The transformation of Industrial Citizenship in the course of European integration

Abstract

The question of the social dimension of European integration has so far remained unsettled. While on the European level, the civil and political dimension of citizenship has been strengthened, the evolution of economic and social rights are unclear, contradictory—and still under‐investigated. Our contribution applies citizenship as a central category of modernization theory to inquire into European integration. In particular, our focus is set on the analysis of Economic Citizenship as a specific category of civil rights in the case of Germany. We discuss these dynamics by drawing on the example of three policy fields which illustrate various levels of Economic Citizenship. In this article we are pursuing two goals: Firstly, we revise Marshall's modernization theory against the background of European integration. Secondly, we draw attention to the concept of Industrial Citizenship, which has so far been neglected as a source of further development. We argue that in the process of European integration, industrial rights develop through a double movement, meaning an individual extension of market‐based rights complemented through national de‐collectivization and—connected to this—a re‐stratification of market correcting rights.

General Principles of European Integration Processes: Challenges and Prospects

“…The transition to European standards requires significant political and legislative changes, which can be a challenging task for candidate countries. Cypriot jurists (Georgios Maris, Pantelis Sklias) emphasize that "over the years, EU members have developed significant dependent relationships, where asymmetric power plays a decisive role; in fact, asymmetry and asymmetric power have become the unifying glue for economic integration" 15 . Scientists who studied the nature of the European integration processes of Bosnia and Herzegovina prove that "the lack of political will of the power structures primarily inhibits the integration processes" 16 .…”

“…The monitoring of each sphere necessitates a separate economic analysis of the spheres of the national economy, the labor market, territorial challenges, tax and credit policy. 15 Maris G., Sklias P. European integration and asymmetric power: dynamics and change in the EMU, European Politics and Society, 2020 Vol. 21:5.…”

The Influence of the Discursive Power of Unions in the Swift Re-regulation of Slaughterhouse Labour during the COVID-19 Crisis in Germany

“…This crisis of labour relations is partly caused by problems in the process of European integration. The integration of Central and Eastern European countries mobilises a labour potential that can meet the demand in northern and western European countries, especially in low-skilled areas of economic activity, but also puts pressure on the collective bargaining systems of western European political economies (Seeliger, 2019;Nachtwey and Seeliger, 2020). For the western European trade unions, special difficulties in organising mobile workers result from their often temporary employment.…”

Corporate Public Spheres between Refeudalization and Revitalization

“… 2. The national co-determination system constitutes one core element of German capitalism as a ‘coordinated market economy’ (Hall and Soskice, 2001). Based on two institutional pillars – works councils and workers’ representatives on the company board – this system limits the commodification of labour and grants workers a certain influence on its allocation (Nachtwey and Seeliger, 2020). By drawing on the German case, we imply national co-determination laws in place. …”