Jude Hays
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195369335
- eISBN:
- 9780199871056
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195369335.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
On one level, the book is about how national institutions, such as electoral and labor market institutions, shape the political and policy responses of government to economic globalization: it is ...
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On one level, the book is about how national institutions, such as electoral and labor market institutions, shape the political and policy responses of government to economic globalization: it is about how domestic politics reacts to and interacts with the global economy and how institutions structure these relationships. However, on a deeper level, the book is about the political backlash against globalization in the Anglo-American democracies. The book's analysis is based on the fact that the future of the global economy is at stake, and possibly so is international peace and stability. The book analyzes the risks to the state of the international economy from economic nationalism, the current global economic crisis, and recent concerns over national security.Less
On one level, the book is about how national institutions, such as electoral and labor market institutions, shape the political and policy responses of government to economic globalization: it is about how domestic politics reacts to and interacts with the global economy and how institutions structure these relationships. However, on a deeper level, the book is about the political backlash against globalization in the Anglo-American democracies. The book's analysis is based on the fact that the future of the global economy is at stake, and possibly so is international peace and stability. The book analyzes the risks to the state of the international economy from economic nationalism, the current global economic crisis, and recent concerns over national security.
David Rueda
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199216352
- eISBN:
- 9780191712241
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199216352.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The analysis in this book disputes entrenched interpretations of the comparative political economy of industrialized democracies. It questions, in particular, the widely-held assumption that social ...
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The analysis in this book disputes entrenched interpretations of the comparative political economy of industrialized democracies. It questions, in particular, the widely-held assumption that social democratic governments will defend the interests of labour. The evidence shows that labour has become split into two clearly differentiated constituencies: those with secure employment (insiders) and those without (outsiders). The book focuses on three policy areas: employment protection (representing the main concern of insiders), and active and passive labour market policies (the main concern of outsiders). The main thrust of the argument is that the goals of social democratic parties are often best served by pursuing policies that benefit only insiders. The implication of the book's insider-outsider model is that social democratic government is associated with higher levels of employment protection legislation but not with labour market policy. The book also argues that there are factors that can reduce insider-outsider differences and weaken their influence on social democratic governments. These hypotheses are explored through the triangulation of different methodologies. The book provides an analysis of surveys and macrodata and a detailed comparison of three case-studies: Spain, the UK, and the Netherlands.Less
The analysis in this book disputes entrenched interpretations of the comparative political economy of industrialized democracies. It questions, in particular, the widely-held assumption that social democratic governments will defend the interests of labour. The evidence shows that labour has become split into two clearly differentiated constituencies: those with secure employment (insiders) and those without (outsiders). The book focuses on three policy areas: employment protection (representing the main concern of insiders), and active and passive labour market policies (the main concern of outsiders). The main thrust of the argument is that the goals of social democratic parties are often best served by pursuing policies that benefit only insiders. The implication of the book's insider-outsider model is that social democratic government is associated with higher levels of employment protection legislation but not with labour market policy. The book also argues that there are factors that can reduce insider-outsider differences and weaken their influence on social democratic governments. These hypotheses are explored through the triangulation of different methodologies. The book provides an analysis of surveys and macrodata and a detailed comparison of three case-studies: Spain, the UK, and the Netherlands.
Bernhard Ebbinghaus
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199286119
- eISBN:
- 9780191604089
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199286116.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter analyzes the economic ‘push’ factors that lead to early exit from work. Some firms co-sponsor early retirement via occupational pensions in order to facilitate restructuring. ...
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This chapter analyzes the economic ‘push’ factors that lead to early exit from work. Some firms co-sponsor early retirement via occupational pensions in order to facilitate restructuring. Deindustrialization, mass unemployment, and privatization have increased structural push, with early exit spreading widely across sectors. Two varieties of capitalism can be observed: early exit is used by firms to adapt to regulated labor markets in Continental coordinated market economies, it is more cyclical and infrequent in Anglophone flexible labor markets, while Japan and Sweden are exceptional cases that integrate older workers.Less
This chapter analyzes the economic ‘push’ factors that lead to early exit from work. Some firms co-sponsor early retirement via occupational pensions in order to facilitate restructuring. Deindustrialization, mass unemployment, and privatization have increased structural push, with early exit spreading widely across sectors. Two varieties of capitalism can be observed: early exit is used by firms to adapt to regulated labor markets in Continental coordinated market economies, it is more cyclical and infrequent in Anglophone flexible labor markets, while Japan and Sweden are exceptional cases that integrate older workers.
Carl-Ulrik Schierup
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780198280521
- eISBN:
- 9780191603730
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198280521.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This chapter discusses the emergence of downgraded and informal sectors of European labour markets staffed by socially marginal migrants and ethnic minorities. These parts of the economy and the ...
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This chapter discusses the emergence of downgraded and informal sectors of European labour markets staffed by socially marginal migrants and ethnic minorities. These parts of the economy and the labour market seem to represent a ‘pre-modern’ regression in terms of organization and management. Yet the processes through which this occurs are part and parcel of advanced capitalist strategies of deregulation for the enhancement of ‘flexibility’ in terms of a networked economy and society and a fragmented labour market. This point is illustrated by case studies of industrial restructuring from Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal. These examples exhibit advanced corporate strategies heading the ongoing restructuring of the political economy and European societies, and reflect processes typical for different economic sectors. The cases also demonstrate the impact of the different national institutional contexts and welfare regimes in which these strategies of restructuring are embedded.Less
This chapter discusses the emergence of downgraded and informal sectors of European labour markets staffed by socially marginal migrants and ethnic minorities. These parts of the economy and the labour market seem to represent a ‘pre-modern’ regression in terms of organization and management. Yet the processes through which this occurs are part and parcel of advanced capitalist strategies of deregulation for the enhancement of ‘flexibility’ in terms of a networked economy and society and a fragmented labour market. This point is illustrated by case studies of industrial restructuring from Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal. These examples exhibit advanced corporate strategies heading the ongoing restructuring of the political economy and European societies, and reflect processes typical for different economic sectors. The cases also demonstrate the impact of the different national institutional contexts and welfare regimes in which these strategies of restructuring are embedded.
John Knight and Lina Song
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199245277
- eISBN:
- 9780191602207
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245274.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, South and East Asia
This book presents a compilation of studies on China’s labour market. These explore institutional and political constraints on the operation of the market, and their changes over time. The book is ...
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This book presents a compilation of studies on China’s labour market. These explore institutional and political constraints on the operation of the market, and their changes over time. The book is divided into four parts. Part I studies the Chinese labour and wage system under the planned economy, labour market reforms, their evolution, and their consequences. Part II examines the various aspects of the labour market such as wage structure and segmentation. Part III analyses the rural labour market. Part IV discusses the imperfect labour market.Less
This book presents a compilation of studies on China’s labour market. These explore institutional and political constraints on the operation of the market, and their changes over time. The book is divided into four parts. Part I studies the Chinese labour and wage system under the planned economy, labour market reforms, their evolution, and their consequences. Part II examines the various aspects of the labour market such as wage structure and segmentation. Part III analyses the rural labour market. Part IV discusses the imperfect labour market.
Peter A. Swenson
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195142976
- eISBN:
- 9780199872190
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195142977.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
Challenges the conventional wisdom that welfare state builders take their cues solely from labor and other progressive interests. It argues instead that pragmatic social reformers in the U.S. and ...
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Challenges the conventional wisdom that welfare state builders take their cues solely from labor and other progressive interests. It argues instead that pragmatic social reformers in the U.S. and Sweden looked for support from above as well as below, taking into account capitalists’ interests and preferences in the political process. Legislation associated with the American New Deal and Swedish social democracy was built, consequently, on cross‐class alliances of interest. Capitalists in both countries appreciated the regulatory impact of reformist social and labor legislation. Their interests in such legislation derived from their distinct systems of labor market governance. Thus, new theory and historical evidence in this book illuminate the political conditions for greater equality and security in capitalist societies.Less
Challenges the conventional wisdom that welfare state builders take their cues solely from labor and other progressive interests. It argues instead that pragmatic social reformers in the U.S. and Sweden looked for support from above as well as below, taking into account capitalists’ interests and preferences in the political process. Legislation associated with the American New Deal and Swedish social democracy was built, consequently, on cross‐class alliances of interest. Capitalists in both countries appreciated the regulatory impact of reformist social and labor legislation. Their interests in such legislation derived from their distinct systems of labor market governance. Thus, new theory and historical evidence in this book illuminate the political conditions for greater equality and security in capitalist societies.
Stewart Wood
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198297567
- eISBN:
- 9780191600104
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198297564.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
In this third of three chapters on the distinctive policy dynamics of particular areas of social provision, Wood looks at labour market regimes in Germany, Britain, and Sweden. The theoretical ...
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In this third of three chapters on the distinctive policy dynamics of particular areas of social provision, Wood looks at labour market regimes in Germany, Britain, and Sweden. The theoretical starting point of the chapter is an examination of path dependence, perhaps the most popular contemporary approach to explaining the persistence of institutions and policies over time. In principle, this offers an enticing explanation of the resilience of national policy trajectories, although the outcomes it explains have a tendency to be overdetermined, and not all mechanisms generating a bias towards the status quo are path‐dependent ones. The theoretical work of this chapter, therefore, lies in deriving alternative (though not mutually exclusive) micro‐level sources of policy continuity over time, and evaluating their relative contributions to the evolution of labour market policy in Germany, Britain, and Sweden. Divided into four substantive sections: Section 1 discusses the theory of path‐dependent institutional and policy trajectories in politics; Sect. 2 presents three distinct sources of policy continuity (employer‐centred, constitutional, and electoral) that are often bundled together as ‘lock‐in mechanisms’ in path‐dependent accounts; Sect. 3 sketches the changing context of labour market policy in Western Europe by looking at national responses to unemployment from 1980 onwards in each of the three country case studies, and providing accounts of labour market policies, employers’ preferences in relation to labour market policies, and constitutional factors and electoral constraints in relation to labour market reform; Sect. 4 is a conclusion and discusses the thesis offered by the chapter — that the trajectory of labour market policy can be accounted for by an employer‐centred theory of preferences.Less
In this third of three chapters on the distinctive policy dynamics of particular areas of social provision, Wood looks at labour market regimes in Germany, Britain, and Sweden. The theoretical starting point of the chapter is an examination of path dependence, perhaps the most popular contemporary approach to explaining the persistence of institutions and policies over time. In principle, this offers an enticing explanation of the resilience of national policy trajectories, although the outcomes it explains have a tendency to be overdetermined, and not all mechanisms generating a bias towards the status quo are path‐dependent ones. The theoretical work of this chapter, therefore, lies in deriving alternative (though not mutually exclusive) micro‐level sources of policy continuity over time, and evaluating their relative contributions to the evolution of labour market policy in Germany, Britain, and Sweden. Divided into four substantive sections: Section 1 discusses the theory of path‐dependent institutional and policy trajectories in politics; Sect. 2 presents three distinct sources of policy continuity (employer‐centred, constitutional, and electoral) that are often bundled together as ‘lock‐in mechanisms’ in path‐dependent accounts; Sect. 3 sketches the changing context of labour market policy in Western Europe by looking at national responses to unemployment from 1980 onwards in each of the three country case studies, and providing accounts of labour market policies, employers’ preferences in relation to labour market policies, and constitutional factors and electoral constraints in relation to labour market reform; Sect. 4 is a conclusion and discusses the thesis offered by the chapter — that the trajectory of labour market policy can be accounted for by an employer‐centred theory of preferences.
Mathias Dewatripont, André Sapir, and Khalid Sekkat (eds)
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- August 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198293606
- eISBN:
- 9780191601262
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198293607.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Macro- and Monetary Economics
This book explores the impact of trade with less developed countries (LDCs) on employment in Europe. It supports the view that trade with LDCs has had limited impact on the labour market. Among its ...
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This book explores the impact of trade with less developed countries (LDCs) on employment in Europe. It supports the view that trade with LDCs has had limited impact on the labour market. Among its main findings are that trade with LDCs would be less harmful for Europe than for the USA, that the inequality problem in Europe is not wage inequality but the widespread unemployment of unskilled workers, and that technology has contributed to unemployment. The book has nine chapters. The first seven examine the impact of LDC trade on the European labour market; the final two address the social clause problem.Less
This book explores the impact of trade with less developed countries (LDCs) on employment in Europe. It supports the view that trade with LDCs has had limited impact on the labour market. Among its main findings are that trade with LDCs would be less harmful for Europe than for the USA, that the inequality problem in Europe is not wage inequality but the widespread unemployment of unskilled workers, and that technology has contributed to unemployment. The book has nine chapters. The first seven examine the impact of LDC trade on the European labour market; the final two address the social clause problem.
Bas van Bavel
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199278664
- eISBN:
- 9780191707032
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199278664.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This chapter discusses the rise of market exchange in land, labour, capital, and goods in the 10th to 16th centuries. It focuses on the institutional framework in which exchange was organized, in ...
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This chapter discusses the rise of market exchange in land, labour, capital, and goods in the 10th to 16th centuries. It focuses on the institutional framework in which exchange was organized, in order to better understand the slow pace and regional unevenness of this process. It shows that a balance between social actors was crucial in the emergence of a favourable institutional framework. The strong position held by towns, merchants, craftsmen, and even peasants, and their associations, in some regions formed a main element in this balance. Public authorities, if held in check by such counter‐balances, could also contribute to the security of exchange and accessibility of markets. The effects are charted by way of various indicators. The chapter shows how first in Flanders, and later especially in Holland, the markets offered relatively high mobility of production factors, integrated labour markets, cheap credit, and low transaction costs.Less
This chapter discusses the rise of market exchange in land, labour, capital, and goods in the 10th to 16th centuries. It focuses on the institutional framework in which exchange was organized, in order to better understand the slow pace and regional unevenness of this process. It shows that a balance between social actors was crucial in the emergence of a favourable institutional framework. The strong position held by towns, merchants, craftsmen, and even peasants, and their associations, in some regions formed a main element in this balance. Public authorities, if held in check by such counter‐balances, could also contribute to the security of exchange and accessibility of markets. The effects are charted by way of various indicators. The chapter shows how first in Flanders, and later especially in Holland, the markets offered relatively high mobility of production factors, integrated labour markets, cheap credit, and low transaction costs.
Mats Benner and Torben Bundgaard Vad
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199240920
- eISBN:
- 9780191600180
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199240922.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The very generous, service‐oriented ‘social–democratic’ welfare states in Sweden and Denmark did consistently achieve higher levels of overall employment, extremely high levels of public services, ...
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The very generous, service‐oriented ‘social–democratic’ welfare states in Sweden and Denmark did consistently achieve higher levels of overall employment, extremely high levels of public services, greater equality in wages, and higher rates of female employment than either the ‘liberal’ or the ‘Bismarckian’ welfare states covered in this study. Following the liberalization of capital markets and errors of fiscal and monetary policy at the end of the 1980s, however, the Swedish economy went from an overheated boom into a deep recession, which then required significant cutbacks of social spending and public‐sector employment in the 1990s. By contrast, Denmark combined growth‐oriented macroeconomic policies with more flexible labour‐market regulations that allowed it to maintain the high level of public services while also increasing employment in private services. With the rapid recovery of the Swedish economy at the end of the 1990s, both countries are again successful in combining high competitiveness in the international economy with very high levels of social protection.Less
The very generous, service‐oriented ‘social–democratic’ welfare states in Sweden and Denmark did consistently achieve higher levels of overall employment, extremely high levels of public services, greater equality in wages, and higher rates of female employment than either the ‘liberal’ or the ‘Bismarckian’ welfare states covered in this study. Following the liberalization of capital markets and errors of fiscal and monetary policy at the end of the 1980s, however, the Swedish economy went from an overheated boom into a deep recession, which then required significant cutbacks of social spending and public‐sector employment in the 1990s. By contrast, Denmark combined growth‐oriented macroeconomic policies with more flexible labour‐market regulations that allowed it to maintain the high level of public services while also increasing employment in private services. With the rapid recovery of the Swedish economy at the end of the 1990s, both countries are again successful in combining high competitiveness in the international economy with very high levels of social protection.
Jochen Clasen
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199270712
- eISBN:
- 9780191603266
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199270716.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
The chapter discusses three periods of policy change in the field of social protection for unemployed people. It explains basic parameters of unemployment protection systems, contrasting contemporary ...
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The chapter discusses three periods of policy change in the field of social protection for unemployed people. It explains basic parameters of unemployment protection systems, contrasting contemporary systems with those which existed in the late 1970s. Making use of several indicators, it assess the scale and profile of change in each country. The different reform profiles are identified and their genesis discussed in the context of major legislative changes. It argues that the specific links between unemployment protection systems and respective national political economy structures have impacted strongly on the emerging reform profiles. Dynamic power relations within and across government parties, as well as contextual changes impeded or facilitated policies, thus explaining cross-national variations in the pace and profile of reform.Less
The chapter discusses three periods of policy change in the field of social protection for unemployed people. It explains basic parameters of unemployment protection systems, contrasting contemporary systems with those which existed in the late 1970s. Making use of several indicators, it assess the scale and profile of change in each country. The different reform profiles are identified and their genesis discussed in the context of major legislative changes. It argues that the specific links between unemployment protection systems and respective national political economy structures have impacted strongly on the emerging reform profiles. Dynamic power relations within and across government parties, as well as contextual changes impeded or facilitated policies, thus explaining cross-national variations in the pace and profile of reform.
Peter A. Swenson
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195142976
- eISBN:
- 9780199872190
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195142977.003.0012
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter turns to the social democratic reforms of the 1940s and 1950s, rooted in cross‐class alliances that were ultimately to distinguish Sweden as the world's paragon social democratic welfare ...
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This chapter turns to the social democratic reforms of the 1940s and 1950s, rooted in cross‐class alliances that were ultimately to distinguish Sweden as the world's paragon social democratic welfare state. Looking first at its People's Pension and universal health insurance reforms, it shows how the Social Democratic government assisted organized employers in their efforts against welfare capitalism by relieving pressure on individual firms to use private social benefits to attract and retain labor under the labor scarcity associated with solidarism and strong expansionary macroeconomic pressures. It then looks at Sweden's renowned “active labor market policy” and its controversial pension legislation of 1959 to show how additional social democratic reforms directly served employers’ solidaristic interests in wage restraint, labor mobility, and the rationing of labor made scarce by collectively administered underpricing – all the while preserving capitalist domination of the investment process.Less
This chapter turns to the social democratic reforms of the 1940s and 1950s, rooted in cross‐class alliances that were ultimately to distinguish Sweden as the world's paragon social democratic welfare state. Looking first at its People's Pension and universal health insurance reforms, it shows how the Social Democratic government assisted organized employers in their efforts against welfare capitalism by relieving pressure on individual firms to use private social benefits to attract and retain labor under the labor scarcity associated with solidarism and strong expansionary macroeconomic pressures. It then looks at Sweden's renowned “active labor market policy” and its controversial pension legislation of 1959 to show how additional social democratic reforms directly served employers’ solidaristic interests in wage restraint, labor mobility, and the rationing of labor made scarce by collectively administered underpricing – all the while preserving capitalist domination of the investment process.
Colin Crouch
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199250257
- eISBN:
- 9780191599101
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199250251.003.0012
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Assesses the capacity of national‐level labour‐market institutions to adapt to developments within the Euro‐zone, and how far the move towards a single currency might provoke or obstruct the ...
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Assesses the capacity of national‐level labour‐market institutions to adapt to developments within the Euro‐zone, and how far the move towards a single currency might provoke or obstruct the coordination of its labour markets. Perhaps its most striking conclusion, which contradicts the zero‐sum assumption that power gained by the EU is lost to member states, is that the re‐nationalization of industrial relations systems that has been provoked by EMU can co‐exist positively with, rather than undermine, the potential growth of Europe‐wide coordination.Less
Assesses the capacity of national‐level labour‐market institutions to adapt to developments within the Euro‐zone, and how far the move towards a single currency might provoke or obstruct the coordination of its labour markets. Perhaps its most striking conclusion, which contradicts the zero‐sum assumption that power gained by the EU is lost to member states, is that the re‐nationalization of industrial relations systems that has been provoked by EMU can co‐exist positively with, rather than undermine, the potential growth of Europe‐wide coordination.
Jude C. Hays
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195369335
- eISBN:
- 9780199871056
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195369335.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
This chapter argues that because of important cross-national differences in domestic political and economic institutions, the severity of Rodrik's globalization dilemma varies across countries. In ...
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This chapter argues that because of important cross-national differences in domestic political and economic institutions, the severity of Rodrik's globalization dilemma varies across countries. In particular, the degree to which globalization increases demands for protection depends on how, and the extent to which, shocks in international commercial markets are transmitted to domestic labor markets. The chapter is organized as follows. The first section discusses some of the new challenges to corporatism and how corporatist institutions have evolved in response to them. The second section theoretically examines how trade affects labor market volatility in both competitive and corporatist systems—a topic that gets relatively little attention in the literature. It then turns to the empirical relationships between trade, employment, and labor market volatility. The final section reviews the broader literature on the comparative economic performance of national labor markets throughout the OECD, focusing primarily on the issue of wage inequality.Less
This chapter argues that because of important cross-national differences in domestic political and economic institutions, the severity of Rodrik's globalization dilemma varies across countries. In particular, the degree to which globalization increases demands for protection depends on how, and the extent to which, shocks in international commercial markets are transmitted to domestic labor markets. The chapter is organized as follows. The first section discusses some of the new challenges to corporatism and how corporatist institutions have evolved in response to them. The second section theoretically examines how trade affects labor market volatility in both competitive and corporatist systems—a topic that gets relatively little attention in the literature. It then turns to the empirical relationships between trade, employment, and labor market volatility. The final section reviews the broader literature on the comparative economic performance of national labor markets throughout the OECD, focusing primarily on the issue of wage inequality.
Johannes Lindvall
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199590643
- eISBN:
- 9780191723407
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199590643.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Economy
Ever since the 1970s, the problem of unemployment has defined politics in Western Europe, but governments have responded in different ways. In the 1970s and 1980s, some governments used macroeconomic ...
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Ever since the 1970s, the problem of unemployment has defined politics in Western Europe, but governments have responded in different ways. In the 1970s and 1980s, some governments used macroeconomic policy to support domestic economic activity and maintain full employment. In the 1990s and 2000s, on the other hand, some governments made large labor market policy changes to ensure that the unemployed were looking for jobs, well-trained, and matched with employers willing to hire them. Comparing Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden, this book shows that governments made different choices because of underlying political differences: the development of party systems, corporatism, and norms regarding the purpose of political authority. Low unemployment was the linchpin of political arrangements in Western Europe after the Second World War. When mass unemployment became a threat again in the 1970s, Austria and Sweden – where the post-war political order remained intact – used economic policies to preserve full employment. In the 1990s and 2000s, governments in Denmark and the Netherlands – who had lived with high unemployment for a long period of time and reformed their political models in the course of the 1980s – undertook far-reaching labor market policy changes.Less
Ever since the 1970s, the problem of unemployment has defined politics in Western Europe, but governments have responded in different ways. In the 1970s and 1980s, some governments used macroeconomic policy to support domestic economic activity and maintain full employment. In the 1990s and 2000s, on the other hand, some governments made large labor market policy changes to ensure that the unemployed were looking for jobs, well-trained, and matched with employers willing to hire them. Comparing Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden, this book shows that governments made different choices because of underlying political differences: the development of party systems, corporatism, and norms regarding the purpose of political authority. Low unemployment was the linchpin of political arrangements in Western Europe after the Second World War. When mass unemployment became a threat again in the 1970s, Austria and Sweden – where the post-war political order remained intact – used economic policies to preserve full employment. In the 1990s and 2000s, governments in Denmark and the Netherlands – who had lived with high unemployment for a long period of time and reformed their political models in the course of the 1980s – undertook far-reaching labor market policy changes.
Manuela Samek Lodovici
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199240524
- eISBN:
- 9780191599187
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199240523.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter compares the patterns of labour market regulation in European countries. The approach followed by most countries was the introduction of selective changes that did not completely ...
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This chapter compares the patterns of labour market regulation in European countries. The approach followed by most countries was the introduction of selective changes that did not completely overturn the existing social contract. In the 1990s, increasing external pressures and the need to improve the adjustment capacity of labour markets resulted in a regulatory framework with common features, most evident in industrial relations systems and wage-setting. The complete convergence of social policies, however, will be prevented by differences in national preferences, customs, and histories across member states.Less
This chapter compares the patterns of labour market regulation in European countries. The approach followed by most countries was the introduction of selective changes that did not completely overturn the existing social contract. In the 1990s, increasing external pressures and the need to improve the adjustment capacity of labour markets resulted in a regulatory framework with common features, most evident in industrial relations systems and wage-setting. The complete convergence of social policies, however, will be prevented by differences in national preferences, customs, and histories across member states.
Anders Björklund
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199240524
- eISBN:
- 9780191599187
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199240523.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter examines labour market reforms in Denmark and Sweden in the 1990s. It focuses on the changes in unemployment benefits, the wage bargaining system, employment protection legislation, ...
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This chapter examines labour market reforms in Denmark and Sweden in the 1990s. It focuses on the changes in unemployment benefits, the wage bargaining system, employment protection legislation, earnings, and working hours. It then discusses the impact of reform on unemployment, wage dispersion, and union membership.Less
This chapter examines labour market reforms in Denmark and Sweden in the 1990s. It focuses on the changes in unemployment benefits, the wage bargaining system, employment protection legislation, earnings, and working hours. It then discusses the impact of reform on unemployment, wage dispersion, and union membership.
Peter Taylor-Gooby
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199267262
- eISBN:
- 9780191602023
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019926726X.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
New social risks have emerged in relation to work‐life balance and securing a position in a more flexible labour market across Europe. Policy responses often involve the aspiration of ‘transforming ...
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New social risks have emerged in relation to work‐life balance and securing a position in a more flexible labour market across Europe. Policy responses often involve the aspiration of ‘transforming vice into virtue’ by reducing welfare state spending and at the same time increasing productivity. This is to be achieved by childcare and elder‐care policies and active labour market polices that get more women and unemployed people into paid work. It is difficult for governments and other policy actors to find large groups of voters who support these policies and reform typically involves compromise. However, the new social risk analysis is a corrective to the typical retrenchment analysis of old social risks such as pensions.Less
New social risks have emerged in relation to work‐life balance and securing a position in a more flexible labour market across Europe. Policy responses often involve the aspiration of ‘transforming vice into virtue’ by reducing welfare state spending and at the same time increasing productivity. This is to be achieved by childcare and elder‐care policies and active labour market polices that get more women and unemployed people into paid work. It is difficult for governments and other policy actors to find large groups of voters who support these policies and reform typically involves compromise. However, the new social risk analysis is a corrective to the typical retrenchment analysis of old social risks such as pensions.
Cees Gorter
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199240524
- eISBN:
- 9780191599187
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199240523.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter examines labour market reforms in the Netherlands. Deregulation and flexibilisation measures since 1980 have not influenced the degree of employment protection or wage flexibility. ...
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This chapter examines labour market reforms in the Netherlands. Deregulation and flexibilisation measures since 1980 have not influenced the degree of employment protection or wage flexibility. However, these have promoted the extensive use of temporary and flexible work, and increased working hour flexibility. The ‘Dutch’ miracle is attributed to a continuous course of wage moderation based on an ‘organized-decentralized’ wage bargaining system in which social partners reach agreements, whereby wage restraint is exchanged for socio-economic goals such as employment creation and working time reduction.Less
This chapter examines labour market reforms in the Netherlands. Deregulation and flexibilisation measures since 1980 have not influenced the degree of employment protection or wage flexibility. However, these have promoted the extensive use of temporary and flexible work, and increased working hour flexibility. The ‘Dutch’ miracle is attributed to a continuous course of wage moderation based on an ‘organized-decentralized’ wage bargaining system in which social partners reach agreements, whereby wage restraint is exchanged for socio-economic goals such as employment creation and working time reduction.
Mary Daly
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199240920
- eISBN:
- 9780191600180
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199240922.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
One of the central causes of change in the welfare state has been the changing economic role and employment behaviour of women, especially of married women. Factors related to gender are the key to ...
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One of the central causes of change in the welfare state has been the changing economic role and employment behaviour of women, especially of married women. Factors related to gender are the key to explaining labour‐market variation among developed countries. In explaining how women's presence has transformed labour markets in 23 OECD countries, the chapter draws on a wide range of possible factors, including policy packages, historical trends, and cultural norms about the family and women's roles. The analysis is based on a three‐fold model that includes supply, demand, and country‐specific contextual factors.Less
One of the central causes of change in the welfare state has been the changing economic role and employment behaviour of women, especially of married women. Factors related to gender are the key to explaining labour‐market variation among developed countries. In explaining how women's presence has transformed labour markets in 23 OECD countries, the chapter draws on a wide range of possible factors, including policy packages, historical trends, and cultural norms about the family and women's roles. The analysis is based on a three‐fold model that includes supply, demand, and country‐specific contextual factors.
