The Social and Political Construction of European Economies
180 pages
7 hours of reading
The book explores the evolution of European economies from post-World War II Keynesian policies and welfare state development to the deregulation crisis of the 1980s. The author contends that social and political institutions continue to play a crucial role in shaping economic activities, leading to a new 'micro-social' regulation model. It examines the transition from macro to micro forms of economic regulation, detailing the conditions and characteristics of this emerging pattern in response to changing market dynamics.
Once stolid and strictly regulated, retail banks have transformed into competitive enterprises with fragmented career structures and a heightened emphasis on sales and performance. These changes significantly impact workplace experiences and job opportunities for a large segment of the workforce in OECD and newly industrialized countries. This book results from an extensive study of selected banks across Australia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and the United States. Researchers investigated the evolving industry context and competitive strategies, focusing on various employment relations practices, including skill development, work organization, staffing, job security, compensation, and industrial relations. The introductory chapter summarizes the main research findings, while the country-specific chapters provide in-depth analyses. The conclusion evaluates the influence of markets, technology, and institutions on employment relations and discusses interpretive frameworks that clarify the changes and variations across countries. This comprehensive examination sheds light on the dynamic landscape of the banking sector and its implications for labor and employment practices.
After a decade dominated by `neo-liberal′ policies and by increasing managerial pressures towards labour flexibility in industrial relations, the role of labour movements is under challenge. In the light of the experience of the 1980s this volume provides an interdisciplinary reassessment of the traditions and future of collective worker′s action in Western states. Contributors assess the roles of labour movements as actors in the economic system through such mechanisms as collective bargaining, and as actors in the political arena. Labour movements and the institutions in which they are embodied, particularly trade unions, are also examined in the light of the broader social movements from which they originate. Bringing to
