Introducing governance and employment relations in Eastern and Central Europe
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01425451111140604 |
| Published date | 28 June 2011 |
| Date | 28 June 2011 |
| Pages | 309-315 |
| Author | Zsolt Bedo,Mehmet Demirbag,Geoffrey Wood |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
GUEST EDITORIAL
Introducing governance and
employment relations in Eastern
and Central Europe
Zsolt Bedo
Faculty of Business and Economics, Pecs University, Pecs, Hungary, and
Mehmet Demirbag and Geoffrey Wood
School of Management, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
Abstract
Purpose – This article seeks to explore some of the principal issues and debates on the relationship
between institutions, firm level governance and employment relations outcomes in Eastern and
Central Europe.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper particularly focuses on the countries that are
encompassed by the papers covering the special issue.
Findings – Introducing new and meaningful forms of labour regulation becomes very much more
difficult in times of economic crisis. This means that the regulation of employment relations is likely to
be diminished, or, as is probably more likely in the case of the bulk of countries in the region, a
situation of “muddling on” is likely to persist. Firm level employment relations practices are likely to
be persistently diverse, both within and between countries. Key areas of division are in terms of
country clusters, which range from proto-social democratic through to “wild capitalist”, distinguished
by variations in terms of firm size, and between the formal and informal economies.
Practical implications – This study highlights the extent to which institutional variations and
change may mould the choices made at firm level.
Originality/value – There is a tendency to conflate the region into a loose transitional category.
This paper highlights the divergent paths followed by the countries in the region, and the extent to
which this has been associated by diversity in employment relations both within and between
countries.
Keywords Central Europe,Eastern Europe, Labour relations, Comparative capitalism,Institutions,
Corporate governance
Paper type General review
The term Central and Eastern Europe is a somewhat ambiguous one. Central Europe
certainly at least partly encompasses Austria and Germany, both with capitals well
east of the notional Trieste meridian, both outside the scope of this special issue. Yet,
the choice of alternative titles for this special issue would be equally problematic,
which explores governance and employment relations in those countries formally
entirely within the Soviet bloc. The term “transitional” or “transforming” is widely
employed (see Whitley, 1999; Stark and Bruszt, 1998), but any “transition” has been an
extremely long one; over 20 years have elapsed since the revolutions of 1989, with no
clear end in sight. Post-soviet is another appellation that may be deployed, but this, as
is the case with post-modernism, denotes more what things are not, than what they are.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0142-5455.htm
Introducing
governance
309
Employee Relations
Vol. 33 No. 4, 2011
pp. 309-315
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/01425451111140604
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