These risks are not new, but are occurring more frequently and many economically active individuals are increasingly being exposed to an accumulation of risks. This raises a certain number of questions. What adjustment processes can be observed in the labour market policies being pursued in the various European employment systems? Are the trends converging or diverging? Can ‘good practices’ be identified? Are they transferable? What are the (political and economic) determinants of a successful reform programme? At the same time, however, a number of unresolved fundamental questions concerning theory formation in the social sciences, the development of a complex theory of governance, particularly in the context of the still undeveloped notion of risk management, and the appropriate methodological design for the comparative evaluation of transitional processes and the corresponding processes of reform in labour market policy are also to be addressed.

v The tackling of youth unemplyoment and the European Employment Strategy. A Story of Success?
v Economic and social risks and institutions on artistic labour markets
v Planned projects

Dissertation project: Christian Brzinsky-Fay

Young people are facing increasing problems during their transition between initial education and working life. First, in times of persisting unemployment the chance to find a reasonable and stable job are low in general. Second, because of labour market asymmetries, like lack of information or lower productivity, young people are by definition in a disadvantaged starting position. Third, the transitions from school to work become more complex and prolonged in most European countries.

These problems of young people vary strongly across countries, which not only can be shown by very different levels of youth unemployment. The differences are not only depending on the general economic situation, but above all on the particular institutional setting. In this context, the dual system often is taken as a shining example for integrating a very high share of young people into the labour market in a sustainable way. However, in terms of social exclusion the performance of the dual system seems to be worse, which makes "repairing policies" even in this case necessary.

Active labour market policies in general are strongly connected to both, institutional setting and empirical outcomes (transitions, risks) on the youth labour market. In other words: youth policies modify outcomes of educational respectively training institutions. To analyse the effects of youth transition regimes it is necessary to look at the interaction of policies and institutions. Here we have a fundamental gap in research.

In this context the main questions are:

• How strong are policies determined by institutional settings?
• What makes a policy transferable to other institutions?

Youth unemployment has played a significant role from the very beginning of the Luxemburg process, although its weight was considerably reduced in the 2003 guidelines. However, it can be assumed that youth policies in some countries at least were induced by the European level.

Here the following questions should be answered:

• On the national level, are there changes in policy making observable?
• If so, can these changes be traced to the European Employment Strategy? In other words: Can you talk of policy learning and/or policy transfer
   within the EU?
• Did interventions or reforms affect only policies or even institutions?
• Are there processes of convergence respectively divergence observable?

Policies on the member states level regarding youth labour market usually include a couple of actors. In the field of initial vocational education social partners play an important role. For example, the dual system in Germany is based on very formalised agreements of employers, trade unions and the state, and is, therefore, an paradigm for transitional labour markets. Nevertheless, the discussion about the future of the dual system is focused on the fact that firms do not offer enough training places to young people, which puts attention to the demand side of the youth labour market.

• Are there (successful) policies to motivate firms to offer more training places?
• If not, how could it be managed to fit the interests of firms in different employment regimes?

Dissertation project: Carroll Haak

Related WZB Discussion Papers

Carroll Haak: Von Künstlern lernen: Mehrfachbeschäftigung, Bildung und Einkommen auf den Arbeitsmärkten von Künstlern
SP I 2006 – 123 > Abstract –  >PDF

Carroll Haak: Künstler zwischen selbständiger und abhängiger Erwerbsarbeit
SP I 2005 – 107 > Abstract   >PDF

Work in society: multiple blueprints for the future

Book project (planned): Eckart Hildebrandt

Various trends in the development of paid work associated with technological advance, the increased importance of knowledge work, globalisation and the diffusion of information technologies have led to the relativisation of societal models and the erosion of institutions and norms. Attempts are to be made to systematise this discourse and to test the plausibility of various blueprints for the future. The aim is to develop an ‘extended concept of work’ that builds on the notion of sustainability, that is it includes aspects such as the capacity of work to offer meaningful activity, a means of self-support and participation in the wider society. Various international developments, the dynamics of informal work and the question of general basic rights to work will also be examined.

Managing Social Risks Through Transitional Labour Markets (tlm.excel)

Project management (possibly): Günther Schmid, Klaus Schömann (IU Bremen)

Building on the “tlm.net” thematic network, we plan possibly a comprehensive research network TLM.EXCEL under the 6th framework programme. Our aim is to contribute to the modernisation of the European social model. Based on the concept of transitional labour markets we set out to explore options for the development of the European social model through the comparative analysis of welfare regimes and the local, regional, national and European potential for social innovations recognising path-dependency on each of these levels. We want to search for innovative solutions to the new social risks that derive from the transition to the knowledge society as the pool of vulnerable people in a society changes. We try also to understand why policy learning in the field of social policies has been slow so far in the European Union. Indicators of social dynamics in the form of transitions within and between transitional labour markets have been developed, but the comparability across countries and the consequences for designing new institutional arrangements, especially in terms of employment or work-life-insurance needs to be improved.