Our team and Partners

Project Coordinator - Dr. Marge Unt

As a kid, I never wanted to grow up. To me, the grown-up world was not something to look for. What is this "work" they always claim to have? Why do they refuse to run around in fields and find shapes in clouds? And why do adults assume that they know it all and are still so stressed? Now, I have made this transition and have entered the world of my own family and work. However, I am still deeply interested in how youth experience becoming an adult in different contexts.

 

Project Co-coordinator - Prof. Dr. Michael Gebel

When I grew up, Germany experienced serious mass unemployment and was called the “sick man of Europe”. I saw friends suffering from unemployment and insecure jobs. But there were also success stories of friends coping with such a situation and also escaping from it. Nowadays, after a period of policy reforms, the situation is better in Germany but there are still many problems. These observations raised my interest in understanding how youths avoid getting into trouble and which policies help.

 

 

Get to know all researchers that are engaged in the project. Read the personal story of each researcher by clicking on her/his picture.

Gintare Malisauskaite

Gintare Malisauskaite

Position: Research Associate in Health Economics

Field of study: Economics

Research topics: Economics and Culture, Social Capital Studies, Economic Policy, Health Economics, Labour Economics, applied Econometrics

 

Coming from the Eastern Europe and the family background that was always balancing at the poverty line, and realising I have no prospects after finishing my first degree in Philosophy back home with marks in highest decile, I became acutely aware that life as a young individual without family support is not going to be easy. This influenced my move to the UK and the beginning of Economics studies. During that period, I have developed an interest in social, political, and cultural circumstances people live in; how these circumstances affect internal values and norms and prospects in life. Hence, my interest in youth struggling with unemployment and poverty, and finding their way to autonomy has developed as a natural next step. It is great to be part of the Project that strives to bring awareness of the acute problem and come up with suggestions on changes where it is necessary.

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Advisory board:

Hans-Peter Blossfeld
Caroline Dewilde
Duncan Gallie
Massimiliano Mascherini
Jale Tosun
Gianfranco Bordone
Laura Orestano
Franco Chiaramonte
Luca Chiapella
Vanessa Di Paola
Virginie Mora
Ruth Santos-Brien
Rita Bergstein

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