HAL_F_05 Social Cohesion and Good Work: Study to Investigate the Effects of Good Work and Self-efficacy Experiences on Social Cohesion, Differentiated by Wage Mobility and Company Mobility of Good and Bad Companies

Objectives/ Research Questions

In this project, which lasts five years, the subjective experiences of work will be investigated with special regard to the significance of self-efficacy experiences in relation to social cohesion. The subjective experiences will be interpreted in relation to the sociostructural factors, which will be determined on the basis of actual economic effects on the basis of a regionally differentiated categorization of good and bad companies. The central analytical tool are deep stories (Hochschild 2017) determined and formulated on the basis of qualitative field research. The guiding research question is, In what way do good and bad work, in relation to actual economic effects (differentiated by wage mobility and company mobility), have an effect on the quality of social cohesion?

Within the Halle section, the project reconstructs the regional wage and company structures presented in the project HAL_F_02 with quantitative data in qualitative terms by means of understanding explanations, insofar as the significance of such work worlds for social cohesion is comprehended. It thus makes an important contribution to the research field of working and living environments of Cluster 2.

A central survey instrument of the project is observing the participation of about ten central actors in their work and daily life for a longer duration (1 year of field work) (Hochschild 2017). The milestones of the project are the conference “Narratives, Intensive Case Studies, Depth Stories” in June 2021, the conference “Work and Cohesion” in February 2023, and publications in June 2023.

Thematic Reference to Social Cohesion

Social cohesion cannot be understood without an analysis of work and working conditions (Dayton-Johnson 2001). Work is defined not only as paid work but also as care work, housework, or voluntary work. In this project, the focus is on paid work. This form of employment, in particular, can create social cohesion and is a central mechanism of social integration. Work plays a decisive role in determining experiences of self-efficacy, social relationships, life courses, status, and recognition. These effects of work are crucial for social cohesion as well as for the opposite processes of polarization, isolation, and erosion of cohesion. It can be assumed that good work creates positive forms of cohesion, whereas bad work prevents them (Jenson 2010; Janczyk 2016; Schiefer / van der Noll 2017).

Work and labour relations have two essential dimensions, whose significance for social cohesion needs to be studied. Firstly, the objective/material dimension of work can be differentiated, such as the sociostructural conditions, the economic effects (wage levels), or the organization of companies and work processes. Secondly, there is always a subjective/immaterial dimension of work, such as individual experiences, values, emotions, goals, perceptions, and the self-efficacy expectations that are central here (Rosa 2016). The subjective experiences are interpreted in the project in relation to the sociostructural factors. Work is also regionally located (Liebig et al. 2014). Regional factors have a specific influence on work and social cohesion. It is therefore an open research question focusing on to what extent do “good” and “bad” work – depending on the actual economic effects (wage inequality of companies and company mobility) – have a positive or negative effect on social cohesion.

In the future, it is planned to further deepen the insights gained in this project through a German-US comparative study.

Literature

Dayton-Johnson, Jeff 2001: Social Cohesion and Economic Prosperity, Toronto.

Handrich, Christoph 2013: „Gute Arbeit ist, wenn ich Anerkennung bekomme“. Professionalität und gute Arbeit, in: Alsdorf, Nora; Handrich; Christoph; Haubl, Rolf; Voß, G. Günter (Hrsg.): Belastungsstörung mit System: Die zweite Studie zur psychosozialen Situation in deutschen Organisationen, Göttingen, 49-64.

Hochschild, Arlie Russell 2017: Fremd in ihrem Land. Eine Reise ins Herz der amerikanischen Rechten, Frankfurt am Main, New York.

Janczyk, Stefanie 2016: Integration durch gute Arbeit, in: Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik 61:1, 17-20.

Jenson, Jane 2010: Defining and Measuring Social Cohesion, London.

Liebig, Stefan; Hülle, Sebastian; Schupp, Jürgen 2014: Löhne werden in Ostdeutschland weiterhin als ungerechter empfunden als im Westen, in: DIW Wochenbericht 81:40, 995-1000.

Rosa, Hartmut 2016: Resonanz, Frankfurt am Main.

Schiefer, David; van der Noll, Jolanda 2017: The Essentials of Social Cohesion: A Literature Review, in: Social Indicators Research 132:2, 579-603.

Stief, Mahena 2001: Selbstwirksamkeitserwartungen, Ziele und Berufserfolg: Eine Längsschnittstudie, Aachen.