Book Review: Changing Labour Markets, Welfare Policies and Citizenship
| Published date | 01 September 2002 |
| DOI | 10.1023/A:1021385121580 |
| Author | Neil Fraser |
| Date | 01 September 2002 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
277
Jorgen Goul Andersen and Per H. Jensen (eds.) Changing Labour Markets,
Welfare Policies and Citizenship, Bristol, The Policy Press, 2002, 298 pages [ISBN
I
86134272
1]
This book is the first publication
of
COST Action
Al3,
aEuropean programme
of
research involving 80 experts from 17 countries, which has the same title as the
book. The starting point for the research is how changing labour markets through
globalisation and technical change may be leading to increasing social marginalisa-
tion in Europe and undermining generous social protection.
It
is suggested that the
evidence for this 'standard interpretation' is not compelling. The research pro-
gramme sets out to present a careful examination of the relationship between chang-
ing labour markets, welfare policies and citizenship. Citizenship is described as a
key variable: can all citizens be fully integrated in social and political life regardless
of
labour market position? Like marginalisation, citizenship is seen in terms of par-
ticipation, but not just in terms
of
participation in the labour market.
The programme
of
research is an ambitious one and it is still early days as far
as this book is concerned. To begin with, the extent to which labour markets are
changing as a result
of
globalisation and technical change is a controversial ques-
tion. A broad-brush picture
of
these changes is given in Chapter 2, by Peter
Ploughmann, suggesting that labour market marginalisation is widespread. The
main discussion
of
how far globalisation and technological change constitute strong
constraints for welfare policies in Europe, leading to convergence, can be found in
Chapter 6, by Jorgen Goul Andersen and Knut Halvorsen. They argue that European
countries are not constrained to one route, and that the standard interpretation of the
OECD Jobs Strategy - in effect the American
model-
is not the only route to jobs.
They also argue that competitiveness policies may be a better answer to globalisa-
tion than wage flexibility policies, making corporatist regimes more compatible
with globalisation than they are often said to be. Much
of
their evidence concerns
the experience of the last eight years when several countries seem to have defied the
gloomy predictions
of
'eurosclerosis'. Two of these countries are examined in sepa-
rate chapters - Jergen Goul Andersen on Denmark, and Willem Trommel and Bert
de Vroom on the Netherlands. The Danish chapter concentrates on the role of 'acti-
vation', which involves not only a right but also a duty to work, and 'sound' eco-
nomic policies resulting in a combination of high employment and generous social
protection. The Dutch chapter contains an interesting discussion of changes in
Dutch social security, which have created incentives for individual behaviour with
respect to labour force participation and welfare consumption.
A distinctive feature
of
this research project is its citizenship perspective. Full
citizenship is seen as the goal in terms
of
which policies can be evaluated, as an
'inclusive' vision involving rights (and duties), social and political participation, and
identities. Thus, social participation, political participation and identities are seen as
the core dependent variables. Ruth Lister contributes a chapter on conceptions
of
citizenship, in which she explains how the concept can be made to apply to women
as much as men. She goes on to argue that, under globalisation pressures, welfare
states, in particular the UK, are moving awayfrom upholding citizenship rights. The
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SECURITY
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