What's Left to Trade: the Changing Logic of Corporatist Policymaking in Europe

Abstract

This paper outlines evolutions in the underlying logic of corporatist policymaking in Western Europe. Starting from the discrepancy between the observable decline in the power of organised labour on the one hand, and the persistence of corporatist concertation as a mode of policymaking on the other, the paper outlines the remaining incentives for governments to involve trade unions and employers in policymaking. The paper shifts the focus from the traditional structural explanations of corporatist policymaking to political explanations emphasising political support, compliance and knowledge. The paper then outlines a few elements regarding the relationship between political and partisan configurations on corporatism.