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This mixed methods study examines the ways in which households and individuals negotiate and cope with forms of social exclusion emerging from the introduction of the market economy in central European cities. The research examines the strategies adopted by households and individuals, how they link informal and formal economic activities, and how they are constituted differently in contrasting geographical contexts. The purpose of the research is to provide policy-relevant results to inform discussions of social policy within the context of European Union enlargement and to contribute to theoretical debates concerning how the emergent economies of post-socialism are understood. The research involves a comparative study of the resources and strategies employed by households and individuals in two urban communities (in Bratislava, Slovakia and Krakow, Poland). It uses a range of methodological techniques to examine the extent, form and functioning of these strategies. This multi-method approach includes statistical analysis of data on social exclusion in the urban communities, a questionnaire survey of households, in-depth semi-structured interviews with household members, multi-sited ethnographies of household and community economic practices, and semi-structured interviews with key informants in relevant institutions. Further information about the project, including publications, may be found on the ESRC Social Exclusion, Spaces of Household Economic Practice and Post-Socialism grant award web page.

Main Topics:

The main topics covered include household economic activity and urban social exclusion.

Purposive selection/case studies

Face-to-face interview