Hardback
European Working Lives
Continuities and Change in Management and Industrial Relations in France, Scandinavia and the UK
9781840644760 Edward Elgar Publishing
The contributors examine global trends such as the decentralisation of industrial relations and the revival of neo-liberalism, and discuss them from a theoretical and empirical perspective. They go on to argue that these global trends can really only exist in nationally specific contexts and focus on the changing roles of trade union and labour movements in representing workers’ interests. They trace the emergence of new European institutional and political dimensions of working, and attempt to answer the question of how converged, diverged or revised European working practices have become.
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Critical Acclaim
Contributors
Contents
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While the debate on the impact of globalisation on the organisation of business is well established, its impact on working life has been left relatively untouched. This groundbreaking book attempts to redress this imbalance by examining the effect of globalisation on the institutions, processes and practices of working life in France, Scandinavia and the UK.
The contributors examine global trends such as the decentralisation of industrial relations and the revival of neo-liberalism, and discuss them from a theoretical and empirical perspective. They go on to argue that these global trends can really only exist in nationally specific contexts and focus on the changing roles of trade union and labour movements in representing workers’ interests. They trace the emergence of new European institutional and political dimensions of working, and attempt to answer the question of how converged, diverged or revised European working practices have become.
The book concentrates on various aspects of working life to illustrate the variety of change and complexity and asserts the view that it is not possible to isolate abstract global trends from national, historical and social factors. Indeed, certain phenomena such as politics, gender and culture play an important role, the authors argue, in differentiating national experiences which can superficially appear to be similar global trends.
European Working Lives will be of great interest to labour and social economists, industrial sociologists, employment policymakers and trade unions.
The contributors examine global trends such as the decentralisation of industrial relations and the revival of neo-liberalism, and discuss them from a theoretical and empirical perspective. They go on to argue that these global trends can really only exist in nationally specific contexts and focus on the changing roles of trade union and labour movements in representing workers’ interests. They trace the emergence of new European institutional and political dimensions of working, and attempt to answer the question of how converged, diverged or revised European working practices have become.
The book concentrates on various aspects of working life to illustrate the variety of change and complexity and asserts the view that it is not possible to isolate abstract global trends from national, historical and social factors. Indeed, certain phenomena such as politics, gender and culture play an important role, the authors argue, in differentiating national experiences which can superficially appear to be similar global trends.
European Working Lives will be of great interest to labour and social economists, industrial sociologists, employment policymakers and trade unions.
Critical Acclaim
‘While some books on global trends take a rather abstract approach, this volume stands out for its focus on a wide variety of familiar aspects of working life, such as flexibility, new managerial methods and training. The richness of the cases and analyses from manufacturing and service industries is a welcome addition to the literature and a source of inspiration for further research.’
– Peter Leisink, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
– Peter Leisink, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Contributors
Contributors: R. Annand, F. Burchill, S. Contrepois, A. Csonka, J.-P. Durand, A.-K. Engstrand, S. Jefferys, C.H. Jørgensen, L.-E. Larsson, G. Luton, S. Matthews, F. Mispelblom Beyer, M.-N. Pécout, A. Pichon, E. Poignant, A. Roe, A. Thörnqvist, C. Thörnqvist, C. Whitston, M. Whittall
Contents
Contents: Part I: Global Trends Part II: National Institutions and Processes Part III: Emerging European Institutional and Political Dimensions Index
