A report examined the effects of large-scale economic/labour market restructuring at regional level in Europe, drawing on Europe-wide data and case studies from Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, and Slovenia.
Source: Irene Mandl and John Hurley, Effects of Restructuring at Regional Level and Approaches to Dealing with the Consequences, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Date: 2014-Sep
A paper examined the causes of unemployment in six European Union member states (United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Latvia). It said that structural changes in important sectors, such as construction and various public sector activities, were the main explanation for differing levels of employment in the six countries.
Source: Martin Myant and Agnieszka Piasna, Why Have Some Countries Become More Unemployed Than Others? An investigation of changes in unemployment in EU member states since 2008, European Trade Union Institute
Links: Paper | ETUI press release
Date: 2014-Sep
An article examined the relationship between collective bargaining and the minimum wage in European countries, and how the pay bargaining strategies of trade unions and employers shaped the pay equity effects of minimum wage policy.
Source: Damian Grimshaw, Gerhard Bosch, and Jill Rubery, 'Minimum wages and collective bargaining: what types of pay bargaining can foster positive pay equity outcomes?', British Journal of Industrial Relations, Volume 52 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Sep
An article examined the impact of the economic crisis on industrial relations and working conditions in Europe, drawing on a range of European data.
Source: Maurizio Curtarelli, Karel Fric, Oscar Vargas, and Christian Welz, 'Job quality, industrial relations and the crisis in Europe', International Review of Sociology, Volume 24 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Sep
A think-tank report examined the concerns raised by business leaders and regional politicians regarding the possible implications if the United Kingdom left the European Union. Concerns raised included: the loss of access to European Union markets; the effects of disruption and uncertainty during the exit phase; loss of access to funding and subsidies, particularly for sectors such as agriculture, fishing, engineering, and the Welsh regions; the potential loss of influence over trade deals and future regulations; and the implications for accessing labour markets and, in particular, the potential loss of rapid access to skilled migrants. The report said that the government would need to plan for such impacts ahead of any exit, and made recommendations.
Source: Jonathan Lindsell, Softening the Blow: Who gains from the EU and how they can survive Brexit, Civitas
Links: Report | Civitas press release
Date: 2014-Sep
A briefing report discussed entrepreneurship for people with disabilities in Europe. It said that self-employment provided flexibility that was appropriate for many in this population and allowed for better management of disability and lifestyle, but there was a need to raise awareness and to develop appropriate training and start-up programmes to meet the needs of people with disabilities, and for benefits systems to be adapted to ensure that the benefits trap did not inhibit the transition into self-employment. The report discussed the use of assistive technologies and improvements to accessibility that would be beneficial.
Source: Policy Brief on Entrepreneurship for People with Disabilities: Entrepreneurial activities in Europe, European Commission/OECD
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Aug
Two reports were published, reviewing the European System of Financial Supervision, following a planned review of the functioning of the new supervisory architecture, which was put in place in 2011 as part of the response to the financial crisis. One report examined the operation of the European Supervisory Authorities (the European Banking Authority, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, and the European Securities and Markets Authority). The second report examined the mission and organization of the European Systemic Risk Board.
Source: Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the Operation of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAS) and the European System of Financial Supervision (ESFS), European Commission
Links: Report | Annexe | Staff working document | European Commission press release
Source: Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the Mission and Organisation of the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB), European Commission
Links: Report | Staff working document | European Commission press release
Date: 2014-Aug
A new book examined the economic and social policies of small northern European states (Nordic and Baltic states, and Ireland), asking what lessons might be learnt for an independent Scotland.
Source: Michael Keating and Malcolm Harvey, Small Nations in a Big World: What Scotland can learn, Luath Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Jul
An article examined the impact within healthcare settings of reforms, inspired by the 'new public management' approach, on collective bargaining and mechanisms of workforce governance in three countries (the United Kingdom, Italy, and France).
Source: Manuela Galetto, Paul Marginson, and Catherine Spieser, 'Collective bargaining and reforms to hospital healthcare provision: a comparison of the UK, Italy and France', European Journal of Industrial Relations, Volume 20 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jul
A report examined the labour market situation of young people in Europe, including their school-to-work transition, the more general transition to adulthood, and the lives of those who remained in employment during the economic crisis. It also examined the policy measures implemented by selected member states (including the United Kingdom) in support of school-to-work transitions.
Source: Massimiliano Mascherini, Anna Ludwinek, Carlos Vacas, Anja Meierkord, and Michael Gebel, Mapping Youth Transitions in Europe, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Date: 2014-Jul
A paper examined major developments in women's position on the European labour market over the previous two decades, considering issues related to women's employment decisions such as education, maternity, retirement, life-long learning, care choices, flexible employment contracts, and salaries.
Source: Jan Baran, Atilla Bartha, Agnieszka Chlon Dominczak, Olena Fedyuk, Agnieszka Kaminska, Piotr Lewandowski, Maciej Lis, Iga Magda, Monika Potoczna, and Violetta Zentai, Women on the European Labour Market, Policy brief 16.5, NEUJOBS
Links: Paper
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined the association between a poor work-life balance and poor health across 27 European countries, and the variation of work-life balance between the countries. It said that employees reporting a poor work-life balance reported more health problems, with similar associations seen for men and women, and a large part of the between-country variation of work-life balance was explained by working hours, working time regulations, and welfare state regimes. It said that the best overall balance was reported by Scandinavian men and women.
Source: Thorsten Lunau, Clare Bambra, Terje Eikemo, Kjetil van der Wel, and Nico Dragano, 'A balancing act? Work-life balance, health and well-being in European welfare states', European Journal of Public Health, Volume 24 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
A special issue of a journal examined the relationship between the widening and deepening of the European Union.
Source: Journal of European Public Policy, Volume 21 Issue 5
Links: Table of contents
Notes: Articles included:
R. Daniel Kelemen, Anand Menon, and Jonathan Slapin, 'Wider and deeper? Enlargement and integration in the European Union'
Sara Hobolt, 'Ever closer or ever wider? Public attitudes towards further enlargement and integration in the European Union'
Eva Heidbreder, 'Why widening makes deepening: unintended policy extension through polity expansion'
Date: 2014-May
An article examined whether the well-being cost of unemployment was higher in individualistic countries and among people with more individualistic orientations, drawing on the European Values Study for 42 European countries. The results confirmed that in Europe individualism correlated with a higher well-being cost of unemployment. Specifically, the relationship between unemployment and well-being was said to be moderated by the family support norm and its effect size was substantial, similar to the effect of country unemployment rate.
Source: Malgorzata Mikucka, 'Does individualistic culture lower the well-being of the unemployed? Evidence from Europe', Journal of Happiness Studies, Volume 15 Number 3
Links: Abstract
See also: Malgorzata Mikucka, Unemployment and Well-Being in Europe: The effect of country unemployment rate, work ethics and family ties, Working Paper 2011/014, Centre for Population, Poverty and Public Policy Studies (CEPS/INSTEAD)
Date: 2014-May
An article examined the extent to which tax-benefit systems in Europe provided an automatic stabilization of income for those who had become unemployed at the onset of the global economic recession. It said there was evidence of differing degrees of relative and absolute resilience in the household incomes of those who were newly unemployed. These arose from variations in the protection offered by the national tax-benefit systems and from the personal and household circumstances of those most at risk of unemployment.
Source: Marina Fernandez Salgado, Francesco Figari, Holly Sutherland, and Alberto Tumino, 'Welfare compensation for unemployment in the great recession', Review of Income and Wealth, Volume 60 Supplement 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-May
The European Economic and Social Committee published its action plan for Europe. The plan was built on three 'pillars' to address perceived shortcomings of the European Union (an economic union, a social union, and a democratic and civic union). Proposals included greater economic and fiscal union, a new European social agenda, greater focus on social cohesion, stronger participatory democracy, and a focus on the fundamental rights of citizenship.
Source: An Action Plan for Europe, European Economic and Social Committee (European Union)
Links: Report
Date: 2014-May
A paper examined the effects on wages of the implementation of the European Union directive mandating equal treatment of fixed-term and permanent workers in the United Kingdom. Drawing on data from the Labour Force Survey, it said there was no evidence that the new legislation had led to a decrease in the average wage gap between fixed-term and permanent female workers, whereas, for men, the wage gap appeared to have closed. However, the paper raised questions about the extent to which the changes could be ascribed to the new legislation.
Source: Andrea Salvatori, The Effects of the EU Equal-Treatment Legislation Directive for Fixed-Term Workers: Evidence from the UK, Institute for Social and Economic Research (University of Essex)
Links: Paper
Date: 2014-May
A new book examined the aims of European integration, and the method of integration employed in designing monetary union.
Source: Giandomenico Majone, Rethinking the Union of Europe Post-Crisis: Has integration gone too far?, Cambridge University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-May
A think-tank report examined the advantages gained through Britain's membership of the European Union. It said that there had been no positive impact on trade with other members, and outlined a range of findings, including: that British exports to EU members had grown more slowly than those of many non-EU countries; that UK trade with European nations outside the EU had increased dramatically; and that there was no evidence that the influence of the EU had helped to secure more free trade agreements.
Source: Michael Burrage, Where's The Insider Advantage? A comparative study of UK exports to EU and non-EU nations between 1960 and 2012, Civitas
Links: Report | Civitas press release
Date: 2014-May
A report examined the impact of the economic crisis on industrial relations and working conditions in Europe. It said there had been two phases to the crisis, with relations having weathered the early phase (2008-2010), but there had been many impacts of the second phase (2010-2012) that had been difficult to separate from other, longer standing, tensions and trends. It said there had been an acceleration of the decentralization of collective bargaining, and a number of new social movements had emerged, notably in Spain, Greece, Portugal, and Slovenia. It discussed the impact on jobs and job security, and made policy recommendations.
Source: Impact of the Crisis on Industrial Relations and Working Conditions in Europe, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Date: 2014-Apr
An article examined the extent to which cyclical, structural, and institutional factors explained cross-national variation in youth labour market integration in Europe. It said that economic globalization had a positive effect on youth labour market integration. Young people also experienced fewer difficulties with labour market integration where the educational system was more vocationally specific. Where employment protection legislation of incumbent workers was stricter, young people experienced more difficulties with labour market integration, especially those who were higher-educated.
Source: Marloes de Lange, Maurice Gesthuizen, and Maarten Wolbers, 'Youth labour market integration across Europe: the impact of cyclical, structural, and institutional characteristics', European Societies, Volume 16 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Apr
An article examined the progress of research into education-work transitions in Europe. It said that the research had made 'significant if uneven' progress towards explaining national differences in transitions. Its achievements appeared more significant when viewed from a perspective that emphasized the case-oriented rather than variables-oriented aims of comparative research.
Source: David Raffe, 'Explaining national differences in education-work transitions: twenty years of research on transition systems', European Societies, Volume 16 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Apr
An article examined the major competing perspectives regarding the participation of unemployed people in Europe in undeclared work. These were: firstly, the 'marginalization' perspective, which held that unemployed people disproportionately participated in and gained from undeclared work; and secondly, the 'reinforcement' perspective, which held that unemployed people benefited less from undeclared work than those in declared employment, meaning that undeclared work reinforced, rather than reduced, the inequalities produced by the declared realm. Drawing on the 2007 Eurobarometer survey on undeclared work, the authors found that the marginalization perspective was applicable to southern Europe, and the reinforcement perspective to Nordic nations. However, in east-central Europe and western European nations, as well as the European Union as a whole, the marginalization and reinforcement perspectives were not mutually exclusive, but co-existed; unemployed people were more likely to participate in undeclared work, but received significantly lower earnings and gained less from undeclared work than those working undeclared who were in declared jobs.
Source: Colin Williams and Sara Nadin, 'Evaluating the participation of the unemployed in undeclared work: evidence from a 27-nation European survey', European Societies, Volume 16 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
A report provided an overview of working conditions, job quality, workers' health, and job sustainability in the accommodation sector across Europe, drawing on data from the European Working Conditions Survey and Eurostat.
Source: Accommodation Sector: Working conditions and job quality, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Mar
The government began consultation on the balance of competences between the United Kingdom and European Union in the areas of economic and monetary policy. The consultation would close on 4 July 2014.
Source: Economic and Monetary Policy: Call for evidence, HM Treasury
Links: Consultation document | HMT press release | Written ministerial statement
Date: 2014-Mar
A report provided comparative time series data on wage-bargaining outcomes across the European Union member states and Norway. It discussed pay developments within different wage-bargaining regimes, and examined the links between pay and productivity developments. It also examined the systems and levels of minimum wages in Europe, and considered the possibilities and difficulties in co-ordinating them.
Source: Christine Aumayr-Pintar, Jorge Cabrita, Enrique Fernandez-Macias, and Carlos Vacas-Soriano, Pay in Europe in the 21st Century, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Links: Report | Summary | European Foundation press release
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined low pay persistence in Europe, drawing on panel data for the period 1994–2001. Poorly paid workers tended to stay low paid in many European countries. Although this partly reflected workers' characteristics, it said that a significant proportion was genuine low pay persistence – that is, causal in nature. The extent of low pay persistence did not seem to be systematically related to labour market institutions.
Source: Ken Clark and Nikolaos Kanellopoulos, 'Low pay persistence in Europe', Labour Economics, Volume 23
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Feb
The government published further reports from its ongoing review of the European Union's competences, and how they affected the United Kingdom, which the Foreign Secretary had launched in July 2012.
Source: Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Single Market – Free movement of goods, HM Revenue & Customs
Links: Report | Supplementary papers | FCO press release
Source: Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Asylum and non-EU migration, Home Office
Links: Report | Evidence | FCO press release
Source: Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Trade and investment, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report | Supplementary papers | FCO press release
Source: Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Environment and climate change, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Links: Report | Supplementary papers | FCO press release
Source: Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Transport, Department for Transport
Links: Report | Evidence | FCO press release
Source: Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Research and development, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report | Supplementary paper | FCO press release
Source: Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Culture, tourism and sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Links: Report | Supplementary paper | FCO press release
Source: Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Civil judicial cooperation, Ministry of Justice
Links: Report | Supplementary papers | FCO press release
Date: 2014-Feb
A report by a committee of peers said that the four pillars of 'genuine economic and monetary union', as proposed by the European Commission (banking union, fiscal union, closer economic policy integration, and enhanced democratic oversight) presented both political and operational difficulties. The United Kingdom government had stated that it would not participate, but the report recommended that some elements of closer banking union should be considered in the future and that the government should be strongly involved in any plans. The committee would consider issues of democratic legitimacy and the role of national parliaments in a forthcoming report.
Source: Genuine Economic and Monetary Union and the Implications for the UK, 8th Report (Session 2013–14), HL 134, House of Lords European Union Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Feb
An article examined the extent to which becoming a grandparent affected early retirement in European countries. Becoming a grandparent was found to speed up retirement, especially at around the ages of 55 and 60. However, the effect was statistically significant only for women, not for men.
Source: Jan Van Bavel and Tom De Winter, 'Becoming a grandparent and early retirement in Europe', European Sociological Review, Volume 29 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Feb
