Research in Sociology of Work - Comparing European Workers (Electronic book text)

Whether criticized or praised, European labor markets have been well-known for their social democracy and corporatism, and purported rigidities and inefficiencies. European labor markets have always stood out for supposedly providing workers more security and equality and/or being unable to foster job growth and flexibility. This volume places the labor markets, workplaces, jobs and workers of Europe in comparative perspective. It focuses on the politics, economics, sociology, and history of work and workers in Europe. Authors contribute a variety of methodological and theoretical perspectives, with papers that push the boundaries of evidence and argument. In order to place European workers in comparative perspectives, the volume features articles that analyze specific European countries, industries and firms, analyze Europe as one of a few cases, and analyze many European countries within a cross-national sample. It contains both qualitative and quantitative studies as well as explicitly theoretical work, and compares contemporary patterns and the recent history of European workers with other models of work worldwide.