9 General Conclusion

Abstract

This concluding chapter presents a synthesis of the discussions in the preceding chapters. It is argued that in no country that engaged in ‘straight’ work-sharing (i.e., decreasing the workweek from, say, forty to thirty-five hours) created extra employment. In all countries there were and still are forces pushing for some form of work-sharing. However, the exact implementation is an equilibrium phenomenon that largely depends on a complex set of factors ranging from institutions, the size and international positioning of the country (contrast Sweden, a small open country, and France, a much bigger country with ambiguous feelings vis-à-vis globalization); the centralization or decentralization of union-firm bargaining (compare Germany, with industry-level bargaining, versus France, with relatively weak unions); and family preferences (contrast the Netherlands, where a significant proportion of citizens prefer women to take care of children, versus Sweden, where men are virtually mandated to take parental leave).