Paul Teague

Monetary Union and Social Europe

Establishing a single currency will launch the EU on a journey into the unknown. Thus while it is widely accepted that the fall-out from this decision will be far-reaching, little consensus exists on the impact on particular policy arenas. This article explores some of the main implications of monetary union for Social Europe-national systems of welfare pro vision and employment regulation. It is argued that efforts by virtually all the member states to meet the Maastricht criteria for joining the single currency club are impacting negatively on Social Europe. Moreover, with the member states signing a deflation-oriented Stability Pact, this cold climate threatens to spill over into the actual operation of the new Euro- zone. Thus the road to monetary union paved by Europes political elite spells bad news for already beleaguered welfare and employment systems. At the same time, the article argues that a different form of monetary union is necessary to create more robust macroeco nomic foundations to Social Europe. At present, it is suggested that a big coordination deficit has emerged inside the European economy, causing an inhospitable environ ment for the social dimension in the absence of a single currency. Thus retreating to national mechanisms for economic management is rejected as an alternative project to the Maastricht plan for monetary union. Finally, the article investigates the viability of various reform paths to make the new Euro-zone more socially friendly.

'Europe of the Regions' and the Future of National Systems of Industrial Relations

A popular argument is that deeper European integration along with moves towards productive decentralization will recast existing governance structures for the labour market. In particular, it is suggested that national industrial relations systems may gradually give way to regional employment systems. This paper takes a critical look at this thesis. After outlining in detail the influences that may cause the nation-state to wither as a site for economic management, the paper assesses whether the institutional and economic conditions exist for the emergence of regional forms of industrial relations. The conclusion is that many of the conditions are not in place and as a result any precipitate shift away from present national arrangements could lead to considerable fragmentation and distortions.

Institutions and Labour Market Performance in Western Europe

Labour market institutions in most European countries are caught mid-stream between flexibility and coordination. On the one hand, most countries fail to capture the positive externalities that may arise from the mutual interdependence of institutions and ground level labour market behaviour. Productive and commercial changes make it exceptionally difficult to create such coordination arrangements. At the same time, there has not been a widespread rejection of labour market institutions. This can be seen in the cautious and pragmatic manner with which most European countries approach the themes of flexibility and deregulation. The common pattern has been to mesh flexibility and regulation. Thus whilst institutions still matter their role should not be overstated. In many ways, a governance gap is emerging in the European labour market.

Between new Keynesianism and deregulation: Employment policy in the European union

Abstract There is widespread concern about the relative poor performance of the European labour market. A particular worry is the high and persistent levels of unemployment in the region. Perhaps the two most influential approaches to remedying Europes labour market problems are New Keynesianism and the deregulation perspective. New Keynesianism, as the label suggests, has its origins in macroeconomic thinking. This view argues that European economies require more co‐ordinated forms of wage bargaining, more active policies to reduce the skills mismatch between the unemployed and vacancies, and more targeted measures to reduce long‐term unemployment and the high levels of joblessness. On the other hand, the deregulation perspective suggests that the unemployment problem in Europe is caused by labour markets being blighted with rigidities caused by too much government intervention and over‐powerful trade unions. Thus this approach argues that a range of flexibility measures designed to weaken legal rules i...

Lean production and the German model

Traditionally the German employment system has been hailed as the surpreme example of how a symbiosis between equity and efficiency can be established in an economic system. A defining characteristic of the German employment system is how the world of work is embedded in a highly co‐ordinated system of industrial relations institutions inside and outside the enterprise. The argument of this paper is that this model of labour market organisation is coming under severe pressure as a result of a range of developments, not least the emergence of lean production as a credible alternative system of work organisation. Lean production which is based on techniques moulded and fine‐tuned in Japan affronts virtually every aspect of the prevailing model of economic citizenship in Germany. It is argued that important modifications will have to be made to key industrial relations institutions in the country so that enterprises can respond effectively to the lean production challenge.

Towards Fair Employment in Northern Ireland

Claims of labour market discrimination against Catholics run to the heart of the Northern Ireland conflict. This paper assesses British Government led moves to promote fair employment in the region. It argues that initial policies to promote labour market balance were weak and ineffectual but that since 1989 a meaningful antidiscrimination institutional regime has been put in place. However, underlying economic and social conditions are not favourable to a big institutional push toward fair employment. Thus the quest to end Catholic disadvantage in the labour market is caught between a positive institutional regime and negative ground level circumstances. The paper concludes that the unpredictable outcome of this tension will be better managed in conditions of peace.

Catholics and Protestants in the N. Ireland labour market: why does one group perform better than the other?

A virtual consensus exists that Catholics fare worse than Protestants in the N. Ireland labour market. The political implications of this imbalance have been extensive since the present bloody conflict has its origins in a civil rights campaign that demanded an end to Catholic economic and social disadvantage. A range of contrasting studies has attempted to explain the cause of unequal performance between Catholies and and Protestants in employment. This paper surveys the robustness of these investigations which are categorized under: (1) political explanations; (2) quasi-human capital studies; and (3) econometric and statistical assessments. It is suggested that each category has some merits, but none on its own is convincing. The paper concludes that we should adopt an eclectic apparoach to explaining the better employment position of protestants.

Towards Social Europe? Industrial relations after 1992

In this paper, there is an assessment of the likelihood of the social dimension of the 1992 EC programme amounting to a new model of social development for the community. The conclusion is that the centripetal forces required for the creation of a fully fledged social union are absent from the integration process. Hence, despite the upsurge of Europeanization, considerable centrifugal forces remain inside the Community, preventing the immediate enactment of a big policy model. Above all, no heavy intrusion is likely to occur into existing national systems of welfare and labour market regulation.

Labour Market Discrimination and Fair Employment in Northern Ireland: An Introduction

Provides an overview of the issue of religious discrimination in the Northern Ireland labour market.

Discrimination and Segmentation Theory: A Survey

In the Northern Ireland context, even though the debate about whether Catholics have experienced discrimination has raged for over two decades, there has been little attempt to relate the wide‐ranging and sophisticated USA debate to circumstances within the province. Takes the first steps to redress this shortcoming by outlining the key themes in the USA debate about unequal labour market treatment.