ILPC 2027

Convergent Evolution of (hitherto) different Capitalisms?

Activation Policy and Precarious Work in five Countries

Peter Streckeisen, University of Basel (Switzerland), Institute of Sociology

There is a long standing tradition of debate in comparative research, about varieties of capitalism and welfare regimes, assuming usually the persistence of national difference and often the stability of national models. These, however, may be out-dated because of real-world convergent trends. Inspired by research of French sociologist Robert Castel, we follow the assumption that in all Western capitalist country two processes are crucially influencing labour market, industrial relations, and welfare politics today. First is the “return of the social question”, that is, spreading awareness among elites and broad parts of the population – in line with the rise of precarious work and the persistence of unemployment – that social problems do not only exist on the brink of society but in its very centre. Second, all countries are pursuing work-first activation policies of the kind promoted by the so-called Lisbon Strategy of the EU. We use the term activation in order to critically analyze the inner rationality of these political and policy trends.

Looking at five European countries (Great Britain, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and Austria), this contribution examines forms of convergence that are not consistent with standard comparative theories.  First, it examines the spread of unemployment and precarious work, national differences in its magnitude and the form it takes, and to what extent statistics (even if formally adjusted at the European level) shows artificial differences between countries and/or hides part of social problems.  Second, it examines continuity and disruption in the policymaking process.  We contrast countries in which societal transformations are identified with a sudden break with the past with those where political continuity tends to hide such transformations. Third, we address the (non-)contemporaneity of processes and events.  National history in one country is not synchronous with national history in other countries, even if there is convergent evolution. Therefore, what happens simultaneously at the international level refers to different moments or stages of national history and has not the same historical and political meaning in every country. Fourth, we examine the rhetoric of activation policy. Governments use different terms and discursive strategies in order to promote similar political programs, namely first-work activation policies; in order to make this shift they must refer to and make sense of hitherto existing policy in their country.