The Political Economy of Work Security and Flexibility : Italy in Comparative Perspective

The economic crisis has revealed the dark side of deregulation in the labour market: rising unemployment, limited access to social security and, due to low wages, no savings to count upon in bad times. This book casts light on the empirical relationship between labour market deregulation through non-standard contracts and the three main dimensions of worker security: employment, income and social security. Focusing on individual work histories, it looks at how labour market dynamics interact with the social protection system in bringing about inequality and insecurity. In this context Italy is put forward as the epitome of flexibility through non-standard work and compared with three similar countries: Germany, Spain and Japan. Results show that when flexibility is carried out as a mere cost-reduction device and social security only relies on insurance principles, deregulation leads to insecurity. 'The political economy of work security and flexibility' is essential reading for academics, students, practitioners and policy makers interested in the outcomes of labour market developments in advanced economies over the past twenty years. The political economy of work security and flexibility Contents Acknowledgements Notes on the authors 1. Worker security and the spread of non-standard work Introduction Aim of the volume and strategy of analysis Why Italy is an interesting case Flexibility in action: the increasing role of non-standard work Plan of the book 2. Flexibility and security in contemporary labour markets Introduction Dimensions of flexibility and security8 The consequences of flexibility: insights from economic theory The empirical analysis of flexibility and security 3. Labour policy developments in Italy in comparative perspective Introduction The protective model of the golden age1 From strict to flexible protection5 Flexibility through reforms at the margin6 The Italian labour market and its dualisms Labour market reforms in Germany, Spain and Japan Conclusions 4. Flexibility and employment security: an analysis of work careers Introduction A descriptive analysis of work careers Port-of-entry and persistence effects Career dynamics in comparative perspective Conclusions 5. Flexibility and wage dynamics Introduction Statutory differences in economic treatment International evidence Conclusions 6. Flexibility and social security Introduction Unemployment benefits Sickness and maternity benefits Pensions Unemployment benefits: comparative perspectives Conclusions 7. A monetary measure of worker (in)security Introduction How we measure precariousness Who is precarious? A descriptive analysis Who is precarious? Multivariate analysis Persistence in precariousness The impact of social protection Inclusion of part-time workers Conclusions 8.Conclusions Appendix A. The WHIP database Database characteristics Data used for the analyses The observation period Appendix B. Main work contracts in italy References Index The recent economic crisis has shown the dark side of deregulating the labor market: rising unemployment, limited access to social security and, due to low wages, depleted savings to rely upon in bad times. An emphasis on flexibility has led to inequality and insecurity, the authors reveal in this compelling study of Italy's embrace of nonstandard work contracts. Analyzing outcomes at the individual level, they contrast Italy with Germany, Spain, and Japan as they demonstrate the social and economic fallout of pursuing flexibility merely as a tool to reduce costs