Varieties of Capitalism and labour market opportunities for the youth: A comparison of attitudes towards skill formation

In this study, we examine the extent to which socio-economic institutions shape young people’s perceptions of labour market opportunity structures and their employment attitudes (i.e. skills and retraining). Building on the varieties of capitalism approach, we expect young people (aged 18–35) in coordinated market economies (CMEs) with encompassing welfare states to regard firm- and industry-specific skills as more important than their peers in liberal market economies (LMEs). To assess this proposition, we draw on original survey data and compare young people’s employment attitudes in five European countries: the United Kingdom (UK), which represents a typical liberal market economy, and Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland as representatives of coordinated market economies. To what extent do different training regimes in CMEs and LMEs shape individual attitudes towards skill formation? The empirical analysis shows that young people’s attitudes with regard to the specificity of skills and the willingness to undertake retraining differ systematically between CME and LME countries and supports our argument that the specific socio-economic institutions matter

Correction to: Perceived economic self-sufficiency: a country- and generation-comparative approach

After online first publication of the article, it was noticed that the family name of author Panos Tsakloglou was erroneously misspelt as Tsakoglou

Perceived economic self‑sufficiency: a countryand generation‑comparative approach

We thank Michael Camasso and Radha Jagannathan as well as Asimina Christoforou, Gerbert Kraaykamp, Fay Makantasi, Tiziana Nazio, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Jacqueline O’Reilly and Jan van Deth for their contribution to the CUPESSE project (Seventh Framework Programme; Grant Agreement No. 61325). CUPESSE received additional funding from the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES) and the Field of Focus 4 “Self-Regulation and Regulation: Individuals and Organisations” at Heidelberg University. We further acknowledge helpful comments on this article by two anonymous reviewers. Julian Rossello provided valuable research assistance.Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https ://doi.org/10.1057/ s4130 4-018-0186-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.Existing datasets provided by statistical agencies (e.g. Eurostat) show that the economic and financial crisis that unfolded in 2008 significantly impacted the lives and livelihoods of young people across Europe. Taking these official statistics as a starting point, the collaborative research project “Cultural Pathways to Economic Self-Sufficiency and Entrepreneurship in Europe” (CUPESSE) generated new survey data on the economic and social situation of young Europeans (18–35 years). The CUPESSE dataset allows for country-comparative assessments of young people’s perceptions about their socio-economic situation. Furthermore, the dataset includes a variety of indicators examining the socio-economic situation of both young adults and their parents. In this data article, we introduce the CUPESSE dataset to political and social scientists in an attempt to spark a debate on the measurements, patterns and mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of economic self-sufficiency as well as its political implications.CUPESSE project (Seventh Framework Programme; Grant Agreement No. 61325

Die Bestimmungsfaktoren der Einführung der Unternehmensmitbestimmung in den OECD-Staaten – Eine fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Die Systeme der Unternehmensführung und –kontrolle in den OECD-Staaten unterscheiden sich systematisch im Hinblick auf die Beteiligung von Arbeitnehmern an Entscheidungen. Ausgehend von der Beobachtung, dass die Unternehmensmitbestimmung in Staaten, in denen sie gesetzlich vorgeschrieben ist, jeweils in den 1970er Jahren eingeführt wurde, stellt sich die Frage nach den Bestimmungsfaktoren ihrer Einführung und Stärke. Zur Bestimmung der Determinanten der Einführung der Unternehmensmitbestimmung werden aus der Parteiendifferenztheorie und der Machtressourcentheorie abgeleitete Hypothesen mittels einer fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis auf die Frage hin überprüft, ob diese notwendige und / oder hinreichende Bedingungen für die Einführung der Unternehmensmitbestimmung darstellten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass insbesondere eine starke Regierungsbeteiligung linker Parteien eine notwendige Voraussetzung für die Einführung starker Unternehmensmitbestimmung in den westlichen Industrienationen war

The macro-economic effect of codetermination on income equality

Many studies on the effect of codetermination at company-level reveal its significant influence on wage levels within companies. However, does this effect at the micro-level result in higher income equality at the macro-level as well? A cross-sectional regression analysis of data on EU and OECD countries will be used to test for the codetermination’s effect on income distribution. Assessing the impact of codetermination, a new index on codetermination strength will be introduced, combining the scope of codetermination rights with the threshold of codetermination laws. The results suggest a significant negative impact on the Gini index which indicates that codetermination rights lead to higher income equality

Capitalizing the Crisis? Explanatory Factors for the Design of Short-time Work across Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Countries

This article looks at the financial and economic crisis 2008–10 in 18 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development states and seeks to investigate explanatory paths for the subsidization of further education within short-time work programmes. Several hypotheses are put to the test: first, a classical partisan difference argument; second, a varieties of capitalism approach proposing a successful joint rallying of employers and employees for subsidization in coordinated market economies; and, lastly, the merged hypothesis that right-wing parties in a coordinated economic context might subsidize feeling the pressure to overcompensate an ‘issue ownership’ of left parties in the field of employee-friendly policies. We identify four explanatory paths: coordinated economies in the sample subsidized when they were economically closed or highly indebted. The results also support our combined hypothesis, that New Zealand – a left-governed liberal market economy – and right-governed coordinated market economies of the non-Scandinavian type subsidized

Framing effects and comparative social policy reform : comparing blame avoidance evidence from two experiments

Following Paul Pierson’s work on the New Politics of the Welfare State, numerous studies on welfare state reforms have shown that governments enacting welfare cuts regularly employ blame avoidance strategies and use issue frames when they communicate welfare reform poli-cies. However, it remains largely unexplained to what extent these blame avoidance strategies really impact on the attitudes of voters on the micro level. This study sets out to fill this void in the literature. Using an experiment on pension reforms and student grant cutbacks, we pro-vide experimental evidence which shows that blame avoidance and framing strategies affect individual attitudes towards the proposed policies – in particular in case of pension reforms. Moreover, in case of the pension experiment, the impact is conditioned by individual risk ex-posure. These results add significantly to the literature on blame avoidance and welfare state reform policies by indicating that successful blame avoidance may be the reason why gov-ernments are not always punished for cutbacks to the welfare state

Wider den Befristungswahn

In Frankreich müssen Arbeitgeber zukünftig für befristete Stellen mehr in die Sozialkassen einzahlen. Eine Neuerung, die auch in Deutschland auf die Tages­ordnung gehört - denn befristete Beschäftigung verursacht gesellschaftliche Kosten und Probleme

It’s the Youth, Stupid! Explaining Labour Market Policy Reactions to the Crisis

The global financial crisis that commenced in 2008 has triggered massive increases in unemployment in almost all industrialized nations. Among them, about half reacted by introducing or expanding jobs in the so-called second labour market in 2009. What explains that numerous OECD countries have opted for this type of intervention, while others have not? Through the application of a discriminant analysis, we first identify predictors for the use of direct job-creation measures: the financial room for manoeuvre coupled with a rapid rise in youth unemployment. Subsequently we carefully trace the political events in three most different systems, including Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom