Working papers
Working papers are published regularly and provide analysis on a series of labour market issues, the social dialogue, the europeanisation of worker participation and economic and social policies.
WP 2010.04
How do institutions affect the labour market adjustment to the economic crisis in different EU countries?
By Janine Leschke and Andrew Watt
The economic crisis which began in most European countries in mid-2008 has had severe effects on labour markets. Although no country has escaped the crisis, the extent of output losses and the number of jobs lost, as well as the resulting rise in unemployment, vary considerably between countries. In order to shed light on this issue, this paper examines empirically how the current economic crisis has affected the different European economies in terms of the impact on output, and the knock-on effects, influenced by the specific institutional frameworks, on employment and unemployment.
WP 2010.03
Wages in the crisis
The recent global recession has had differing effects on wages across Europe. This paper presents wage patterns for EU countries since the impact of the financial crisis, and compares them to previous trends. Wages in the countries hardest hit by the recession have underperformed when compared to past developments. The role of wages in determining international competitiveness is also examined and the importance of the general price level as opposed to wage levels is highlighted.
WP 2010.02
Following the 'organising model' of British unions? Organising non-standard workers in Germany and the Netherlands
By Kurt Vandaele and Janine Leschke
This paper aims to provide a survey of the initiatives developed by trade unions in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK for organising non-standard workers and to assess whether, and to what extent, the Dutch and German unions are influenced by British union practices for recruiting new members and among them non-standard workers.
WP 2010.01
After Lisbon - Social Europe at the crossroads?
By Lars Magnussen
This paper is the result of critical discussions held in the framework of the SALTSA project on the post-2010 continuation of the Lisbon process. The general conclusion is that Europe will continue to need, in the future, a common strategy for growth and sustainable development which builds on the experiences of the ‘old’ Lisbon strategy. That is why the paper starts with analysing the Lisbon process and discussing its various shortcomings. The author argues that a genuinely new strategy will have to adopt a generally different approach when setting priorities.
WP 2009.11
The EU and supplementary pensions. Instruments for integration and the market for occupational pensions in Europe
By Igor Guardiancich and David Natali
Reliance on private retirement pensions is on the increase both at Member State level, via the spread of quasi-mandatory occupational plans, and at EU level, as a result of initiatives including the IORP Directive. This Working Paper analyses the legislative and market trends that underpin this development, assessing the impact of the global financial crisis, presenting the regulatory improvements required, and delineating the future prospects of the market for supplementary pensions.
WP 2009.10
Public / private mix in pensions in Europe. The role of state, market and social partners in supplementary pensions
By David Natali
This Working Paper sheds light on the multi-dimensional and changing interplay between state, market institutions and social partners in relation to supplementary pension schemes, the importance of which is growing across Europe. The paper offers a lucid analysis of the responsibility shared among these three sets of actors to protect against the risk of old age by developing the provision of privately managed fully-funded schemes.
WP 2009.09
Government and trade union responses to the economic crisis in the financial sector
This working paper provides an overview of government and trade union responses to the economic crisis in the financial sector. It provides a comparative presentation of trade union and government responses to the crisis with particular emphasis on the country-specific conditions and practices of collective bargaining and social dialogue. It is based on a survey carried out among financial sector unions affiliated to Uni-Europa.
WP 2009.08
Institutional survival and return: examples from the new pension orthodoxy
By Igor Guardiancich
The paper analyses the instability of paradigmatic pension reforms enacted in Croatia and Hungary in the late 1990s. Both countries' policy makers unilaterally overhauled the respective retirement systems, but the partial, incoherent or fictive institutional replacement steered the new arrangements away from their original designs.
WP 2009.07
Wage policy in Austria and the Netherlands under EMU. A change in performance or the continuation of the status-quo?
By Alison Johnston
This paper analyses how wage policy in Austria and the Netherlands was affected by economic and monetary union (EMU). The paper concludes that EMU and the macroeconomic shifts resulting from it have had little influence on wage-setting in Austria and the Netherlands. While wage restraint outcomes did diverge for both countries after the start of EMU, this paper will argue that different wage institutions lead to this divergence. The EMU’s new macroeconomic order did not significantly change either countries microeconomic wage institutions.
WP 2009.06
Limits and potential of the use of vouchers for personal services An evaluation of titres-services in Belgium and the CESU in France
By Anna Maria Sansoni
This working paper presents how 'personal services' i.e. labour supplied within the home or the immediate environment of private individuals have developed in France and Belgium via a voucher system.The paper suggests large numbers of regular jobs have been created despite the fact that shorter working hours are a prevalent feature of these new jobs. In comparison with the actual creation of regular jobs, the quality of the jobs in question seems to be definitely more controversial.
