This was a straightforward and informative book. It is a weird mix of academic and popular, which is why I understand why people at both ends would find negative things to say about it. For a scholar, there are too many bold claims without proper references, for a popular reader the definitions and academic wrangling might be boring. Overall, I liked it a lot, although I'm not qualified to say how original Standing's thinking is. But I especially liked that he is not afraid to say what should be done (in addition to how we should understand things)--a much too rare characteristic in an academic--even when the future visions seem utopian.

This was an interesting stance on categorizing the global socio-economic class of the precariat. The precariat is named as so as a portmanteau of precarious and proletariat and describes so many people who are trapped in this in ability to find stable work and who's qualifications vastly out weight their current job prospects due to the commodification of education. Guy Standing has a TED talk on this topic for those who are interested that I find to be much more concise and more captivating research that this novel. While his findings are a bit biased and definitely read as coming from his lense as a white, british economist, he still does make a lot of excellent points. Check out the TED talk before you decide if you want to read this one.

Kurslitteratur men funkar bra som vanlig facklitteratur också. Är enig med Guy Standing och tycker klassteorin är otroligt intressant.

Some very astute observations which hold really well in 2021. A bit shallow, while preachy, on the solutions side, but lays ground for more fundamental approach to the problem and potential ways out.

Absolutely fabulous and fascinating. The final chapter proposes how a different approach to economy could be founded on and nourish a valuing of work as far more than labour and of leisure as far more than play. Un-conditional basic income very interesting. Makes the case for universalism. Exposes the mean-spirited and divisive approach of our successive governments. Economics as if people and the plant mattered, to steal from NEF. Read it!

"It is chronic socio-economic insecurity that is fanning neo-fascism in rich countries as they confront the delayed downward adjustment of living standards brought about by globalisation." (P.175)