Youth Sociology and Comparative Analysis in the European Union Member States

Abstract

The central aim of the present article is to reflect on the possible contribution sociological comparative youth research in Europe can offer for a better understanding of youth life in the EU member states. With this purpose it analyses in a first step, the structural conditions under which young Europeans grow up today, in the context of globalisation and Europeanization, asking about the consequences such processes have on young people’s insertion in society. The analysis of youth and youth developed here includes further a systematic review of the most relevant theoretical concepts on youth life being discussed by scholars in Europe today, a description of the most important research instruments, data sources and networks already existing in EU-Europe in this field, a short analysis of possible research issues and questions that are considered as relevant for European social politics and a discussion of advantages, limitations and problems of European comparative youth research, arriving finally to some general conclusions that could give orientations for future work in this field.