Youth Employment in the Context of Hegemonic Neoliberalism: a Case Study of the Illawarra Region
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University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016 University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2014 Youth employment in the context of hegemonic neoliberalism: a case study of the Illawarra Region Scott David Burrows University of Wollongong, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses University of Wollongong Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorise you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this work may be reproduced by any process, nor may any other exclusive right be exercised, without the permission of the author. 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Recommended Citation Burrows, Scott David, Youth employment in the context of hegemonic neoliberalism: a case study of the Illawarra Region, Doctor of Philosophy thesis, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong, 2014. https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/4342 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF HEGEMONIC NEOLIBERALISM: A CASE STUDY OF THE ILLAWARRA REGION A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Scott David Burrows, BA (Hons) SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL INQUIRY FACULTY OF LAW, HUMANITIES AND THE ARTS UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG 2014 CERTIFICATION I, Scott David Burrows, declare that this thesis, submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Wollongong, is wholly my own work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution. Scott David Burrows 27th June 2014 i ABSTRACT Youth employment is one of the most pressing social issues in the Australian economy. Youth generally have greater employment difficulties than other groups in the labour market. This is particularly striking in regional Australia. The focus of this thesis is the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia which has experienced one of the most disadvantaged labour markets for youth over the last few decades. There have been a number of important factors that have impacted on youth employment. One of the most significant has been neoliberalism, an ideology and practice that has become ubiquitous in the developed West. The theory of hegemony developed by Antonio Gramsci is used to understand how neoliberalism operates. Hegemony can be applied to both theory and ideology, and policy and structures. The thesis argues that neoliberalism can be seen as hegemonic, and contends that it can be seen as operating successfully in its own terms in the Australian context. This thesis specifies the nature of the local youth labour market in the Illawarra’s regional economy. The thesis poses a central research question to understand these dimensions: What are the challenges to youth employment in a neoliberal economy that operates successfully in its own terms? In order to explore this question a qualitative methodology is used that draws on youth employment experiences to understand, more specifically, how neoliberalism has impacted on youth. The findings indicate how significant neoliberal ideologies and practices impact on youth employment experiences, and youth understandings of them. In particular, the study demonstrates how precarious employment shapes the experiences and expectations of youth, contributing to new understandings of youth employment in regional Australia. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisors, Richard Howson and Diana Kelly for their assistance in the development of this thesis. I would also like to thank Mike Donaldson in earlier stages of its development. The guidance of my supervisors helped me develop a theoretical framework and a clear research question and methodology. I would like to thank all those individuals who participated in the research especially those youth who displayed such determination with difficult personal struggles. I would like to thank the staff and postgraduate students within the Faculty for their collegiality especially those who read drafts of my thesis chapters. In 2011-2013, I was grateful for the financial support of an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) from the University of Wollongong and receiving conference and research funding from the faculty on a number of occasions during my candidature. Finally, I would also like to thank my wife Suzie, and two sons, Karl and Oliver, as well as other family members in the Burrows unit who were always encouraging during my academic studies. iii PUBLISHED MATERIAL IN SUPPORT OF THESIS Sections of this thesis have been published in the following conference proceedings and journals: Parts of chapter three have been published in these proceedings: Burrows, S. (2009) ‘Youth Unemployment in the Illawarra: A Regional Crisis?’, proceedings of the Capital in Crisis: Implications for Labour and Society Conference, published electronically at the Centre for Work, Organisation and Well- being, Griffith University, July. Burrows, S. (2010a) ‘Contesting the Social Impacts of Neoliberalism: Economic Recovery, Unemployment and Youth in the Illawarra Region’, proceedings of the 12th Path to Full Employment Conference/17th National Conference on Unemployment, Centre for Full Employment and Equity (COFFEE), University of Newcastle, Newcastle, December. Parts of chapter three and seven have been published in this article: Burrows, S. (2010b) ‘Youth Unemployment in the Illawarra Region’, Journal of Australian Political Economy, vol. 65, pp. 88-105. Parts of chapter five have been published in this article: Burrows, S. (2011/2012) ‘Unemployment in the Illawarra Region: Understanding its Historical Trajectory and Legacy’, Illawarra Unity: Journal of the Illawarra Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 51-66. Parts of chapter six have been published in this article: Burrows, S. (2013) ‘Precarious Work, Neoliberalism and Young People’s Experiences of Employment in the Illawarra Region’, Economic and Labour Relations Review Symposium – Precarious Work: Economic, Sociological and Political Perspectives, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 380-396. iv ABBREVIATIONS ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics ISD Illawarra Statistical District ILO International Labour Organisation OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development WSD Wollongong Statistical District v TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATION ...................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... iii PUBLISHED MATERIAL IN SUPPORT OF THESIS ........................................ iv ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................. ix LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... x Chapter One: Scope of the Thesis ............................................................................. 1 1.1: Introduction: From the Global to National ........................................................ 1 1.2: The Illawarra Region: A Case Study ................................................................ 7 1.3: Research Question and Methodology ............................................................... 9 1.4: Understanding Neoliberalism as Hegemonic .................................................... 9 1.5: Chapter Outline and Structure of the Thesis ................................................... 11 Chapter Two: Understanding Neoliberalism as Hegemonic ................................ 14 2.1: Introduction ..................................................................................................... 14 2.2: What is Neoliberalism? From the Global to the National ............................... 14 2.3: Neoliberalism: An Overview of its Origins .................................................... 17 2.4: What makes Neoliberalism Hegemonic? ........................................................ 26 2.5: Why is Neoliberalism