Employee Relationship in the Periphery of Europe : the Unfolding Story of the European Social Model

This book examines the manner in which the EU affects employee relations systems in economically peripheral European countries, specifically Ireland and Hungary. It asks whether the EU offers peripheral countries the opportunity to modernize their industrial relations. The EU dynamically promotes core-like employee practices, and national actors energetically attempt to implement the prescribed initiatives, yet little success has been achieved in modernising production techniques in peripheral economies. O'Hagan argues that the EU implements an unofficial development policy which it pressures states to adopt. These initiatives amount to the frequently referred to European Social Model (ESM), which, she argues, can cause difficulty for policy makers because it is ill-defined, vague and contradictory. "Employee Relations in the Periphery of Europe examines this important aspect of EU integration. It focuses on the manner in which the Community affects employee relations in economically peripheral countries. It asks whether this newly adopted 'soft' system of governance has the capacity to offer peripheral countries the opportunity to modernise employee relations systems." "Taking Ireland and Hungary as chief examples, Employee Relations in the Periphery of Europe discusses how European initiatives impact at the national level. The book is based upon the analysis of three policy areas within these national contexts: employee participation, training systems and wages. It analyses developments within these fields through a novel theoretical framework which synthesises current thinking in EU studies with a radical perspective." "The findings suggest that, while the EU dynamically promotes core-like employee relations practices (and national actors energetically attempt to implement the prescribed initiatives), little success has been achieved in modernising employee practices in peripheral economies. The book argues that the cause for these unimpressive results may lie with the inherently 'soft' nature of European policies. It is suggested that EU 'soft' policies tend to be marginalised in environments in which national administrations aim to juggle EU policies with pressures to attract foreign direct investment."--BOOK JACKET This book examines the manner in which the EU affects employee relations systems in economically peripheral European countries, specifically Ireland and Hungary. It asks whether the EU offers peripheral countries the opportunity to modernise their industrial relations. The EU dynamically promotes core-like employee practices, and national actors energetically attempt to implement the prescribed initiatives, yet little success has been achieved in modernising production techniques in peripheral economies. O'Hagan argues that the EU implements an unofficial development policy which it pressurises States to adopt. These initiatives amount to the frequently referred to European Social Model (ESM), which, she argues, can cause difficulty for policy makers because it is ill-defined, vague and contradictory. "Emer O'Hagan provides a map through which we can negotiate the maze that surrounds the policy and practice of the EU. This is no mean feat, and as such her book is both useful and interesting."--Irish Journal of Sociology This work examines the manner in which the EU affects employee relations systems in economically peripheral European countries, specifically Ireland and Hungary