Conceptualising 'precarious prosperity'–empirical and theoretical elements for debate

Monica Budowski (1) , Robin Tillmann (2) , Wiebke Keim (3) , Michèle Amacker (4)

1 UNIFR - Université de Fribourg = University of Fribourg
2 UNIL - Université de Lausanne = University of Lausanne
3 SAGE - Sociétés, Acteurs, Gouvernement en Europe
4 UNIBE - Universität Bern / University of Bern

Empirical studies have recently pointed towards a structural position largely overlooked in social inequality research so far: the dynamic location in vicinity of the poor and yet not part of the established, more prosperous positions in society. This population fluctuates into and out of poverty more often than moving into and out of secure prosperity. It is characterized by both precariousness and prosperity, i.e. living with considerable material deprivations, yet holding opportunities for agency. Although empirically identified, this position still lacks theoretical conceptualization. To identify this in-between position of ‘precarious prosperity’ for comparative empirical research, we seek analytical elements to conceptualize it by subjecting various concepts of social inequality research to critical scrutiny. Thereafter we operationally define precarious prosperity to screen for this population in three countries. The last part of the paper presents first analysis of perceptions and ways of coping with material circumstances. These are based on qualitative interviews with selected households that underline the relevance of the concept of ‘precarious prosperity’ for the countries in question.

Mots clés: poverty; precarious prosperity; precariousness; qualitative comparative research; social inequality

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société; Sociologie

Monica Budowski, Robin Tillmann, Wiebke Keim, Michèle Amacker. Conceptualising 'precarious prosperity'–empirical and theoretical elements for debate. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 2010, 51 (4), pp.268-288. ⟨10.1177/0020715210368840⟩. ⟨halshs-01077290⟩