Marianna Zieleńska - Böcker

This book sheds light on metrics as a key element of power relations in the EU anti-poverty policy, not least because the calculative infrastructure underlying them actively shapes the distribution of power. These metric-based power dynamics are linked to the fundamental lines of division in the EU, namely the tension between the vested interests of Member States and of supranational bodies, as well as between economic and social policy objectives. The analysis also points to the blurring of the boundaries between the technical and political (interest-based) aspects of the policy-making process. Actors are surprisingly often not only aware of, but openly talk about, the normative choices and negotiations involved in creating indicators and the trade-off between cognitive value and alignment of interests. Many also believe that it is better to use “imperfect” but “commonly agreed” indicators than none at all. By unpacking these hidden infrastructures and everyday practices, this book brings a new perspective to the study of EU policy-making. Drawing on extensive empirical research, it provides a robust empirical account of how Europe governs through numbers.

This book promotes a radical alternative impact on youth policy in Europe to overcome the situation of vulnerability and discrimination of a growing number of youngsters in their transition from school to work. It follows a Human Development perspective in using the Capability Approach (CA) as analytical and methodological guiding tool to improve the social conditions of the most socially vulnerable young people in European societies. The mission of the interdisciplinary authors is to expand the actual chances of the young to actively shape their lives in a way they have reason to choose and value. This book is based on the research of the EU Collaborative Project “Making Capabilities Work” (WorkAble), funded by the EU within the Seventh Framework Programme. It is the first empirical project to pursue a justice theory perspective on a European level. It also contributes to a fundamental change in the currently mostly insufficient attempts within the human capital approach to use the labour market to ensure desired lifestyle forms and a secure income for vulnerable youth.