Making a Living in Europe

by Alan Townsend

Will 'making a Living' remain a dream for the deprived and excluded?
Jobs are one of Europe's most important problems. Employment provides the basic means of distributing wealth in society, in providing for families, and ensuring pensions for the elderly. Yet unemployment, and increasingly 'non-employment', continues at near record levels in the European Union.
Making a Living in Europe shows how the culture of work has been transformed in the industrialised nations of the EU. Exploring the relationship between employment change, society and economic restructuring, the shift toward 'flexible' work for women in services, away from traditional industrial jobs for men, is demonstrated within three key business services, retailing and tourism. The outcome of change is discussed in terms of shifts of people and jobs from urban to rural areas.
Europe must be understood in the context of the new Europe, of change in the USA and of global change. Drawing on examples from UK and European Regions and USA, the author challenges long-standing assumptions about changes in economy and society and highlights the need for stronger local and European policies to reduce inequality at large and contribute positively to local people's struggles to make a living in Europe.

284 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Dr. Alan R. Townsend is a scientist, author, speaker, and dean of the University of Montana’s W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation. He is a highly cited author of more than 140 scientific articles and has served in multiple prominent leadership roles. He was named an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow and a Google Science Communication Fellow and was one of six scientists chosen to be in the Let Science Speak documentary film series, which premiered at the Tribeca TV Festival in September of 2018. He lives in Montana with his family and two ridiculous dogs.