The organization of modern societies : core-periphery or vertically stratified?

Müller, Karl H. (author), Toš, Niko (author)

The short article attempts to shed new light on the basic organization of contemporary societies. Initially, two models of societal organization are introduced which are classified as core-periphery model and as a homogeneous vertical stratification model. The second section points to a notorious weakness in currently available stratification schemes which are hardly capable to account for the multi-dimensionality of contemporary living conditions. The third part of this article introduces a complex stratification scheme with a multiplicity of different domains and dimensions. As a next step, the two societal stratification models are combined with the complex stratification scheme so that both societal models can be expressed in terms of different stratification patterns. The fifth section produces the results from two parallel surveys in Slovenia and in Austria which were implemented with two groups of 400 fully employed and 400 unemployed persons. The outcomes of the surveys clearly support the homogeneous vertical model and reject, by and large, the center-periphery model. In a final section one of the empirical findings, namely the strong relations between the lower segment of unemployed persons on the one hand and their health conditions on the other hand are further discussed in theoretical terms and new theoretical links are suggested between social inequality research and medical research.

• Language: English
• Work type: Not categorized
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Year: 2012
• Number of pages: Str. 566-588, 603
• Numbering: Letn. 49, št. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-76304
• UDC: 316.34:614(497.4+436)
• ISSN on article: 0040-3598
• COBISS.SI-ID: 31364701
• Publication date in RUL: 21.12.2015

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Teorija in praksa : revija za družbena vprašanja
• Shortened title: Teor. praksa
• Publisher: Visoka šola za politične vede, Visoka šola za politične vede, Visoka šola za sociologijo, politične vede in novinarstvo, Fakulteta za sociologijo, politične vede in novinarstvo, Fakulteta za družbene vede
• ISSN: 0040-3598
• COBISS.SI-ID: 763652

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian

Abstract

Članek skuša na novo osvetliti temeljne organizacijske principe sodobnih družb. V prvem delu sta predstavljena dva modela družbene organizacije: model jedro-periferija in model homogene vertikalne stratifikacije. V drugem delu članek izpostavi dobro znane šibkosti obstoječih stratifikacijskih shem, ki niso zmožne zajeti vseh razsežnosti sodobnih pogojev življenja, v tretjem pa predstavi kompleksno stratifikacijsko shemo z množico različnih področij in dimenzij. V naslednjem koraku dva družbena stratifikacijska modela kombinira s kompleksno stratifikacijsko shemo, ki omogoča, da se lahko izrazita v različnih stratifikacijskih vzorcih. Sledi prikaz rezultatov dveh vzporednih raziskav v Sloveniji in v Avstriji, ki sta bili izvedeni v skupinah 400 zaposlenih in 400 brezposelnih oseb. Rezultati teh raziskav gredo jasno v prid homogeno vertikalnega modela in v glavnem zavrnejo model center-periferija. V zaključku empiričnega dela sledi podrobnejša teoretska razprava o tesni povezanosti med nižjimi segmenti brezposelnih oseb na eni strani in njihovim zdravstvenim stanjem na drugi, s predlogi za nove teoretične navezave med raziskavami socialne neenakosti in medicinskimi raziskavami.

• Keywords: družba, življenjske razmere