The Danish Model of Industrial Relations: Erosion or Renewal?

2008 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 513-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesper Due ◽  
Jørgen Steen Madsen
Keyword(s):  
Political System ◽  
Critical Case ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Market Regulation ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
Effective Combination ◽  
Labour Market Regulation ◽  
Enterprise Level ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Globalized World

The Danish model represents one of the most solidly-based industrial relation (IR) systems in Europe, and is today internationally regarded as an exemplar owing to its effective combination of flexibility and security in labour-market regulation. But in an increasingly globalized world even this model has come under pressure. The pressure comes from three different directions: (1) from EU regulation; (2) from the national political system; and, (3) from the parties at enterprise level. The organized or centralized decentralization of the collective bargaining system that was seen as the answer to the increased competitive pressure of internationalization would appear to have reached its limit and to have been replaced by a trend towards multi-level regulation. Whether this trend will lead to renewal or erosion of the Danish model will be revealed over the coming years. There are signs that indicate the model's continued robustness, but there are also signs of weakening. The outcome is not only of national interest, but also has international relevance, since Denmark can be seen as the IR model par excellence. As a critical case the development of the Danish model is an indicator of the traditional IR system's future prospects in general.

scholarly journals Labour standards application in the informal economy of Ghana: The patterns and pressures

2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (196) ◽  
pp. 157-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Akorsu
Keyword(s):  
Informal Economy ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Work Organisation ◽  
Market Regulation ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Labour Market Regulation ◽  
Labour Standards ◽  
Labour Legislation

In spite of the rapid growth and importance of informal employment in Ghana, few studies have investigated the extent of coverage of labour standards application, as a form of labour market regulation. This paper investigates the extent of labour standards application in shaping the employment relations and conditions within the informal economy. The study focuses on 30 manufacturing firms in Ghana?s informal economy. Data were obtained through interviews with 43 entrepreneurs and their workers, as well as with key informants from the social partners of industrial relations. The study shows that labour standards are generally not applied among informal economy operators due to factors such as a lack of coverage of the existing labour legislation, ineffective enforcement, ignorance, peculiarities of work organisation, and the dynamics of the apprenticeship system. It is therefore concluded that informal economy workers, who constitute the majority of the workforce in Ghana, lack social protection and must be targeted for intervention.

scholarly journals Some obstacles to wage-led growth

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.E. King
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Market Regulation ◽  
Real Wages ◽  
Wage Share ◽  
Keynesian Model ◽  
Labour Market Regulation ◽  
Ability And Willingness ◽  
The Welfare State

I begin by providing a non-technical summary of the Post-Keynesian model of wage-led growth. I then summarise the work of microeconomists and industrial relations researchers on the reasons why real wages have failed to keep pace with labour productivity, leading to a steady decline in the wage share of GDP. These include the decline of trade unions, the erosion of the welfare state and (especially) the increasing ability and willingness of employers to evade and avoid labour market regulation. I conclude that these microeconomic problems need to be solved for a macroeconomic strategy of wage-led growth to be possible.

scholarly journals Active Enactment and Virtuous Circles of Employment Relations: How Danish Unions Organised the Transnationalised Copenhagen Metro Construction Project

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 682-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Arnholtz ◽  
Bjarke Refslund
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Scale Construction ◽  
Market Regulation ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
The Public ◽  
Power Resources ◽  
Labour Market Regulation

Transnational workers on large-scale construction projects are often poorly included in national industrial relations systems, which results in employment relations becoming trapped in vicious circles of weak enforcement and precarious work. This article shows how Danish unions have, nonetheless, been successful in enacting existing institutions and organising the construction of the Copenhagen Metro City Ring, despite initially encountering a highly fragmented, transnational workforce and several subcontracting firms that actively sought to circumvent Danish labour-market regulation. This is explained by the union changing their organising and enforcement strategies, thereby utilising various power resources to create inclusive strategies towards transnational workers. This includes efforts to create shared objectives and identity across divergent groups of workers and actively seeking changes in the public owners’ attitude towards employment relations.

Complements or Substitutes? Taxation, Social Welfare and Labour Market Regulation: An Industrial Relations Perspective on the ‘Five Economists’ Plan

2000 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-45
Author(s):  
Julien Barbara ◽  
Peter Gahan
Keyword(s):  
Social Welfare ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Full Employment ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Market Regulation ◽  
Employment Relationships ◽  
Know How ◽  
The Core ◽  
Labour Market Regulation

The purpose of this paper is to critically appraise the assumptions and proposals put forward in the Five Economists' plan to change the balance between social welfare, taxation and labour market regulation. The core theme developed here is that the proposal is based on questionable assumptions about the nature of employment relationships and labour market processes. An alternative framework is advanced. Using the Dutch case, it is argued that a more appropriate balance between these policy instruments, which requires an account of the distribution of risk between workers, firms and the state, provides a better theoretical basis on which linkages between taxation, social welfare and labour market regulation can be recast. ‘Let me say, at the outset, that you should be sceptical of anyone who suggests that there are any easy solutions. Solutions which most economists would agree could enable a return to “full employment” or very low unemployment, are either socially or politically unacceptable, or we do not know how to Implement them. The best solution is to achieve a large increase in the rate of economic growth.’ (Dawkins 1996: 16)

scholarly journals The fourth industrial revolution and labour market regulation in Singapore

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 347-363
Author(s):  
Peter Waring ◽  
Azad Bali ◽  
Chris Vas
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Autonomous Systems ◽  
Market Regulation ◽  
Jel Codes ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Labour Market Regulation ◽  
Social Safety Nets ◽  
Large Survey

The race to develop and implement autonomous systems and artificial intelligence has challenged the responsiveness of governments in many areas and none more so than in the domain of labour market policy. This article draws upon a large survey of Singaporean employees and managers (N = 332) conducted in 2019 to examine the extent and ways in which artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies have begun impacting workplaces in Singapore. Our conclusions reiterate the need for government intervention to facilitate broad-based participation in the productivity benefits of fourth industrial revolution technologies while also offering re-designed social safety nets and employment protections. JEL Codes: J88, K31, O38, M53

scholarly journals EXPRESS: Political parties and organization studies: The party as a critical case of organizing

2021 ◽  
pp. 017084062110109
Author(s):  
Emil Husted ◽  
Mona Moufahim ◽  
Martin Fredriksson
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Institutional Change ◽  
Political System ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Critical Case ◽  
Organizational Dynamics ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Progressive Change ◽  
Organization Studies ◽  
Organization And Management

Organization scholars have extensively studied both the politics of organization and the organization of politics. Contributing to the latter, we argue for further and deeper consideration of political parties, since: (1) parties illuminate organizational dynamics of in- and exclusion; (2) internal struggles related to the constitution of identities, practices, and procedures are accentuated in parties; (3) the study of parties allow for the isolation of processes of normative and affective commitment; (4) parties prioritize and intensify normative control mechanisms; (5) party organizing currently represents an example of profound institutional change, as new (digital) formations challenge old bureaucratic models. Consequently, we argue that political parties should be seen as ‘critical cases’ of organizing, meaning that otherwise commonplace phenomena are intensified and exposed in parties. This allows researchers to use parties as magnifying glasses for zooming-in on organizational dynamics that may be suppressed or concealed by the seemingly non-political façade of many contemporary organizations. In conclusion, we argue that organization scholars are in a privileged position to investigate how political parties function today and how their democratic potential can be improved in the future. To this end, we call on Organization and Management Studies to engage actively with alternative parties in an attempt to explore and promote progressive change within the formal political system.

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