A large body of the literature on job satisfaction concludes that selfemployed workers enjoy higher levels of job satisfaction than their wage counterparts. In this article, we test this statement by including as an explanatory variable the preference of individuals for either type of employment. Using data drawn from 24,187 workers in the Spanish private sector, our results show that only selfemployed workers report higher satisfaction levels than salaried employees when they actually display a preference for self-employment. Our conclusions posit that it is not self-employment per se, but being on the type of employment of preference (wage or self-employment) what contributes to explain the greater job satisfaction of selfemployed workers when compared to employees. Additionally, our findings provide evidence on the lower level of satisfaction of reluctant entrepreneurs when compared to latent entrepreneurs. In other words, self-employed workers who prefer salaried employment are less satisfied than employees who report a preference for selfemployment.

El objetivo con el que se plantea este artículo es estudiar cómo ha cambiado la satisfacción de los ciudadanos con el funcionamiento de los servicios públicos en España en el periodo 2009-2011, utilizando las Encuestas sobre "Calidad de los Servicios Públicos" que elabora el CIS en colaboración con la AEVAL. Los resultados muestran que ha aumentado ligeramente, a pesar del empeoramiento de la coyuntura económica. El nivel más elevado de satisfacción se registra para sanidad y educación, mientras que es menor en el caso de las prestaciones por desempleo y las pensiones. Los principales determinantes de una satisfacción alta con los servicios públicos son la ideología auto-declarada y la coyuntura económica. Por otra parte, los inmigrantes están más satisfechos que los españoles y el territorio tiene un efecto importante sobre la satisfacción.

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overall picture of the level of implementation of high-performance work practices (HPWP) in Spain, as well as to identify changes after three years of severe economic and financial crisis. The practices analysed include selective hiring, extensive training, information sharing, contingent remuneration and job security. Design/methodology/approach – By means of logistic regressions, the author estimates the determinants of these practices, during a crisis and pre-crisis period. As a source of information, the author uses a representative sample of the whole Spanish private sector of 9,086 wage workers, drawn from the 2006 and 2010 waves of the Quality of Life at Work Survey. Findings – Job security and skills utilisation are widely spread in Spain, whilst contingent remuneration and extensive training show low levels of usage. Highly skilled individuals holding high-quality jobs display a greater probability of being affected by HPWP. Similar patterns emerge for employees in large companies and for those in the health and education industries. Research limitations/implications – Design limitations are caused by data that are cross-sectional, not longitudinal. Practical implications – The author is able to reach conclusions that can be generalised for the entire Spanish private sector. Thus, they might be used to propose policy recommendations. Originality/value – This is the first in-depth analysis of HPWP in the Spanish private sector. The results encourage the discussion about the suitability of these practices.

The paper analyses how regional actors have mobilised to attract and retain foreign direct investment in two Spanish regions with different political approaches to the management of economic issues, including industrial relations. These regions are Madrid, the main pole of attraction of foreign direct investment in Spain, and Asturias, with a large tradition of heavy industry and a greater dependence on a small number of large employers. It finds the regions have adapted to international competition in substantially different manners and considers the alternative reasons why this might be the case, highlighting the role of organised labour both in the inward investment regimes themselves, and in shaping the nature of the different compromises they involve.