Conclusions: Making Sense of Professionalism and Social Change

The post-industrial transition, along with globalisation and digitalisation, has transformed professions and professional groups. However, these changes are not fully comprehensible if we do not take into account neo-liberalisation as the process through which neo-liberalism has redirected social change by redesigning institutions. The success of neo-liberalism has challenged collegiate professionalism and has facilitated the rise of a new model of professionalism among emerging professions. This concluding chapter uses the WBB model—the analytical framework developed in this edited book—to make sense of the changes that are condensed in “neo-liberal” professionalism, in which members are increasingly exposed to market risks, heterogeneous working conditions, and precarious jobs. To do this, it summarises the key findings that have emerged from the analysis of the cases presented in the 12 chapters and tackles the job of putting the pieces together. To conclude, the authors make a reflection on professions as systems of inequality, either institutionalised or market-based.