Abstract

Social networks are an important source of support in coping with phases of unemployment and for re-entering employment. The research project “Changes in social relationship networks during basic income support” analyses changes in social embeddedness of individuals during various critical labour market transitions (e.g. employment –> unemployment benefits receipt basic income support re-employment). Current research reports heterogeneous adaptation strategies of actors ranging from social isolation of long-term unemployed individuals to a complete restructuring of the social Network. Much of current research relies exclusively on qualitative data, small case numbers, cross sectional data, or refer to unemployment before the time of major German Hartz labour market reforms. This project uses rich social network data from eight waves of the panel study “Labour market and social security”, a large representative German data set, to analyse the effects of transitions in and from unemployment and basic income support on the size and structure of social Networks.