The concept of ‘flexicurity’: a new approach to regulating employment and labour markets

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ton Wilthagen ◽  
Frank Tros
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Work Organisation ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
New Approach ◽  
The One ◽  
National Governments

This article deals with the new policy concept of ‘flexicurity’ in view of the emerging flexibility-security nexus currently faced by the European Union, national governments, sectors of industry, individual companies and workers. On the one hand there is a strong demand to make labour markets, employment and work organisation more flexible. At same time, an equally strong demand exists for providing security to employees – especially vulnerable groups – and for preserving social cohesion in our societies. Policy-makers, legislators, trade unions and employers’ organisations have a strong need for new theory-inspired policy models and concepts that promise to reconcile these goals of enhancing both flexibility and security that at first sight seem incompatible. This article discusses the origins, conditions and potential of ‘flexicurity’ as policy or strategy at various levels of industrial relations. It also outlines a research agenda.

scholarly journals Measuring hospital spatial wingspan by using a discrete choice model with utility-threshold

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saley Issa ◽  
Ribatet Mathieu ◽  
Molinari Nicolas
Keyword(s):  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Discrete Choice ◽  
Choice Model ◽  
Discrete Choice Models ◽  
Mcmc Methods ◽  
Hospital Competition ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Asthma Patients ◽  
The One

AbstractPolicy makers increasingly rely on hospital competition to incentivize patients to choose high-value care. Travel distance is one of the most important drivers of patients’ decision. The paper presents a method to numerically measure, for a given hospital, the distance beyond which no patient is expected to choose the hospital for treatment by using a new approach in discrete choice models. To illustrate, we compared 3 hospitals attractiveness related to this distance for asthma patients admissions in 2009 in Hérault (France), showing, as expected, CHU Montpellier is the one with the most important spatial wingspan. For estimation, Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) methods are used.

Trade unions strategies to address inclusion of vulnerable employees in “anchored” services in Europe

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 848-873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vassil Kirov ◽  
Pernille Hohnen
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
National Level ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Social Partner ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Content Type ◽  
European Trade ◽  
Desk Research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how trade unions may address the questions of inclusion of vulnerable employees in low-wage “anchored” sectors in the European Union. Design/methodology/approach – The findings presented in the paper are mainly results of the analysis of stakeholder policies and strategies on the national level and on the European level, including both desk research and interviews with social partner representatives and other experts in the sectors as well as company case studies carried out in the examined countries in three selected sectors: cleaning, waste collection and catering. Findings – The main findings of the paper refer to the indirect way in which trade unions try to promote the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the examined sectors. On this basis are formulated policy recommendations. Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on case study research that does not cover all possible “anchored” services, vulnerable groups and types of countries, according to their employment and social models. Practical implications – This paper formulates practical recommendations to European trade unions in the services. Originality/value – The originality of the paper is related to comparative research focused on services sectors and the consequences of the spatial reorganisation of sectors for the trade union actions.

Cross-border labour markets and the role of trade unions in representing migrant workers’ interests

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-255
Author(s):  
Adrien Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Labour Migration ◽  
Organizational Dynamics ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Survey Results

New patterns of labour migration are reshaping labour markets and raising new challenges for labour market actors, especially trade unions. This article critically discusses unionization strategies targeting migrant workers and the political and organizational dilemmas involved, taking as an example the case of Luxembourg, a founding member of the European Union with a highly internationalized labour market. Relying on qualitative research and survey results, this article sets out the strategies adopted by trade unions to unionize migrant workers, before discussing the dilemmas and tensions related to the diversification of trade union policies and organizational structures in response to labour migration. It provides valuable insights into two broader issues: the socio-political and organizational dynamics involved in trade unions’ inclusion of migrant workers and the potential role of trade unions in building transnational links and cohesion in border regions.

The Economic Effects of Industrial Relations Legislation Since 1979

1990 ◽  
Vol 131 ◽  
pp. 57-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Brown ◽  
Sushil Wadhwani
Keyword(s):  
Economic Performance ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Alternative Explanation ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Actual Impact ◽  
Wage Effects

This is the fourth article from members of the CLARE Group to appear in the Review. Future articles will normally appear about twice a year. The Review is pleased to give hospitality to the deliberations of the CLARE Group but is not necessarily in agreement with the views expressed. Members of the CLARE Group are M.J. Artis, A.J.C. Britton, W.A. Brown, C.H. Feinstein, C.A.E. Goodhart, D.A. Hay, J.A. Kay, R.C.O. Matthews, M.H. Miller, P.M. Oppenheimer, M.V. Posner, W.B. Reddaway, J.R. Sargent, M.F-G. Scott, Z.A. Silberston, J.H.B. Tew, J.S. Vickers, S. Wadhwani.The industrial relations legislation of the 1980s has been widely credited with having made a major contribution to Britain's economic performance. This study evaluates its actual impact. The costs to trade unions of strike action have increased, but the legislation has had some perverse effects, not least in encouraging unions to tighten up their own organisation. The economic consequences predicted by the policy makers are investigated by means of a number of econometric studies. They suggest that the expected employment and wage effects did not occur. They also failed to provide improvements in labour productivity. The study offers an alternative explanation of these findings.

scholarly journals Passive European Union Influence

2021 ◽  
pp. 134-157
Author(s):  
Tobias Lenz
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Member State ◽  
Dispute Settlement ◽  
Process Tracing ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Statistical Association ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Primary Documents ◽  
National Governments

This chapter traces the European Union’s passive influence in the establishment of the Mercosur Permanent Review Tribunal in 2004. This is an useful case to study passive EU influence because the Tribunal’s establishment constitutes an unlikely case from the perspective of existing explanations of dispute settlement design and it is representative of a statistical association presented in Chapter 4. Through a detailed process tracing exercise that reconstructs the institutional preferences and strategies of national governments and the process of international bargaining on the basis of primary documents, interviews with policy-makers and secondary sources, it shows how the European Union, through its passive influence on the institutional preferences of Uruguay, the bloc’s smallest member state, shaped the design of the Tribunal. In the absence of passive EU influence, the chapter concludes, the Tribunal would have been less institutionalized.

scholarly journals Policy Measures for the Diaspora during the COVID-19 Crisis: The Case of Cyprus

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Angeliki Konstantinidou ◽  
Daniela Vintila
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Management ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Member States ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Institutional Cooperation ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
National Governments ◽  
The Eu

The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes an unprecedented challenge for policy-makers worldwide. The coronavirus outbreak has rapidly put into question states’ preparedness for crisis management, while also raising particular concerns on how national governments assist their citizens abroad in situation of distress. This Policy Brief tackles the issue of governmental responsiveness to the diaspora in a context of pandemic alert. In doing so, we focus on the case of Cyprus, one of the EU Member States with the largest share of citizens residing abroad. Drawing on official documents publicly released by different Cypriot authorities, we map the different initiatives adopted by the Cypriot Government in the attempt to assist its diaspora during the pandemic. Our analysis shows that, in line with its traditional approach towards non-residents citizens, Cyprus has adopted a rather pro-active stance vis-à-vis its population abroad. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, several initiatives have been put forward by ministerial actors, often via inter-institutional cooperation, aiming to mobilise resources that could meet diaspora’ needs. However, the Government’s engagement with the diaspora during this crisis has remained rather selective. Most policy measures primarily aimed to provide support to Cypriots in specific (mainly European) destination countries, while also targeting particularly vulnerable groups of individuals stuck abroad during the pandemic.

Labour Markets and their Regulation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg Menz
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
General Trend ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Training Systems ◽  
Power Resources ◽  
Labour Market Participation ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Historical Trajectory ◽  
And Training

This first empirical chapter provides an in-depth analysis of changes to the models of industrial relations in six countries, considering general patterns of change, their sources, and their precise impact. A general trend towards liberalization plays out differently depending on power resources, institutional constellations, and historical trajectory. Societal trends, including increasing female and ethnic minority labour market participation and increases in atypical forms of employment, present challenges for trade unions. Employer associations are losing members, but can wield the powerful threat of outsourcing abroad. Finally a tour d’horizon of education and training systems establishes how they link into the structure of labour markets.

scholarly journals The Political Geography of the Eurocrisis

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 639-678
Author(s):  
Pablo Beramendi ◽  
Daniel Stegmueller
Keyword(s):  
The Political ◽  
Political Tolerance ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Risk Pooling ◽  
Mixed Response ◽  
Institutional Organization ◽  
The 2008 Financial Crisis ◽  
The One ◽  
National Governments

ABSTRACTThe European Union provided a mixed response to the 2008 financial crisis. On the one hand, it refused to pursue fiscal integration through a common budget; on the other, it introduced significant transfers between countries that were designed to produce financial stabilization. The authors analyze this response as the outcome of democratic constraints on EU leaders. Given the EU’s current institutional structure, citizens’ preferences pose a binding constraint on what leaders can do as these preferences limit the scope of risk-pooling among members and the degree of political tolerance for different courses of action. The authors show that citizens’ preferences reflect differences in the geography of income, production regimes, and institutional organization. The heterogeneity of constituencies’ redistribution preferences combined with a diverse economic geography helps to explain why political constraints on national governments prevent them from engaging in further fiscal integration. By contrast, externalities among member states shift the preferences of citizens who may experience negative effects and make international redistribution politically feasible. The authors analyze these two mechanisms and present novel empirical results on the determinants of preferences for fiscal integration and international redistribution in the aftermath of the eurocrisis.

scholarly journals Public Policy Influences on Academia in the European Union

SAGE Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824401769516
Author(s):  
Dorian Aliu ◽  
Ayten Akatay ◽  
Armando Aliu ◽  
Umut Eroglu
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Social Model ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
European Public ◽  
Content Analyses ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Corporate Social

The aim of this research is to examine the public policy influences on academic investigations that contain a substantial convergence among human resource management–industrial relations and corporate social responsibility–stakeholder approach by means of using bibliometric and content analyses of relevant publications in the Scopus and ScienceDirect databases. Totally, 160 publications were subject to bibliometric, cluster, and summative content analyses. In this context, this study claims that public policy in the EU influences academic investigations and scholars. The investigation draws attention to the importance of active participation of different public institutions and key stakeholders (e.g., trade unions, works councils, academic associations) that prepare a basis for collaboration, solidarity, and communication for strengthening EU social model, social dialogue, collective bargaining, and the protection of social rights. The research findings illuminate the fact that European public policies have significant effects on shaping and encouraging investigations that are considered within the scope of IR–HRM and CSR–SA. One of the most crucial recommendations of this study is that the investigations which are out of this framework can be considered quite idealistic. Therefore, researchers may attempt to publish more scientific investigations in frame of IR–HRM and CSR–SA to enhance the comprehensiveness and depth of these two clusters.

Voluntary Cooperation Between NGOs and Corporations From the Perspective of German Trade Unions: A Micropolitical Analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-112
Author(s):  
Florian Krause ◽  
Axel Haunschild
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Voluntary Agreements ◽  
German Trade ◽  
Nongovernmental Organisation ◽  
German System ◽  
Hybrid Character ◽  
The One ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Voluntary Cooperation

The article gives a micropolitical analysis of the position of German trade unions on voluntary agreements between nongovernmental organisation (NGOs) and corporations, mostly subsumed under the label CSR (corporate social responsibility). In the German system of industrial relations, trade unions have a hybrid character: On the one hand, they are part of the company through their members and especially through unionised works councils and share similar goals with the company. On the other hand, trade unions also merge political positions of society, keep an eye on companies’ actions, and share similar goals with NGOs. The micropolitical analysis of their positions towards voluntary agreements as well as their interaction raises general questions on how cooperation between firms and NGOs can secure decent working conditions and environmental protection.

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