QUESTIONING THE EMPLOYMENT SYSTEM:THE EUROPEAN FLEXICURITY APPROACH

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QUESTIONING THE EMPLOYMENT SYSTEMTHE
EUROPEAN FLEXICURITY APPROACH

• María Paz Martín Martín
• Spanish National Research Council
• SNRC

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Background

• Open-ended flexicurity definition. Ambiguity.
• An hegemonic flexicurity?
• First experiences and conceptualisations UK and
  Denmark
• Part of a broader work
• Implications of European flexicurity for
  Member States.
• ? Cognitive and normative dimension of European
  flexicurity.

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Introducción (i)

• Objective Modern employment system ------
  Flexicurity .
• employment social
  protection
• ? Cognitive and normative dimension of European
  flexicurity. Changes in values and principles,
  affecting to the very nature of the system.
• Divergent evaluations
• ? Dismantling of values and very nature of
  wage-based society. The end of wage-based society
  (Gautié, Serrano, Palier, Boltanski, etc.)
• ? Natural evolution of wage-based society.
  Re-negotiation without rupture with previous
  basis of the system (Supiot, Pierson, Hall, etc.).

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Introducción (ii)

• The methodology to reach the aim
  Discourse analysis
• Integrated Guidelines for Growth and Jobs
  2008-10. COM(2007)803final
• Commission Communication Towards Common
  Principles of Flexicurity. COM(2007)359 final
• Is a new flexicure employment system emerging
  in opposition to the modern employment system?

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Introducción (iii)

• 2) Modern employment system Cognitive and
  normative framework and social protection
  premises.
• 3) A flexicure Employment Ideal a new notion of
  security and employment stemmed from a new
  cognitive definition of reality.
• 4) Conclusion analysis results. State-Progress
  Model versus International Integration-Knowledge
  Model.

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2. Modern employment system (i)

• Appearance and development of the category of
  employment.
• social struggles, political
  acknowledgement and social order.
• Solidarism State-Providence (XIX)
  Wf-S (40s)
• (Donzelot, 1994 Rosanvallon,1995)
• Protected work employment. Basis
• ? Axiological/ethical principle social
  solidarity
  
• ? Instrumental principle to keep social order,
  socialization and institutionalization of the
  conflict.
• Foundational texts of Wf-S Laroque Plan(1946)
  and Beveridge Report (1942)

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DEVELOPMENT OF EMPLOYMENT CATEGORY
Modern employment system (i)
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Modern employment system (ii)
COGNITIVE and NORMATIVE FRAMEWORK OF MODERN
EMPLOYMENT SYSTEM

• Dialectical representation of reality
  (worker-employer work-private life)
• Informational principle of welfare (Sen,1988
  IBJ) increasing linear socio-economic progress.
• State-market and State-individual pacts
  solidarity, (inter) dependency and responsibility.

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GENUINE SOCIAL PROTECTION
Modern employment system (iii)

• Job loss as an undesirable risk (market flaws).
• Compensation of the workers unequal status
  compared with the employer.
• Mediating State guaranteeing protection. Defined
  institutions.

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3. The Crisis (and reform) of Welfare State 70s
transformation features

• Events that triggered the dismantling of the MES
• -Strong economic crisis ( transformation of the
  production paradigm)
• -Outbreak of new social claims (working-class is
  overshadowed/displaced).
• -New intellectual trends (post- structuralism,
  post-marxism)
• Crisis of legitimacy of Wf-S intellectual,
  social and material.

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A flexicure employment ideal (i)

• The Social Europe and implications for Member
  States.
• Reflection on flexicurity concept.
• Theoretical basis of flexicurity.
• Discursive analysis of texts.

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Theoretical basis of flexicurity
A flexicure employment ideal (ii)

• Activation paradigm (Serrano y Magnusson, 2007)
• - 3 features individualism contractualism
  emphasis on employment
• - Justification Active expenditure and new
  organisation of work
• - Public actions Supply side Employment
  Policies
• - 2 approaches moral-therapeutic and matching up
  workers to market demands
• Transitional labour markets (Schmid, 1995)
• - Job transition
• - Professional trajectories link particular
  life cycles
• - Mobility
• -Empowerment

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A flexicure employment ideal(iii)
Analytical focus. Communication COM(2007)359
final
a) Context/goal the knowledge economy/society
in the globalisation era
d) State-individual contract
Source own production
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a) Flexicurity for a changing and globalised
world
A flexicure employment ideal (iv) Discourse
analysis

• The EU and its Member States need to progress
  further towards a dynamic, successful knowledge
  economy, spreading the benefits of prosperity
  more evenly across society. There must be more
  winners from the process of change and more
  upwards mobility. More "have-nots" must be
  transformed into "haves". (page 3)
• Language of competition, substitution of
  traditional terms (redistribution, social
  justice)
• Flexicurity () also aims at helping employees
  and employers alike to fully reap the
  opportunities presented by globalisation. (page
  4)
• Globalisation homogenises the circumstances
  of workers and employers. (Globalisation is
  problem and solution)

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b) The new notion of security/flexibility
A flexicure employment ideal (v)

• Security () is about equipping people with the
  skills that enable them to progress in their
  working lives, and helping them find new
  employment. It is also about adequate
  unemployment benefits to facilitate transitions.
  Finally, it encompasses training opportunities
  for all workers, especially the low skilled and
  older workers. (page 5).
• Mobility, employment, personal/social
  skills SECURITY self-insurance by means of a
  personal employability contribution
• Individuals increasingly need employment security
  rather than job security, as fewer have the same
  job for life.(page 3)
• normal job form (Boltanski and Chiapello
  (2002) quoting G. Lyon-Caen) Employment on a
  permanent full-time contract in a specified
  stable workplace, with career prospects, social
  security, and a trade-union presence in the work
  place.

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c) Dissolution of the worker-employer
antagonism
A flexicure employment ideal (vi)

• Adaptation requires a more flexible labour
  market combined with levels of security that
  address simultaneously the new needs of employers
  and employees.(page 3)
• Dissolution of opposition, adaptation is a
  common goal.
• The effectiveness of active labour market
  policies is positively related to less strict
  EPL1 (page 7)
• End of the conscience of a weak contracting
  party, the decline of exogenous regulation
  personal responsibility, the worker-employer of
  himself (Serrano Crespo, 2002).
• 1 Employment protection legislation.

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d) New State-individual contract new balance
rights/duties
A flexicure employment ideal (vii)

• Good unemployment benefit systems () may have a
  negative effect on the intensity of job search
  activities and may reduce financial incentives to
  accept work. (page 6)
  
• The will to work (moral risk/self-interested
  individual)
• Improving social security () may require
  additional or redeployed public expenditure that
  must go hand in hand with monitoring and
  conditionality of benefits in order to ensure
  that such spending is cost effective. (page 14)
• Public expenditure

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ANALYSIS RESULTS
Conclusion (i)

• MES N-C F
• Dialectical representation of reality
• Informational basis of welfare increasing linear
  socio-economic progress
• State-market and State-individual Pact
  solidarity, (inter) dependency and
  responsibility.

• FES N-C F
• Dissolution of dialectic
• Informational basis of welfare Adaptation to
  globalisation challenges
• State-market and State-individual Pact Personal
  responsibility.

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ANALYSIS RESULTS
Conclusion (ii)

• GENUINE SOCIAL PROTECTION
• Job loss as an undesirable risk (market flaws)
• Compensation for the workers unequal status
  compared with the employer
• Mediating State guaranteeing protection. Defined
  institutions.

• FLEXICURE SOCIAL PROTECTION
• Not job security, but job mobility (adaptation to
  market)
• Common challenges and individual responsibility.
• Sharing of responsibilities and governance on
  many levels.

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Conclusion (iii)
SECURITY NOTION ATTRIBUTES

• Job
  guarantee
• 
  (MES)
• 
  
• Personal
• achievement SECURITY
  Social right
• (FES)
  (MES)
• 
  
• 
  Maintenance of
• 
  employment turnover
• 
  (FES)

Source Own Production
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State-Progress Model versus International
Integration Knowledge Model.
Conclusion (iv)
Flexicurity (Third way)
Welfare-State (State- providence)
Globalisation
Market imperfections
Post-fordist production system
Fordist production system
Common challenges for both
Employer/employee opposition
Individual responsibility
Collective Solidarity
Social exclusion
Vulnerability
Sustainability (Cost-effective)
Redistribution
Economic growth and social cohesion
Economic progress and social justice
Governance on multiples levels
Regulating State
International Integration
State Hegemony
Source Own production
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Conclusion (V)

• European flexicurity is the labour/social
  version of post-fordist governance streams, as it
  attempts a socialization in liquid values
  adaptability, versatility, spontaneity, the
  preference for change- which are legitimised by
  new referents (good common definitions).
• European flexicurity tends to wage war
  against traditional job protection, whilst it
  establishes an unreserved alliance with the
  market, trying to offer protection that is
  competitive and productive. In fact, enterprises
  competitiveness depends on workers employability.