The interaction of labor market regulation and labor market policies in welfare state reform

Werner Eichhorst and Regina Konle-Seidl

No 200519, IAB-Discussion Paper from Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany]

Abstract: "Employment protection legislation, unemployment benefits and active labor market policy are Janus-faced institutions. On the one hand they are devices of insurance against labor market risk that provide income and employment security. On the other hand they influence the capacities of labor markets to adapt to changing economic conditions since institutional features of the welfare state also affect actors' economic adaptation strategies. Insufficient labor market adaptability results in higher and more persistent unemployment. Hence, in order to increase the adaptability of European labor markets, reforms had to address these closely interacting policy areas. The first aim of the paper is to describe recent reforms of employment protection, unemployment insurance and active labor market policies in different European welfare states (Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany). The paper shows whether and to what extent national policy patterns converge in the direction of a new balance of flexibility and security with employment protection being eased and labor market policies being 'activated' through a combination of 'carrots and sticks'. Secondly, in terms of the political economy of welfare state reforms, the paper will answer the question whether consistent reforms of the three institutions are more likely in political systems characterized by relative strong government and/or social partnership since such institutional prerequisites may favor 'package deals' across policy areas." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Keywords: Bundesrepublik Deutschland; Dänemark; Großbritannien; Niederlande; Schweden; Schweiz; Spanien; Beschäftigungssicherung; institutionelle Faktoren; internationaler Vergleich; aktivierende Arbeitsmarktpolitik; politischer Wandel; politisches System; Reform; Regulierung; Sozialpolitik; Sozialstaat; Sozialstaat; Arbeitslosenunterstützung; Arbeitsschutzpolitik (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 50 pages
Date: 2005
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eec and nep-reg
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (27)

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Working Paper: The Interaction of Labor Market Regulation and Labor Market Policies in Welfare State Reform (2005)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iab:iabdpa:200519

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