The Politics of Labor Market Reform in Coordinated Welfare Capitalism: Comparing Sweden, Germany, and South Korea

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Politics of Labor Market Reform in Coordinated Welfare Capitalism

T2 - Comparing Sweden, Germany, and South Korea

AU - Fleckenstein, Timo

AU - Lee, Soohyun Christine

PY - 2017/1/1

Y1 - 2017/1/1

N2 - Coordinated welfare capitalism has been subject to comprehensive change since the 1990s, with workfare measures and the deregulation of employment protection at the heart of labor market reforms. Developments in Sweden, Germany, and South Korea challenge not only the assumption of relative stability that is commonly associated with the study of coordinated market economies, but also the assertion that this stability is associated with the persistence of established political coalitions. The authors contend that a collapse of longstanding welfare state coalitions is the key political driver of labor market reform, with the withdrawal of employers from previous welfare settlements at the center of this development.

AB - Coordinated welfare capitalism has been subject to comprehensive change since the 1990s, with workfare measures and the deregulation of employment protection at the heart of labor market reforms. Developments in Sweden, Germany, and South Korea challenge not only the assumption of relative stability that is commonly associated with the study of coordinated market economies, but also the assertion that this stability is associated with the persistence of established political coalitions. The authors contend that a collapse of longstanding welfare state coalitions is the key political driver of labor market reform, with the withdrawal of employers from previous welfare settlements at the center of this development.

U2 - 10.1017/S0043887116000228

DO - 10.1017/S0043887116000228

M3 - Article

SN - 0043-8871

VL - 69

SP - 144

EP - 183

JO - WORLD POLITICS

JF - WORLD POLITICS

IS - 1

ER -