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Ole Hammerslev

Ole Hammerslev

Professor

Ole Hammerslev

Youth Homelessness in the Danish Welfare State: How Do Young Persons in Homelessness Mobilise Rights?

Author

  • Stine Piilgaard Porner Nielsen
  • Ole Hammerslev

Editor

  • Stine Piilgaard Porner Nielsen
  • Ole Hammerslev

Summary, in English

This chapter offers a bottom-up perspective on welfare rights in practice, analysing legal mobilisation by young persons in homelessness in the Danish welfare state. Youth homelessness is selected as case motivated by the fact that the number of persons aged 18 to 29 living in homelessness almost doubled from 2009 to 2019. Drawing on the young persons’ narratives, the chapter stresses that their rights consciousness, social network and sense of welfare bureaucracy are decisive for their ability to mobilise welfare rights. Without these factors, the young persons may find themselves lost in a complex welfare state system, leaving them in increasingly marginalised situations. Based on the chapter’s analyses, a distinction is made between active and passive agency to illustrate the dynamic character of legal mobilisation processes.

Department/s

  • Department of Sociology of Law

Publishing year

2024

Language

English

Pages

187-205

Publication/Series

Transformations of European Welfare States and Social Rights

Document type

Book chapter

Publisher

Palgrave Macmillan

Topic

  • Law and Society

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISBN: 978-3-031-46636-6
  • ISBN: 978-3-031-46637-3