The metamorphoses of corporatism: From classical to lean patterns

Abstract

Abstract. Given notable fluctuations in the relevance of corporatist practices over time, did profound transformations in the profile of corporatism accompany these fluctuations? Based on data from twenty OECD countries, this article examines whether and how corporatist wage regulation changed its profile in structures, policies and performance from 1970 to 1996. The empirical evidence obtained from this analysis runs counter to the orthodox view of superior persistence and performance of classical (i.e., encompassing and centralized) structures of corporatism. Non‐classical (‘lean’) structures have gained in importance and performed no worse than their classical counterparts. The article concludes by discussing the implications of the findings for corporatist theory.

When Europe Hits Home: How Europeanization Triggers the Conflict of Capitalism in the German System of Corporate Control

“…Recent studies provide evidence for the notion that wage organization -confirming earlier expectations -has been decentralized and particularly shifted from multi-employer-bargaining to single-employer-bargaining (Traxler, 2004). This finding suggests a trend towards disorganization, which came up "when wage regulation came under neo-liberal pressure" (Traxler, 2004, p. 580).…”

“…A comprehensive study undertaken by the WSI-Institute (2010) further suggests that firms have more and more tried to opt out of existing agreements, or when this was not possible have decided not to extend them. While Traxler (2004) urges us not to overemphasize these observations, as he believes path dependency will shield (macro-) corporatist arrangements from adjustment pressure, they still have significant implications for the system of industrial relations as a whole. For http://scholarship.claremont.edu/urceu/vol2012/iss1/8 example, if wages are increasingly set at the firm-or plant-level rather than the industry-or sector level, one must assume that differences in salaries across a sector will sharply increase.…”

«Dialogue social» et variétés des capitalismes: une analyse de long terme

“…Menés en parallèle, d'autres travaux au champ plus restreint ont exploré le « corporatisme » tel qu'on l'observe notamment en Europe (Siaroff, 1999Traxler, 2004. Les pratiques corporatistes peuvent se définir comme une configuration politique fondée sur l'expression organisée de groupes d'intérêts, structurée en associations intermédiaires, et coordonnant leur action avec celle de l'État (Streeck et Kenworthy, 2005).…”

The Politics of Economic Adjustment in a Liberal Market Economy: The Social Compensation Hypothesis Revisited

“…Martin Rhodes has termed such deals 'competitive corporatism', since while social pacts were still about protecting workers from the full rigours of market disciplines, unions had accepted the logic of business imperatives, often in highunemployment contexts (Rhodes 1998; (Traxler 2004). The development of Irish social services remained largely outside the influence of unions and employers alike, in spite of the existence of myriad social partnership working groups, the National Anti-Poverty Strategy, and similar initiatives (Hardiman 2006).…”