Emerging Systems of Work and Welfare

The currently emerging model of economic production is characterized by a process of constant change and instability. A new political culture and regulatory concept a concept of self-regulation and greater market flexibility has emerged. Political intervention has become problematic: the need for intervention in the labour market is more important than ever but there is increasing pressure to reduce the control of the welfare state. In order to examine what kind of policies can produce a positive relationship between social justice and economic efficiency, this book emphasises the need for a holistic approach, which includes not only labour recognised by the market but also informal labour; not only structural factors which shape behaviour but also individual strategies to negotiate positions in society. The book argues that the concept of employment needs to be reinvented. The different contributions to the book develop this theoretical approach and analyse new ideological maxims, the emergence of multiple institutions with regulatory authority over employment and the role played by individual strategies and institutional factors in determining choices and behaviour.

Autorentext

The Editors: Pertti Koistinen is professor of Labour and Social Policies at the University of Tampere, Finland. His research interests are labour and labour-market policies and comparative studies of European employment systems. He co-edited the volume Working Europe (with Jens Christiansen & Anne Kovalainen, 1999) and was the co-editor of Labour Flexibility as a Factor of the Economic and Social Performance of Finland in the 1990s (with Werner Sengenberger, 2003). He has also contributed chapters to Manifesto Social Europe (1996, 2001) and edited Työn Hiipuvat Rajat, Fading Borders of Work (2009). Lilja Mósesdóttir is a former professor at the Bifrost School of Business, Iceland. Her research interests include comparative labour market studies, the European Employment Strategy, gender relations and the knowledge-based society. She is the author of The Interplay between Gender Markets and the State in Sweden, Germany and the United States and co-editor of Equal Pay and Gender Mainstreaming in the European Employment Strategy (with Lars Magnusson and Amparo Serrano, 2003). Currently she is a member of the Parliament of Iceland. Amparo Serrano Pascual is researcher and lecturer in Sociology (Social Psychology) at the Complutense University, Madrid. Her main research areas are social and labour market policies, gender mainstreaming, comparative research on social policies in Europe, activation and flexicurity. Some of her most recent publications include Reshaping Welfare States and Activation Regimes (edited with L. Magnusson, PIE Peter Lang, 2007) and Unwrapping the European Social Model (edited with M. Jepsen, 2006).

Inhalt

Contents: Pertti Koistinen/Amparo Serrano Pascual: Introduction Francisco José Tovar/Juan Carlos Revilla: An Alternative View of Competence-Based Management Valentina Cuzzocrea: Careers in the Shaping Janne Autto: Symbolic Struggle in the Politics of Childcare Mia Hakovirta: Employment and Incomes of Lone Mothers Minna van Gerven: The Winners and Losers of Unemployment Protection Reforms Dorian R. Woods: Stratification in Policies of Employment and Care Work Carlos de Castro: Constructing Working Times within the European Union María Paz Martín Martín: The Social Construction of Employability at the Local Level Simone Scarpa: Scalar Politics and Workfare Reforms Ilpo Airio: Labour Market Problems or Something Else? Mia Tammelin: Identifying Finnish Dual-Earner Families Work-Family Time Strategies Henna Isoniemi: The Role of Economic Factors in Young Adults Home Leaving Process Pertti Koistinen/Amparo Serrano-Pascual/Lilja Mósesdóttir: Conclusions.