Left to right: labour market policy, labour market status and political affinities Left to right: labour market policy, labour market status and political affinities

an article by Brett Meyer (London School of Economics, UK) published in Journal of Public Policy Volume 39 Issue 4 (December 2019)

Abstract

In recent decades, there has been a gradual decline in working-class organisations, including social democratic parties and trade unions, and an increase in support for populist radical right parties across western democracies.

These trends have a plausible common cause: an increase in labour market insecurity associated with deindustrialisation may cause disenchantment with establishment organisations and support for politicians who criticise them.

In this article, I examine how individual labour market status interacts with labour market policies to affect attitudes towards trade unions and populist radical right parties.

I find that individuals with insecure employment status become less likely to support trade unions and more likely to support populist radical right parties as employment protection for secure workers increases.

This effect is offset somewhat by spending on active labour market policies.

I find evidence for these predictions in data for 27 Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development countries from 1995 to 2009.

Full text (PDF 18pp)

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Sharing Risks of Labour Market Transitions: Towards a System of Employment Insurance

an article by Günther Schmid (Social Science Research Centre Berlin (WZB), Free University of Berlin) published in British Journal of Industrial Relations Volume 53 Issue 1 (March 2015)

Abstract

The increasing polarization of the labour market is closely related to the spread of non-standard employment relationships that largely results from poor risk management of critical transitions over the life course.

The question, therefore, arises whether labour market regulation, in particular unemployment insurance, is still properly designed for the new world of work.

This article argues for an extension of unemployment insurance towards a system of employment insurance by summarizing the concept of transitional labour markets, indicating the risks that challenge current and future labour markets, laying the theoretical groundwork, and discussing the main features of an employment insurance system.

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