Abstract
This paper discusses the interplay of contextual macro-, meso- and micro-level factors that shape worker experiences of precariousness. It discusses precarious work as a multi-level configuration embedded and reinforced in the design of processes and dynamics that result from the implementation of NPM reforms. The paper draws on 48 semi-structured interviews with administrators across four School District offices in Chile. Findings suggest that the infrastructural and organizational conditions of work that emerge from NPM reforms create a distinct configuration of precarious work that, whilst making workers structurally disposable, is sustained by workers’ collective culture and ethos of self-sacrifice. These findings enable a situated, multi-level theorization of precariousness. The paper offers new insights into context-based understandings of precarious work and suggests a research agenda on precarious work configuration to advance discussions about the sociology of precarious work and employment.