engleski

Qualitative analysis of survival strategies of economically (partially) inactive households

In this paper we present a qualitative analysis of survival strategies of economically (partially) inactive households. This analysis serves to shed further light on how the high rates of inactivity and unemployment, which have characterized the Croatian economy for a number of years now, are sustained without a radical increase in the rates of absolute poverty. Our analysis is based on 38 in-depth interviews with individuals from households with inactive or unemployed persons, conducted in spring 2014. The respondents were purposely sampled to include individuals from various types of households and from various Croatian regions. The interviews, among other things, looked at how various members of each household came to engage into activities used as main or supplemental sources of income (including informal employment, rental income etc.), they probed for alternative sources of income (e.g. social transfers, one-time income), they examined the function of various types of activities and sources of income (e.g. which were key for the survival of the household), other strategies of financial management (e.g. using credit cards to pay debt, managing savings if any) or saving on expenses (e.g. growing their own food, reduction of needs), as well as dependence on solidarity and/or unpaid labour from family members and friends. We use the data obtained in these interviews to provide an in-depth analysis of alternative survival strategies used by the individuals and households that include continually inactive and/or long-term unemployed persons.

economically inactive households; survival strategies; unemployed; sources of income; in-depth interviews

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