Social inequality and data sciences: the case of Germany

No doubt, the Covid-19 pandemic reminded us how much modern societies depend on the provision of scientific data — not just for the healthcare system but for all areas of public policy-making. We witnessed how difficult it was for decision-makers across the globe to make uncertain decisions without sufficient evidence. As frequently noted, the lack of scientific data was particularly a problem for the most disadvantaged members of our societies. As a recent EU report (EU 2021:11) concluded: "The Covid-19 pandemic has shown a significant impact on equality all over the globe: those already most at risk of discrimination and inequality (people with protected categories such as older people, persons with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities) were and are at far greater risk of falling ill or dying from the virus. Yet, in most EU countries, officially available health statistics on Covid-19 could not be (fully) disaggregated, in particular by racial or ethnic origin. This had a detrimental effect on the effectiveness of protective measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Unions in Germany: Searching to regain the initiative

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Gewerkschaftsreformen in den USA: eine kritische Analyse des 'Organisierungsmodells'

"Das Organisierungsmodell wird von Praktikern und Akademikern als erfolgversprechende Strategie angesehen, die amerikanische Gewerkschaftsbewegung im neuen Jahrhundert zu revitalisieren. Der Beitrag will einen ersten kritischen Überblick der publizierten Literatur verschaffen. Es wird nach einer konkreten Definition des 'Organisierungsmodells' und ihrer Beziehung zur weiteren Literatur über Gewerkschaftsreformen gefragt; es wird untersucht, inwieweit dieses Modell in der amerikanischen Praxis verwirklicht wird und ob es erfolgreich ist und schließlich, inwieweit deutsche Gewerkschaften von diesen Erfahrungen lernen können. Der Artikel kommt zu dem Schluss, dass das Organisierungsmodell trotz der enormen Publizität in der angelsächsischen Literatur kein ausgereiftes theoretisches Modell darstellt und dass es zu wenig gesicherte Daten über seinen Erfolg gibt. Die Übertragbarkeit des Modells auf deutsche Verhältnisse erscheint fraglich, jedoch können deutsche Gewerkschaften von den amerikanischen Innovationen in der Mitgliederwerbung lernen." (Autorenreferat)"The 'organizing model' is regarded by practitioners and academics alike as a promising strategy for the revitalisation of American trade unions. This article provides a critical review of the existing literature. It examines the conceptualization of the organising model and its relationship to alternative union reform strategies. Moreover, it analyses to what extent unions in the US practice the model and how successful it is. Finally the article discusses the potential relevance for German unions. The article concludes that the organizing model is not a model in a strictly theoretical sense; it is not widespread among US unions and there is not enough empirical data to evaluate its success. However, although the adaptation of the American model in the German context does not seem to make much sense, German unions can learn from the American professionalism in organizing." (author's abstract

Voices unheard : employee voice in the new century

The concept of employee voice has attracted considerable attention in research since the 1980s primarily in the fields of Employment Relations/Human Resource Management (ER/HRM) and Organisational Behaviour (OB). Each of these disciplines focuses on different aspects of employee voice, the former examining the mechanisms for employees to have \u27a say\u27 in organisational decision-making (Freeman, Boxall, & Haynes, 2007; Gollan, Kaufman, Taras, & Wilkinson, 2015; Wilkinson & Fay, 2011) and the latter considering voice as an \u27extra-role upward communication behaviour\u27 (Morrison, 2014, p. 174) with the intent to improve organizational functioning. The purpose of voice is seen by each of these disciplines in a different way. ER/HRM perspectives are underpinned by the assumption that it is a fundamental democratic right for workers to extend a degree of control over managerial decision-making within an organisation (Kaufman, 2015; Wilkinson, Gollan, Lewin, & Marchington, 2010). Thus, everyone should have a voice and a lack of opportunities to express that voice may adversely affect workers\u27 dignity. In contrast, OB perspectives are underpinned more by a concern with organisational improvements, therefore leaving it much more to managerial discretion to reduce or change existing voice arrangements due to, for example, an economic downturn (Barry & Wilkinson, 2016)

The case of mandatory works councils in post-communist East Germany: different workplace relations in the East and West?

This study investigates the functioning of the new works council institution in post-Communist east Germany. Two major characteristics, cooperative relations with management and an effective representation of workers' interests, are examined in a comparative analysis in the east and west German clothing and textile industry. A survey of the works councillors provided some initial indication that works councils do not significantly differ in the west and east and have in general cooperative attitudes towards management. Moreover, a survey of unionized workers in these firms revealed an overwhelming awareness of the necessity of the works councils and a conviction that their limited effectiveness is mainly caused by the current economic constraints rather than by internal deficiencies of the new institutions. Overall, the data suggest that the works council institution in the east is developing, in only a very short time period, in essentially similar ways to works council representation in west Germany