scholarly journals Industrial Relations as a Source of Solidarity in Times of Welfare State Retrenchment

2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTINE TRAMPUSCH
Keyword(s):  
Collective Bargaining ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Public Benefits ◽  
Collective Agreements ◽  
State Research ◽  
State Restructuring ◽  
Market Liberalisation

Within the literature on retrenchment policies, the ‘solidarity-decline thesis’ is discussed. It is argued that current welfare state restructuring leads to a decrease in the actual social cohesion of society because redistributive public benefits are cut. The article addresses this thesis by presenting empirical evidence on social security based on collective bargaining. In Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands, collective agreements are increasingly used to regulate and finance social benefits. These collectively negotiated benefits may compensate to a certain degree for solidarity losses caused by retrenchment policies. The article reviews concepts of solidarity used in the literature and develops a two-dimensional scheme of four different concepts. The conclusion for comparative welfare state research is twofold. First, when viewing policies of welfare state retrenchment, the research should systematically include industrial relations in its frame of reference. Second, further studies should analyse the politics as well as the outcomes of collectively negotiated benefits more systematically. Under certain conditions, which are worth specifying, collective bargaining may lead to complex public–private mixes that shift welfare states in other directions than outright market liberalisation, not only in factual but also in normative terms.

Managing Decentralization: The Strategy of Institutional Differentiation in German Industrial Relations

1999 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 52-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Schroeder ◽  
Rainer Weinert
Keyword(s):  
Collective Bargaining ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Social Organization ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Collective Bargaining Agreement ◽  
The Political ◽  
Process Of Change ◽  
Social Democratic ◽  
Institutional Differentiation ◽  
The Welfare State

The approach of the new millennium appears to signal the demiseof traditional models of social organization. The political core ofthis process of change—the restructuring of the welfare state—andthe related crisis of the industrywide collective bargaining agreementhave been subjects of much debate. For some years now inspecialist literature, this debate has been conducted between theproponents of a neo-liberal (minimally regulated) welfare state andthe supporters of a social democratic model (highly regulated). Thealternatives are variously expressed as “exit vs. voice,” “comparativeausterity vs. progressive competitiveness,” or “deregulation vs.cooperative re-regulation.”

Models of the Welfare State

2021 ◽  
pp. 786-802
Author(s):  
Philip Manow
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Short Discussion ◽  
The West ◽  
Welfare Capitalism ◽  
European Model ◽  
The Past ◽  
State Research ◽  
The Welfare State

IN 1990, Gøsta Esping-Andersen published The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, a work which has turned out to be the single most important and decisive contribution to welfare state research in the past thirty to forty years. In essence, Esping-Andersen argued that we can observe systematic variation in the character of the developed welfare states of the West, which he grouped into three distinct welfare state models: a Scandinavian social democratic model, a conservative continental European model, and a liberal Anglo-Saxon model. This chapter provides a short description of Esping-Andersen’s three regimes; introduces a fourth, Southern European model, which will then be described in somewhat more detail; and outlines a historical and genealogical account of the development of all four models. Finally, the chapter briefly expands on the comparative perspective with a short discussion on whether the regime concept or the understanding of distinct welfare models can also be applied to other regions, such as Latin America and Asia.

Welfare State Research and Comparative Political Economy

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silja Häusermann
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Comparative Political Economy ◽  
Investment Policies ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
State Research

Which risks are social and which are private? How much of their GDP do states spend on social welfare? Who exactly is entitled to which benefits? Is it still possible to finance an encompassing welfare state in times of deindustrialization, technological and demographic change, and globalization? And why do the answers to these questions differ so much across countries? These and similar questions—all central to social cohesion in capitalist democracies—ensure that the analysis of welfare politics is one of the theoretically as well as methodologically most dynamic and richest research areas within comparative political economy and political science more generally. Besides outlining the comparative development and the difficulty of measuring social policy, the focus of this contribution lies in a critical review of the most important past and current theoretical debates in the field of welfare state research, as a subfield of comparative political economy. These debates include party- and power-resource-centered approaches and their critiques, institutional explanations of welfare state retrenchment and restructuring, and the importance of multidimensional distributional effects for the analysis of social policy. The article concludes with a review of three more recent debates: the importance of public opinion and individual preferences for the development of the welfare state, the interaction of social policy and the changes of party systems, and the increasing relevance of social investment policies. The political and scientific need for innovative political science research will continue for the foreseeable future: Theory building and methodological possibilities are developing quickly, and the welfare states as research subject are constantly being challenged.

Unions and collective bargaining in Australia in 2018

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Bray ◽  
Johanna Macneil ◽  
Leslee Spiess
Keyword(s):  
Collective Bargaining ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Coalition Government ◽  
Collective Agreement ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Federal Election ◽  
Non Union ◽  
Collective Agreements ◽  
Industrial Disputes ◽  
Wage Outcomes

There is a storm brewing over the roles of unions and collective bargaining in Australian employment relations. Unions, frustrated with what they see as practical and legislative restrictions on protection of workers’ rights, seek to ‘change the rules’. Employers, on the other hand, have been successful in restricting or rolling back bargaining rights, supported by their associations, the Coalition government and an assertive interpretation of the Fair Work Act. Add to this the impending federal election and the scene is set for a tempest that could bring industrial relations back to the centre of Australian politics in 2019. The review explores the various elements contributing to the coming storm, including trends in union membership, structure and strategy. It also surveys trends in the number and coverage of collective agreements, wage outcomes and industrial disputes. Two idiosyncractically Australian versions of collective agreement making are also discussed: cooperative bargaining facilitated by the Fair Work Commission and non-union collective agreement making.

A GLIMPSE INTO THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF LABOUR LAW AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

2020 ◽  
Vol 551 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-28
Author(s):  
Cristina Mihes
Keyword(s):  
Collective Bargaining ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Employment Relationship ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Labour Law ◽  
Collective Agreements ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
The Future ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Standard Employment Relationship

This paper seeks to take a look at recent labour law reforms in a number of selected CEE countries, and to examine the manner, in which the equation of standard employment relationship and the dynamics of collective bargaining processes have changed. The 1st section discusses the policy goals as well as drivers of legal changes, which have aff ected and guided recent labour law reforms in the sub-region. External infl uences over shaping of the new policy visions and recovery policies are also examined here. The 2nd section examines recent trends in regulating standard and non-standard employment relationship, as well as the collective agreements as determinants of working conditions and terms of employment. It also analyses the new approaches in the implementation of the guiding principles of collective bargaining, including the autonomy of the parties, and the principle of favourability. Furthermore, the 3rd section seeks to explore what the future looks like by traveling the paths opened by the works of the ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work, with a special focus on the Universal Labour Guarantee. Finally, a number of conclusions are drawn on the basis of the analysed data and policies.

scholarly journals Frontal assault versus incremental change: A comparison of collective bargaining in Portugal and the Netherlands

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Hijzen ◽  
Pedro S. Martins ◽  
Jante Parlevliet
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Collective Bargaining ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Incremental Change ◽  
Collective Agreements ◽  
Gradual Evolution ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis

Abstract Collective bargaining has come under renewed scrutiny, especially in Southern European countries, which rely predominantly on sectoral bargaining supported by administrative extensions of collective agreements. Following the global financial crisis, some of these countries have implemented substantial reforms in the context of adjustment programmes, seen by some as a ‘frontal assault’ on collective bargaining. This paper compares the recent top-down reforms in Portugal with the more gradual evolution of the system in the Netherlands. While the Dutch bargaining system shares many of the key features that characterise the Portuguese system, it has shown a much greater ability to adjust to new challenges through concerted social dialogue. This paper shows that the recent reforms in Portugal have brought the system more in line with Dutch practices, including in relation to the degree of flexibility in sectoral collective agreements at the worker and firm levels, the criteria for administrative extensions, and the application of retro- and ultra-activity. However, it remains to be seen to what extent the top-down approach taken in Portugal will change bargaining practices, and importantly, the quality of industrial relations.

scholarly journals Measuring the Generosity of Parental Leave Policies

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeline Otto ◽  
Alzbeta Bártová ◽  
Wim Van Lancker
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Public Welfare ◽  
Social Spending ◽  
Social Rights ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Welfare Provision ◽  
State Research ◽  
Cash Benefits

In order to investigate and compare welfare states or specific welfare programmes, scientists, opinion‐makers and politicians rely on indicators. As many of the concepts or objects studied are somewhat abstract, these indicators can often only be approximations. In comparative welfare‐state research, scholars have suggested several approximating indicators to quantitatively measure and compare the generosity of public welfare provision, with a special focus on cash benefits. These indicators include social spending, social rights and benefit receipt. We present these indicators systematically, and critically discuss how suitable they are for comparing the generosity of parenting leave policies in developed welfare states. Subsequently, we illustrate how the operationalisation of leave generosity by means of different indicators can lead to different rankings, interpretations and qualifications of countries. Hence, indicator choices have to be considered carefully and suitably justified, depending on the actual research interest.

scholarly journals Die Transformation einer bundesdeutschen Basisinstitution - oder: warum Bob Dylan Recht hatte...

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (130) ◽  
pp. 147-158
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Schroeder
Keyword(s):  
Collective Bargaining ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Collective Agreement ◽  
Collective Agreements ◽  
Bob Dylan

Industry-wide collective agreement is one of the important basic institutions of  Geman welfare state, Mainstream arguments are that due to changed business environment industrywide collective agreements are more and more getting under pressure, In PROKLA 129 Michael Wendl presented a thesis against this view and argued that the problem is not the business environment but the failure to adjust to it on part of trade unions, This statement is challenged by arguing that in order to secure the efficiency of the collective agreement policy under the changed conditions a new mix between institutiOl,lal, organizational, and policy-related changes is essential and it should be provided by the collective bargaining parties themselves, Both parties have already achieved some acceptable results in this regard,

The Effects of Industrial Relations Factors on Health and Safety Conflict

ILR Review ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 579-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Hebdon ◽  
Douglas Hyatt
Keyword(s):  
Collective Bargaining ◽  
Bargaining Power ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Bargaining Unit ◽  
Collective Agreements ◽  
Industrial Conflict ◽  
Union Bargaining Power

Expansion of the rights of individual workers to refuse unsafe work and to make anonymous health and safety complaints has met with concerns that these rights might be misused so as to increase union bargaining power or to otherwise harass employers. The authors construct a database that merges work refusals and health and safety complaints with collective bargaining schedules, impasses, grievance arbitrations, and bargaining unit characteristics for 10,193 Ontario units in 1988 to determine how frequently these rights were exercised, whether they were more likely to be used during periods when collective agreements were being negotiated, and whether refusals and complaints were associated with other forms of industrial conflict. Although the exercise of these rights was more likely the more adversarial the industrial relations climate, the authors find little evidence that it was used for concerted harassment of employers.

scholarly journals Taking subnational and regional welfare states seriously: Insights from the Quebec case

2021 ◽  
pp. 095892872199665
Author(s):  
Pierre-Marc Daigneault ◽  
Lisa Birch ◽  
Daniel Béland ◽  
Samuel-David Bélanger
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
The Other ◽  
Welfare Regime ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
Qualitative Case Studies ◽  
State Research ◽  
State Regime ◽  
Quantitative Results

Most quantitative, comparative welfare state research assumes that subnational welfare regimes are irrelevant or identical to their national counterparts. Many qualitative case studies, on the other hand, have underlined the differences between subnational and national regimes. In this article, we attempt to build bridges between these two strands of literature by examining the case for a Quebec model, that is, a subnational welfare state regime that is distinct from its Canadian counterpart(s). We reviewed seven publications from which we extracted 188 quantitative results relevant to the distinct subnational regime hypothesis. Although not all these results are independent nor based on conclusive evidence, they generally agree that a distinct welfare regime exists in Quebec. We conclude this article by discussing the implications of the Quebec case for the study of welfare regimes at the subnational and regional levels.

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