 |
Böckler Impuls
Selected articles in English
2005-2008
Every two weeks, the Hans Boeckler Foundation's information service provides you with concise analyses and reports on labour, economic and social issues. Written for people who are short of time, it evaluates scientific sources and sound opinions.
In May 2007, a number of articles have been chosen for an English print issue.
Download (pdf)
The export champion profits from globalisation
Germany is one of globalisation's winners, as a recent expert report commissioned by the research institute IMK confirms. The report contradicts fears that Germany is becoming just a market for exchanging goods made elsewhere, and shows that there has been a clear net gain in jobs.
mehr...
Well trained employees have better ideas
High-level research on its own doesn't guarantee innovation. Country studies indicate that well trained employees with room to be creative as well as a long-term approach are equally important in introducing new processes and products.
mehr...
First place in machine running times
German industry is in the lead: with an average of 63 hours a week German plants work longer than in the country's European neighbours. The reason for this competitive advantage is that German plants can organise work in a flexible way. Evidence for this is provided by the first methodologically sound comparison of plant working times.
mehr...
Where only returns matter
Despite record profits, many companies are cutting jobs. One reason - they are under severe pressure to deliver generous returns to capital markets. A recent study has examined how investment funds, analysts and rating agencies transfer the harsh competition of financial markets into companies - and so determine their strategies.
mehr...
German wages compared with others in the EU: systematically overestimated until now
Germany's labour costs are around the middle of the European range, according to a study by the IMK - Macro Economic Policy Institute. Using new, comparable figures for EU countries, the researchers refute the thesis that German wages are too high. In fact in private services they are very low, compared with the rest of Europe.
mehr...
Multinational companies appreciate the welfare state
A recent study shows that lower company taxes do not necessarily make a country attractive for foreign investors. Government social spending is also important, as it helps promote a good social climate.
mehr...
Risk of poverty grows for young and old
Growing inequality in earnings poses problems for the welfare states of many European countries. Germany faces an increased risk of future pensioner poverty among other challenges.
mehr...
Low hurdles in Germany
Closing a plant in Germany costs less and takes less time than in other European countries. A specially commissioned expert report shows that in France and the Netherlands the state places greater obstacles in the way of mass redundancies.
mehr...
Labour market reform: no new jobs
As yet there has been little academic research on whether labour market deregulation produces more jobs and growth in the short term. A new study closes this gap and shows that reforms in the labour market do not lead to reduced unemployment.
mehr...
'Father quotas' work - the freedom to chose doesn't
If the aim is for a fairer division of paid and family work between men and women, it's not enough to rely on parents' right to choose. On the contrary, the experience of the Nordic countries shows that childcare payments introduced under this slogan have promoted traditional roles.
mehr...
The protection of the welfare state helps happiness to flourish
Contentment isn't a private issue. Europeans feel particularly at ease when limits are placed on social inequality and they are protected by social safeguards.
mehr...
Social protection for the self-employed
There are increasing numbers of people in Europe who work for themselves. However, in Germany this new group of the self-employed generally falls through the social security net.
mehr...
Flexicurity: it's in the balance
Flexible labour markets and security for the employees at the same time - the flexicurity model is attempting a difficult juggling act.
mehr...
Way out of the debt trap
The declared goals of the countries of the Euro zone are stable public finances and strong economic growth. However, analysis by the economic institute IMK has found that under the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact, these goals are unachievable. The Institute calls for a fundamental reform of the Pact.
mehr...
The secret of British success: spending in the crisis
The UK economy is growing; unemployment is far lower than in Germany. What are the British doing right? Academics from the Universities of Göttingen and Hamburg pick apart the standard myth that it has been deregulation and flexibility that have brought growth and welfare. Much more decisive, they find, has been the right mix of monetary and financial policies.
mehr...
The state drives up prices
Despite long years in the economic doldrums and mass unemployment, the inflation rate in the Euro zone remains high. Is this the fault of rigid labour markets and tight product controls? No, says the IMK Macro Economic Policy Institute: increases in public charges and changes in indirect taxes are keeping price rises above the European Central Bank's acceptable two per cent limit.
mehr...
Lots of state, lots of competition
Railways, telecommunications and water supply all are supposed to be more efficient, cheaper and more reliable when they are no longer provided by the state. That is why the UK has radically privatised large parts of its public sector, although with only moderate success. Sweden, on the other hand, has gone for more competition - without selling state-owned companies. The result: high quality and low prices.
mehr...
Companies: plants more secure with works councils
Plants with works councils are closed less frequently than those without. At least that is the case when the workplace is part of a larger concern. This is the conclusion of a study by the Leibnitz University in Hanover.
mehr...
Lack of interest in the workforce
Analysts and investors have no interest in a company's workforce - other than as a cost factor. The one exception is the chief executive. Here personal impressions are very important and salaries can be high, provided they are closely tied into the share price.
mehr...
Higher pay in companies with works councils
Workplaces that have works council pay wages that are more than 10% higher than those which do not have an elected body representing the employees. The main beneficiaries of this are women and lower earners.
mehr...
The advantage of diversity
Germany's supervisory boards are changing, from backward-facing monitoring committees to forward-looking advisory bodies. Employee involvement helps in this process, as a recent study shows.
mehr...
Works councils ensure better working hours
Works councils help regulate flexible hours by providing a shorter working week and less precarious part-time employment.
mehr...
Consultation rights and collective agreements make jobs attractive
When employees leave, companies generally need to find and train new people. Those leaving often take the knowledge they have acquired with them. Works councils and collective agreements contribute to employees staying longer.
mehr...
Part of European diversity
Employees are able to be involved in decision making in their companies in many countries in Europe. In some cases, the thresholds for employee representation at board level are set well below those for Germany, as the three academics on the Biedenkopf Commission document in their report.
mehr...
Employee involvement - a German product that benefits everyone
Does employee involvement help or hinder Germany's economic progress? The academic members of the commission on employee involvement have undertaken a detailed examination of the available research on the subject. They conclude that giving employees a voice has been beneficial, that Germany is not unusual in Europe in giving employees these rights and that the issue may become more important in the future.
mehr...
Bigger bodies, better decisions
Too big, too cumbersome, unable to act - that is how its critics describe a supervisory board with employee representatives. But German public companies frequently and willingly choose such an overseeing body that is larger than that required by law - even companies where there is no employee representation.
mehr...
Driven by capital markets
Boards in America are complaining about the increasing pressure from analysts and large investors, like powerful pension funds. According to a recent study, company chiefs are prepared to accept a long-term loss of value, in order to meet short-term market expectations.
mehr...
The long journey to global representation
Whether it is BASF, Nestlé or Volkswagen, employees are increasingly gaining representation at European or indeed international level. But in an era of globalisation, while big groups now operate across all national borders, employee representation in companies and in unions still needs to catch up. These are the conclusions of a study by the Fulda University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule Fulda).
mehr...
Countries with employees on the board perform well
Employee representation at board level is not a barrier to a country's economic success - rather the opposite. Europe's strongest economies are those where employee representatives are required to be involved in decisions taken at the highest level in the company. This is the conclusion of a new study by Sigurt Vitols of the Social Science Research Centre in Berlin (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin).
mehr...
German companies in Britain: voluntary employee involvement
Critics believe that, given the chance, German companies would escape from the German system of employee involvement (co-determination, as it is known) as soon as they could. British subsidiaries of German companies have this chance, but they choose a very different path. They voluntarily offer their employees possibilities of employee involvement which go well beyond the UK standard.
mehr...
Europe: a colourful palette of involvement
Employee involvement at workplace level is not an exotic, outdated German phenomenon. A comparison with Germany's neighbours shows that employees across Europe have rights to be informed and influence decisions - in some cases more so than in Germany.
mehr...
In Europe it can only be together
Germany is not unique. Employees have a statutory right to board level representation in 18 of the 25 states of the European Union (EU). Now there is an opportunity to find shared solutions.
mehr...
European judges weaken systems of collective bargaining
With its recent judgments the European Court of Justice has set off a new discussion about the relationship between the rights of companies and employees. An interesting side effect is that the judgments emphasise the value of minimum wages.
mehr...
Training helps and the minimum wage does no harm
Youth unemployment is high in France and many economists blame the minimum wage. But the failings of the training system are much more significant.
mehr...
British ban on low pay does not cost jobs
The UK introduced a national minimum wage in 1999 and has uprated it on several occasions since. But a study by the London School of Economics finds that it has not led to a loss of jobs.
mehr...
Low pay: academic advances in a grey area
There are 7.8 million people in Germany on low pay - or are there just 3.3 million? Despite very different methods of measuring, the research institutes have identified some common trends: the low-pay sector is growing and it is becoming harder to break out of.
mehr...
|
|
