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30 March 2010: Miriam Glucksmann wins €810k to study "Consumption Work and Societal Divisions of Labour"

Prof. Miriam Glucksmann has secured a €810k grant from the highly competitive and prestigious European Research Council Advanced Investigator scheme.

The project, "Consumption Work and Societal Divisions of Labour" aims to radically revise the foundational concept of ‘the division of labour’ by situating traditional understandings of the technical allocation of tasks within an expanded theoretical framework.

Specifically it will examine the differentiation and interdependency of work activities across socio-economic modes (market, non-market, etc.) and across the economic processes of production, distribution, exchange, and preparation for consumption. This will be done through studies of ‘consumption work’ - the work undertaken by consumers in order to purchase, use, re-use and dispose of consumption goods. This work is shaped by its interdependency with that of providers, and vice versa, so providing a key to route to understanding the overall dynamics and variety of changing worlds of work.

Three contrasting empirical studies will be carried out: domestic broadband installation, food preparation and household recycling of waste. Analysis will centre for each on the varying nature of the interface and interaction between consumption work and systems of provision in five contrasting socio-economies: UK, Sweden, France, Taiwan, Korea.

The research programme is global, comparative and historical, intending to make a significant scientific and policy contribution by advancing comprehension of key processes of ongoing socio-economic change, and establishing consumption work as a new field of enquiry.

The grant runs for 3 years from 1st April 2010 and includes funding for (amongst other things)  4 post-doctoral researchers.

About the ERC Advanced Grants Scheme

In its second competition for established top researchers ("Advanced Grants"), the European Research Council (ERC) has selected 236 research leaders to perform their pioneering research throughout Europe. Under the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme, the ERC supports projects aiming at making important discoveries in any domain, from economics to nanotechnology, from psychology to climate change. Each of the "Advanced Grants" amounts to up to € 3.5 million.