The Politics of Labour Market Policy in Times of Austerity

The Holy Grail of labour market policy analysis is that felicitous institutional arrangement which is both socially equitable and economically efficient. For many analysts, flexicurity, whatever that is, is just such an arrangement. Unfortunately, proposals for reform based on these kinds of analyses obviate the centrality of politics in labour markets: labour market institutions shape—and are shaped by—collective action in politics and at work. Moments of economic turmoil often generate efforts to reform these institutions, thus offering a privileged window for the study of interest group politics and their implications for the strategies of political entrepreneurs, firms and the distribution of economic opportunities and market risks. This panel invites theoretically informed, empirically-grounded papers that can deepen our understanding of the organizational logics underlying and the consequences (political, economic, social, but above all, organizational) of battles over labour market reform in the context of the current crisis.