Surviving the EU? The future for national employment models in Europe

Jill Rubery, Gerhard Bosch and Steffen Lehndorff

Abstract
The claim by the European Union (EU) to be both the moder­ni­ser and the effec­tive
saviour of dis­tinc­tive European ways of doing things is chal­len­ged by this review of
the multi-tiered influ­ence of the EU on change in natio­nal models. Competition and
macroeco­no­mic policy is argued to be more signi­fi­cant than soft law in resha­ping
natio­nal models and in cons­trai­ning inno­va­tion and change to meet new con­di­ti­ons.
Lip ser­vice is paid by the EU to dif­fe­rent paths of deve­lop­ment, but the con­tra­dic­tions
and syn­er­gies across insti­tu­tio­nal and policy approa­ches that under­pin the notion of
varie­ties of capi­ta­lism go unre­cognised. European employ­ment models are seen as
pri­ma­rily con­tri­bu­ting to social pro­tec­tion, but the poten­tial role for dis­tinc­tive
models to pro­mote com­pa­ra­tive advan­tage, as under varie­ties of capi­ta­lism ana­ly­sis,
is not on the policy agenda.

Read the full arti­cle.