We use the 2006 EU-SILC module on social participation – a dataset that provides rich information on social participation for 22/23 EU countries. We adopt a two-step multilevel design, allowing us to directly examine the impact of national policies and norms on individual outcome. Findings The article reveals clear evidence that the unemployed have lower levels of social participation than the employed across a range of indicators. The paper also reveals that macro-level variables significantly affect the extent of these differentials in social participation. For instance, we found societies that expose the unemployed to poverty risk have a larger social participation gap between the employed and the unemployed. Originality/value While the negative association between unemployment and social participation has been established in prior work, our study is the first one to employ a ‘large N’ comparison and to use a multi-level design to statistically test the degree to which macro-level variables mediate the negative relationship between unemployment on social participation. Our analyses were able to show that societal context can significantly alleviate the negative implications of unemployment for social participation.
Purpose In this article we examine the relationship between unemployment and social participation and aim to identify the role of national policies and attitudes as possible mediators. Design/methodology/approach We use the 2006 EU-SILC module on social participation – a dataset that provides rich information on social participation for 22/23 EU countries. We adopt a two-step multilevel design, allowing us to directly examine the impact of national policies and norms on individual outcome. Findings The article reveals clear evidence that the unemployed have lower levels of social participation than the employed across a range of indicators. The paper also reveals that macro-level variables significantly affect the extent of these differentials in social participation. For instance, we found societies that expose the unemployed to poverty risk have a larger social participation gap between the employed and the unemployed. Originality/value While the negative association between unemployment and social participation has been established in prior work, our study is the first one to employ a ‘large N’ comparison and to use a multi-level design to statistically test the degree to which macro-level variables mediate the negative relationship between unemployment on social participation. Our analyses were able to show that societal context can significantly alleviate the negative implications of unemployment for social participation.