This paper presents some initial conclusions of a research on the ‘cultural political economy’ (Jessop, 2010) and the ‘governance’ (Keating, 2013) of lifelong learning policies in Europe. In addition, the research also draws on the ‘life course’ perspective to look for some effects that come out from the social interaction between the professional experts and the young beneficiaries of these policies. The paper will focus on two programmes which are currently implemented in such different places as Vienna (Austria) and Girona (Spain). These programmes are targeted to vulnerable young adults who are struggling with their school trajectory and simultaneously face great biographical uncertainty. The interest of these two case studies also arises from their governance, since in both cases regional and local authorities are experimenting with innovative forms of both formal and informal coordination. The data draw on recent research reports which are not listed in order to guarantee anonymity during the peer review process. The research is particularly interested in spelling out how these complex sets of institutional arrangements and social interactions contribute to fashion images of ‘vulnerability’. These two policies posit a telling illustration to observe significant similarities and differences in two countries.

Jessop, B. (2010). Cultural Political Economy and Critical Policy Studies. Critical Policy Studies, Vol. 3, Nos. 3-4: 336-356. Keating, M. (2013). Rescaling the European State. Oxford (UK): Oxford University Press.