Insiders and outsiders on a European scale

The European Journal of Industrial Relations is the principal English-language forum for the analysis of key developments in European industrial relations and their theoretical and practical implications.

It embraces a broad definition of industrial relations and includes articles which relate to any aspect of work and employment. It publishes rigorous and innovative work on and from all European countries. All social science disciplines are relevant to its remit, and interdisciplinary approaches are particularly encouraged. A major objective is to foster cross national comparative analysis; for this reason, single country monographs are unlikely to be accepted unless framed by a strong comparative perspective. Work which relates European developments to broader global experience is welcome. Abstract:

There is evidence of an emerging Europe-wide ‘insider–outsider’ divide. In parallel to the patterns of dualization within national industrial relations systems, ‘core’ European countries retain relatively low unemployment and contractual security, while ‘peripheral’ countries are increasingly marked by high levels of unemployment and contractual insecurity.

I contend that such a system is in the interests of insiders in core countries. As a consequence of the capacity of bargaining regimes in core countries to achieve superior competitiveness, and the tendency for workers in these countries to be relatively indifferent to austerity, divergent outcomes result within the eurozone. In conclusion, I reflect on implications for dualization theory and EU cohesion.

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