The future of work, or: The political economy of insecurity

Due to the growing influence of information techniques, globalization, and individualization, work has been put under strong pressure to change. The d ecrease in the total volume of work has had a far-reaching impact on its st ructure - working conditions shift from full-time and normalized to non-nor malized - as well as on the life situation of individuals - precarious work ing conditions make individuals develop a political economy of insecurity. The thus induced change of modern societies from an employment centered wor k society to an employment centered knowledge society can be traced scienti fically in the dimensions of reflexivity as a well of production, transsect oral dynamics, as well as a deterritorialization of work and information te chnological indeterminism. To react to this situation in a sociopolitical w ay, political recommendations are developed, while the setting up of the pr erequisites of paid citizen labor is viewed as being a particularly suitabl e means for reforming state and society.