La experiencia de paro

Abstract

The sociological analysis of the consequences of unemployment can be traced to the work of Marienthal during the Great Depression. From then the distinction can be made between the economic significance of unemployment, in terms of its impact upon standard of living, and the non economic significance, in terms of its psychological consequences and impact upon family and social relations and political attitudes. In the first part of the article there is a consideration of the literature on the sociological consequences of unemployment, differentiating between those situations where a system of welfare benefits exists and those where it does not. The conclusion is reached that the non-economic consequences of unemployment can be as serious now as they were during the Great Depression. Given the importance which some economists give to welfare systems in explaining the level and duration of unemployment in Europe, in the second part, an analysis is undertaken of theories of the job search and their implications for labour market policy, in the light of the literature on the experience of unemployment. It is concluded that cutbacks in welfare benefits, at best, have only a limited positive effect on unemployment and this has to be weighed against the negative consequences upon working conditions, the quality of life of the unemployed and the degree of social cohesion. In a situation such as is found in Spain, one should give priority to active policies for job creation, a personalized treatment of the unemployed and the rooting out of employer social security fraud.