Winning the battle or losing the war: the impact of European integration on labour market institutions in Germany and Denmark

An inflection point in European Union studies?

“…Wilson et al (2016) ask what affects the re-election of incumbent members of the European Parliament? Hassel et al (2016) and Mabbett (2016) consider how European integration -particularly the free movement of workers -affected labor relations in the member states. And why in the way it has?…”

“…Her account thus fits comfortably with the literature on Europeanization. In the contributions by Hassel et al (2016) and Mabbet (2016), the focus is on domestic political processes and the EU is simply part of the context. Both these contributions are rooted more firmly in the literature on comparative capitalism than on the EU.…”

“…As a consequence, Croatian NGOs have returned to the low level of empowerment they had before the accession process began. Hassel et al (2016) analyze the differential impact of liberalization within the context of the single market on low-wage labor in the Danish and German meat production sectors. In Germany firms have responded by using low-cost labor employed by subcontractors from Central and Eastern Europe under the posted workers directive.…”

“…This outcome runs contrary to expectations from the varieties of capitalism literature, which stresses the importance of business power. This adoption of the minimum wage is linked very much with the emergence of the dual economy in Germany that is discussed by Hassel et al (2016). Mabbett contends that government intervention occurred and succeeded in large part because economic liberalization, of which the EU was a key source, had eroded the economic power of unions and the political cohesion and, thus, political power of firms.…”

Extra‐Institutional Changes under Pressure from Posting

“…However, since the European Union (EU) enlargement in 2004, the potential implications of these pressures have grown significantly due to large differences in wage levels between new and old member states (Hassel et al 2016). However, since the European Union (EU) enlargement in 2004, the potential implications of these pressures have grown significantly due to large differences in wage levels between new and old member states (Hassel et al 2016).…”