Quantitative and qualitative methodology are combined. The quantitative part delineates the social category situated in between poverty and secure prosperity and assesses how this category experienced recent economic crisis by monitoring changes in objective and subjective indicators of quality of life in both countries.
The qualitative part consists of in-depth interviews with households situated in “precarious prosperity”. For Switzerland, the qualitative survey builds on data of the first two waves of the study presented above. In the context of the Swiss-Romanian JRP a 3rd (qualitative) survey is carried out with about 50 persons. It provides a unique and longitudinal picture of the trajectories and of how these households in three Swiss cities perceive, assess and deal with the dynamics of low income and deprivations over a time lapse of five years (2008–13); it will further cast light on the role social policy measures have in addressing social inequalities as experienced by households in their everyday life. In Romania approximately 100 interviews are conducted in two waves (2013 and 2015). For this purpose two towns/communities situated in different Romanian regions of development are chosen.
