Low Statism in Coordinated Market Economies: The Development of Job Security Regulations in Switzerland
Journal
International Political Science Review
ISSN
0192-5121
ISSN-Digital
1460-373X
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2010-03-01
Author(s)
Abstract
Despite the prominent role of job security regulations in the "varieties of capitalism" literature and although Swiss law gives only limited protection to workers against dismissal, Switzerland is normally classified as a coordinated market economy. This apparent contradiction is often explained by emphasizing the trade-off between extensive job security regulations and generous unemployment insurance benefits. This explanation, however, is not convincing for the Swiss case, as the coverage of the unemployment insurance system was very low until the late 1970s. This article argues that low levels of job security regulations are the result of the weakness of the federal state, which attempted several times to enact restrictive job security regulations. Each attempt to enact job security regulations, however, has been blocked by an alliance of liberal-conservative political groupings and employers' associations. The present article traces the historical development of job security regulations in Switzerland and reveals the political coalitions that successfully kept the federal state weak.
Language
English
Keywords
job security regulations
Switzerland
varieties of capitalism
social policy
political coalitions
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
SEPS - Global Democratic Governance
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Sage
Publisher place
Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Volume
31
Number
2
Start page
187
End page
205
Pages
19
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
227282