The society of the Fifth Estate

ASERI is pleased to present the volume

The society of the Fifth Estate
by Maurizio Ferrera
Ed. Laterza

Monday 16 May 2022, 6.30 pm
in ASERI (Via San Vittore 18) and ONLINE

Introduces:
Prof. Vittorio Emanuele PARSI, ASERI Director

Speakers:
Prof. Maurizio FERRERA, Full Professor of Political Science, University of Milan
Prof. Manos MATSAGANIS, Full Professor in Finance, Politecnico di Milano
Prof. Damiano PALANO, Full Professor of Political Philosophy, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

Approximate rights, low wages, fixed-term contracts: this is the society of the Fifth Estate. The precarious does not share factory work, does not live in the same neighborhoods, does not frequent the local branches of the unions and parties. It is part of a heterogeneous, fluid, dispersed whole, difficult to organize and mobilize, neglected by politics. To connect the precarious there are only the 'cold' channels of the internet and social media. What measures can be taken to protect this growing group?
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Fourth Estate was described as an oppressed but self-aware and compact class, bearer of universal interests of emancipation: workers, peasants and laborers demanded that they be recognized a political power (through rights) that was in line with their economic and social relevance. The 'oppressed' still exist today, but they are less visible than a century ago and certainly much less organized. These are the economically vulnerable people, with an unstable job, who do not enjoy sufficient social benefits. It is they, the underpaid and/or precarious workers, who make up the 'Fifth Estate', a varied and fluid whole whose demand for protection and protection is now inescapable. A possible response to these requests is the strategy of social investment, perhaps supported by a universal and unconditional basic income, capable of providing security and protection calibrated to new ways of working. The other answer is more ambitious (the author calls it 'reformism 2.0'): making the most of the processes of globalization and the digital revolution in order to create a new model of society.

Maurizio Ferrera, full professor of Political Science at the State University of Milan, is one of Europe's leading experts on welfare. He writes for the "Corriere della Sera" and has participated in working commissions of the Italian government, the European Union, the OECD and the ILO. In 2013 he received an Advanced Grant from the prestigious European Research Council for a research project entitled "Reconciling Economic and Social Europe" (REScEU). He has published with Il Mulino, Mondadori, Oxford UP and Routledge. His latest book is Alle radici del welfare all'italiana (with V. Fargion and M. Jessoula, Marsilio 2012).

Participation is free, upon registration (mandatory). 
Registrations will close at 10.00 am on the day of the event

The availability of seats in the hall is limited.
For the safety of the public, speakers and staff, access with an FFP2 mask is strongly recommended.
It is advisable to arrive in advance in order to carry out the necessary checks.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE