Based on European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) micro-data, we show that, on average, work autonomy has declined and work pressure has increased in most European Union countries since 1995. Since such evolution is substantially detrimental for workers, we examine whether workers of varied skill levels in different countries have been equally impacted. Descriptive analysis shows that low-skill clerical workers are the most affected and that Scandinavian countries fare better. Econometric results show that the decline in job satisfaction is due mainly to the increase in work pressure-which might be reaching a limit for high-skill workers-and that job satisfaction is most affected by an increase in work pressure when this is not accompanied by greater work autonomy.2

Although the effects of work autonomy (WA) and employee involvement (EI) have been largely studied, their determinants, especially at the macro/institutional level, have attracted much less attention. To better understand (a) the extent to which WA and EI are distinct constructs and (b) the factors that explain their respective levels, this article uses the 2010 European Working Conditions Survey to build sound indexes of WA and EI, provide a picture of the level of both constructs in 33 European countries and analyse their predictors through a multilevel structural model. The results show that WA and EI differ in what concerns their macro-level but not micro-level predictors. Whereas union density and generalized trust strongly influence EI, only generalized trust impacts WA. Documenting that generalized trust as a macro-social trait is powerfully associated with organizational choices is a key contribution of the article.

The aim of this article is to show that social benefits may accrue from work environments that support autonomous forms of work. Based on social psychology, economics and philosophy approaches, the authors argue that autonomy is a basic human need which, when satisfied, enhances civic behavior. Using individual data from the EWCS, the article finds evidence of the positive effect of work autonomy on volunteer work and political/trade union activities. Overall, work autonomy has decreased over the last 15 years for all skill levels in the EU, though there are substantial differences between countries. Organizational practices that promote autonomy should be deliberately stimulated if civic participation is to be furthered.

International scientific mobility is a strategic element in the science policies of several countries, being often equated with the development of extensive knowledge networks that can be mobilised by the scientists (and their organisations) upon their return. The objective of this paper is to understand whether and in which conditions mobility leads to the development of knowledge links that are long lasting and effectively play a key role in scientists' activities. In conceptual terms, the influence of mobility is explained through the opportunities it provides for temporary co-location in one organisation, and thus for the creation of social, cognitive and organisational proximity between scientists, which are critical for knowledge transmission and which can persist after the individuals draw apart. This conceptual framework supports an empirical analysis of the impact of two types of long term mobility -for training and professional purposes -on the creation of "persistent knowledge networks", in the case of Portuguese scientists. The results show that mobile scientists are more likely to have foreign organisations in their core knowledge network. Even more importantly, they reveal a high incidence of organisations that were part of the scientists' trajectory in these networks, providing some confirmation to the effects of colocation. However, these effects are not always present: the research also identifies some factors -related with personal characteristics, career situation, scientific field, time, geographical distance, motivations to move -that increase the likelihood of network persistence, which differ for the two types of mobility. AcknowledgmentsResearch conducted in the context of the project MOBISCIENCE: Scientists´mobility in Portugal: trajectories and knowledge circulation (PTDC/ESC/64411/2006), funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, whose support is gratefully acknowledged.2

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