Democracy and Capabilities for Voice

Social rights in terms of welfare and work are disappearing from the European political agenda, the more so as austerity is assumed to be the only imperative response to the financial crisis. This book, which collects the results of the leading European integrated research project CAPRIGHT («Resources, Rights and Capabilities: In Search of Social Foundations for Europe»), argues for an alternative way out, which puts the enhancement of citizens' capabilities at the core of the European social model. The contributors show why and how a democracy grounded in economic and social life – where a plurality of voices may be heard, where citizens participate in collective bargaining and public deliberation – is crucial for the Europe's future. The contributions in this book are the result of a four-year period of research and workshops (2007-2010), with the main focus on how lifelong learning, the labour market, employment and social protection combine in terms of personal experience and whether the resources available at certain key points are sufficient, when factors creating risk or discontinuity can impede personal development.