The idea of socioeconomic is linked to both society and the economy.
Socioeconomic is defined as that which is linked to social and economic elements . The social , meanwhile, is related to society (a community of individuals who live in the same territory sharing norms), while the economic depends on the economy (the administration of scarce goods to satisfy the material needs of human beings). ).
Returning to the idea of socioeconomic, it is something that has to do with both society and the economy . It is common to speak of socioeconomic level , for example, to refer to the situation or status of a person according to their income, their work and their education .
Socioeconomic level
The socioeconomic level is an indicator that arises from the analysis of the salary or money that an individual obtains; of their conditions of employment ; and their educational training . A high socioeconomic level, in this framework, reflects a good quality of life and places the subject in the upper class. On the contrary, a low socioeconomic level is linked to a poor quality of life and a location in the lower stratum of society.
Knowing the socioeconomic level of a population is very important. With this data, rulers can measure the country's progress or know in which region the inhabitants live with the greatest difficulties in satisfying their needs or achieving well-being, to mention two possibilities. According to some studies, low socioeconomic level reduces life expectancy by up to two years: that is why it is vital to work with this indicator to improve figures.
What is socioeconomics
In this context, we must mention the concept of socioeconomics , a paradigm of both disciplines that is presented as an alternative to the so-called neoclassical economics , a concept that is used in the field of economics to refer to a view that pursues the integration of marginalist analysis and certain principles of classical economics.
Socioeconomics was proposed by sociologist Amitai Etzioni in his work titled The Moral Dimension of the Economy . One of the problems that the socioeconomic approach sought to solve was the conception that human beings always behaved in the same way and that, therefore, the economy always led to the same results if the conditions were repeated.
A socioeconomic study analyzes salary, employment and other variables.
Development of a socioeconomic study
We should not underestimate the complexity of the social aspect in our lives: there are numerous examples of people who receive the same opportunities in areas such as the economy, study or employment, and yet take advantage of them in completely different ways. Each of its layers has various ramifications, and it is enough to recognize its existence to understand that economics is not an easy discipline to predict but must inevitably attend to the lives of the individuals who immerse themselves in it.
Take, for example, education, one of the factors that must be taken into account in the socioeconomic study of a region. Could we say that all students of the same career, from the same institute, are equal? Or that they make the same use of their knowledge, both during the educational process and once they obtain the degree? Clearly not. Therefore, not even the coincidence of this data between two individuals assures us that they belong to the same group, that they behave in the same way when faced with the same social or economic stimulus.
In addition to the variables set out above (occupation, education and income), there is one more, wealth , which can be combined with the other three to study the socioeconomic status of an individual or a family group . On the other hand, it is believed that if both the level of income and education are low, there is probably an underlying health problem, both physical and mental.