Still a distinctive southern European employment model?

Abstract

Current similarities among the four southern European EU Member States-Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain-with respect not only to labour market characteristics but also to the institutional arrangements that influence labour supply, utilisation and demand corroborate the concept of a distinctive southern European employment model. Its origins go back to common features in the pattern of socio-economic development and the political history of these countries. In the past 20 years or so, national differences in the pace and content of institutional change have increased diversity within the model and eroded some of its components. They have not, however, destroyed its unity and distinctiveness.

Institutional legacies and HRM: similarities and differences in HRM practices in Portugal and Mozambique

“…Considerable dispute and labour turmoil followed the fall of the Estado Novo (da Silva Lopes, 2003;Karamessini, 2008). This was ameliorated through tripartite dialogue, initiated in 1985.…”

“…The boom in Portuguese industry from the 1980s until the early 1990s was followed by a gradual decline in the face of European competition (Karamessini, 2008), and Portugal was marked by rising income inequalities (da Silva Lopes, 2003). Meanwhile, the family continued to play a central role in many Portuguese firms, with corresponding patriarchal, authoritarian and gendered divisions of labour and the persistence of family-based welfare and informal systems of HRM (Karamessini, 2008).…”

“…The boom in Portuguese industry from the 1980s until the early 1990s was followed by a gradual decline in the face of European competition (Karamessini, 2008), and Portugal was marked by rising income inequalities (da Silva Lopes, 2003). Meanwhile, the family continued to play a central role in many Portuguese firms, with corresponding patriarchal, authoritarian and gendered divisions of labour and the persistence of family-based welfare and informal systems of HRM (Karamessini, 2008). Portugal became committed to ever greater labour market flexibility which built on a tradition of poor enforcement of labour law, with light oversight of small firms and often weak and ineffective workplace representation (Karamessini, 2008).…”

“…Portugal has a history of institutional layering, whereby new institutional arrangements do not totally substitute for old ones (Rocha & Araujo, 2007), and rigid hierarchies and procedurality are accompanied by modernization (Tavares & Alves, 2006, p. 584). Continuities include the relative importance of agriculture, a large SME sector (Karamessini, 2008), and a relatively large informal economy, whilst informal networks facilitate the bypassing of formal institutional arrangements (Aguiar, 2005).…”

Economic Insecurity and Fertility Intentions: The Case of Italy

“…In Italy, the main contribution to household income is still generally made by men, while women are primarily responsible for non-market services for children and older individuals. In other words, the so-called "male-breadwinner/female care-giver family model" seems to be still prevalent in the Italian setting (Karamessini 2008 (Burda et al 2007). The time devoted to domestic activity is however higher than the European average.…”