Mark Trappmann, Bernhard Christoph, Juliane Achatz and Claudia Wenzig
This paper aims to introduce a new large‐scale panel study (“PASS”) for research on the labour market, the welfare state and poverty that combines a sample of 6,000 recipient…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to introduce a new large‐scale panel study (“PASS”) for research on the labour market, the welfare state and poverty that combines a sample of 6,000 recipient households with an equally large sample of the general population.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors show how research goals and the specific population of the survey are accounted for in a tailored survey design.
Findings
The authors point the reader to new research potential created by the new study. The new potential is mainly derived from the sampling design (large recipient sample combined with a population sample), the direct measurement of poverty by a deprivation index, the detailed measurement of the migratory background, additional information (like attitudes, search intensity) for models of recipiency dynamics, and the linkage of the survey data with administrative data.
Originality/value
The data set described fills a major gap in the data‐infrastructure available for labour‐market research. From a methodological point of view it presents an innovative sampling design.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of workfare programme participation on self-efficacy, because many studies suggest that sufficient self-efficacy is essential…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of workfare programme participation on self-efficacy, because many studies suggest that sufficient self-efficacy is essential for successful job search in modern labour markets.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper analyses an exemplary German workfare programme’ the so-called “One-Euro-Jobs” programme and examines whether participation in this programme improved the self-efficacy of participants. The analyses are based on survey data (Panel Study Labour Market and Social Security) that were combined with administrative records of the Statistics Department of the German Federal Employment Agency to obtain more reliable information on programme participation. To detect causal effects of participation, the authors apply propensity score matching.
Findings
The findings show that participants’ self-efficacy, on average, was not improved by programme participation. Also, no well-determined positive effects of programme participation were found when controlling for the individual baseline level of self-efficacy.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that workfare programme participation did not fulfil several of the psychological functions of work necessary to enhance participants’ self-efficacy. The authors suggest a two-step approach to enhancing individuals’ self-efficacy and their job-search abilities: in the first step, workfare participation aims to improve employability; in the second step, participants can learn the extent to which they have become ready to work in a regular subsidised job.
Originality/value
Various studies examine the effect of workfare programme participation on employment prospects, well-being, health or social participation. Within the discourse on active labour market policy, this paper is the first to study the effect of workfare programme participation on self-efficacy.
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Jan Czarzasty and Adam Mrozowicki
The purpose of this paper is to examine the interrelations between the evolution of industrial relations (IR) and IR research in Poland in the historical context. Two questions…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the interrelations between the evolution of industrial relations (IR) and IR research in Poland in the historical context. Two questions are put forward: How was the evolution of the IR system in Poland influenced by the re-constitution of a particular model of the capitalism and the strategies and struggle of IR actors? How were the ways of approaching and theorizing IR influenced by the aforementioned evolution?
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws upon academic literature, secondary data on actors and processes of IR as well as four expert interviews with the representatives of the first generation of IR scholars in Poland.
Findings
The paper suggests that the development of the IR system and the related scholarship can be divided into three phases: the pre-1989 period characterised by the lack of autonomous interests representation and rather limited IR research; the early development of the post-1989 IR system marked by the debates on the integrative role of IR as peacekeeping mechanism in the period of deep economic and political changes (1989-2004); the post-EU accession consolidation of the IR system characterised by the weakness of the IR actors vis-à-vis the state and increasing neo-etatist tendencies.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the relationships between the emergent models of Eastern European capitalism and the evolution of IR systems. It critically analyses the state of the discussion on the IR field Poland emphasising the relevance of political-economic factors as well as the ideology of “social peace” for both the evolution of the IR system in the country and the state of the IR debate.
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Anita Hammer and Suparna Karmakar
This research contributes to current debates on automation and the future of work, a much-hyped but under researched area, in emerging economies through a particular focus on…
Abstract
Purpose
This research contributes to current debates on automation and the future of work, a much-hyped but under researched area, in emerging economies through a particular focus on India. It assesses the national strategy on artificial intelligence and explores the impact of automation on the Indian labour market, work and employment to inform policy.
Design/methodology/approach
The article critically assesses the National Strategy on AI, promulgated by NITI Aayog (a national policy think tank), supported by the government of India and top industry associations, through a sectoral analysis. The key dimensions of the national strategy are examined against scholarship on the political economy of work in India to better understand the possible impact of automation on work.
Findings
The study shows that technology is not free from the wider dynamics that surround the world of work. The adoption of new technologies is likely to occur in niches in the manufacturing and services sectors, while its impact on employment and the labour market more broadly, and in addressing societal inequalities will be limited. The national strategy, however, does not take into account the nature of capital accumulation and structural inequalities that stem from a large informal economy and surplus labour context with limited upskilling opportunities. This raises doubts about the effectiveness of the current policy.
Research limitations/implications
The critical assessment of new technologies and work has two implications: first, it underscores the need for situated analyses of social and material relations of work in formulating and assessing strategies and policies; second, it highlights the necessity of qualitative workplace studies that examine the relationship between technology and the future of work.
Practical implications
The article assesses an influential state policy in a key aspect of future of work–automation.
Social implications
The policy assessed in this study would have significant social and economic outcomes for labour, work and employment in India. The study highlights the limitations of the state policy in addressing key labour market dimensions and work and employment relations in its formulation and implementation.
Originality/value
This study is the first to examine the impact of automation on work and employment in India. It provides a critical intervention in current debates on future of work from the point of view of an important emerging economy defined by labour surplus and a large informal economy.
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Sukhwinder Singh and Anandakumar M. Ramiya
This paper aims to focus on devising a comprehensive approach for avalanche susceptibility mapping leveraging the analytic hierarchical process (AHP) coupled with multi-criteria…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to focus on devising a comprehensive approach for avalanche susceptibility mapping leveraging the analytic hierarchical process (AHP) coupled with multi-criteria weighted overlay (MCWO) technique and further prioritizing based on ASSI and flow modeling.
Design/methodology/approach
The research methodology comprises four main stages. Initially, relevant spatial data sets, including terrain attributes and meteorological factors, are collected, processed and reclassified. The AHP with MCWO is then applied to establish hierarchical criteria and determine the relative importance of each criterion, resulting in a composite avalanche susceptibility map (ASM). Avalanche sites identified and vectorized from ASM, prioritized using avalanche site susceptibility index (ASSI). Final prioritization is based on RAMMS flow modeling for three sites with the highest ASSI. Finally, a Web-based application, AvalSAFE-LPR, is created using Google Earth Engine for visualization and dissemination of results.
Findings
The final analysis of the study area shows that 28.5% is classified as low susceptibility, 56.6% as moderate susceptibility and 14.9% as high susceptibility zones. Additionally, 28 avalanche sites were identified along the LPR, and the three sites with the highest ASSI were modeled using the RAMMS: Avalanche Module.
Originality/value
This research represents a novel approach to identify, vectorize and prioritize the avalanche prone sites by integrating AHP with RAMMS: Avalanche Module and ASSI.
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Vivek G. Nair, Leena Chatterjee and Navya Bagga
The paper aims to provide a career perspective on self-employment (SE) by focusing on how engaging in SE shapes the career experiences of MBA graduates in a distinct cultural and…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to provide a career perspective on self-employment (SE) by focusing on how engaging in SE shapes the career experiences of MBA graduates in a distinct cultural and institutional context.
Design/methodology/approach
We thematically analyse interviews with 29 Indian MBA graduates (including 10 women) who have engaged in both SE and salaried employment, using the conservation of resources (COR) theory as the theoretical framework.
Findings
Participants took up SE in a challenging institutional and cultural environment. Resources such as financial stability, social networks and family support enabled participants to pursue SE. Participants noted that the SE experience boosted their psychological resources, providing them with greater confidence, perseverance and self-awareness. Participants observed that SE had a negative impact on subjective career success (SCS) dimensions of financial success and positive work relationships but positively impacted other SCS dimensions such as entrepreneurship, learning and development, positive (social) impact and work–life balance (particularly for women).
Research limitations/implications
Participants were highly educated with strong social networks from past work experience in a developing economy, so the transferability of the findings to other contexts may be limited.
Practical implications
Individuals could benefit from considering a broader career canvas that includes SE as a career option. Policymakers should work towards removing institutional barriers and changing cultural perceptions towards SE.
Originality/value
Our study is distinct in that it comprises participants who had engaged in both SE and salaried employment during their careers. Few studies have looked at the impact of one employment episode on another. We show that SE episodes can contribute to career sustainability by developing psychological resources.
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Aine Lyons, Jóhanna Gísladóttir and Matthias Kokorsch
Globally, climate change is exacerbating the impacts of climate-related, natural hazards including avalanches. However, there is limited knowledge about how small and remote…
Abstract
Purpose
Globally, climate change is exacerbating the impacts of climate-related, natural hazards including avalanches. However, there is limited knowledge about how small and remote communities are affected by and perceive the effects of a changing climate with hazards that increase in intensity and/or frequency. Consequently, there is a call for more actionable and interdisciplinary climate adaptation research, which takes its starting point in understanding the local concerns of people living in small remote communities.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper test the photovoice method to gather respondents’ perceptions of the place in which they live and the hazards they face through personal narratives of photographs.
Findings
Despite its limitations, the photovoice method was found to be a suitable tool for gaining valuable insights into the communities while ensuring comfort and enjoyment for both participants and the researcher.
Research limitations/implications
The findings also show that despite its limitations photovoice is a useful method for shedding light on risk perception, place attachment and resiliency in communities facing the risk of natural hazards. The study found that place attachment is an important factor to consider in disaster risk management, policy and decision making.
Originality/value
The paper adds to a growing body of literature surrounding the relationship between place attachment and community resilience to climate-related natural hazards. The authors examined the impact of place attachment on community resilience, focusing on two rural and remote villages located in the Westfjords in Iceland – Patreksfjörður and Flateyri. Societal aspects of natural hazards have hitherto been hardly addressed in Iceland and to our knowledge the applied method has not been tested before in such a setting. The photovoice method is tested to gather respondents’ perceptions of the place in which they live and the hazards they face through personal narratives of photographs.
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The relative absence of worker occupations in recent years in a context of major restructuring and unemployment has raised issues in Spain as to the changing nature of specific…
Abstract
Purpose
The relative absence of worker occupations in recent years in a context of major restructuring and unemployment has raised issues in Spain as to the changing nature of specific forms of direct action. This paper seeks to argue that it is important, in the case of Spain, to discuss how worker occupations have been changing and developing over time if the changing pattern, character and impact of worker unrest and direct action is to be understood.
Design/methodology/approach
The research materials for this paper are based on a series of meetings and interviews with union officers and activists that draw on various projects on union development in Spain during the years 1983‐1988, 2000‐2002 and 2009‐2010, and the study of a range of secondary texts.
Findings
The paper suggests that, as well as discussing questions of motives, whether economic or political, accounting for the socio‐economic context and the changing nature of the workforce in terms of its degree of concentration, the changing nature of labour market stability, and the relationship of workers to “stable” workplaces and work is required. Additionally, there is a need to account for how workers reference and recall (or not) previous modes of mobilising and actions.
Practical implications
Discussing worker occupations should involve issues of political purpose, economic context, the changing nature of work and workers, and the role of memory and historical framing if an appreciation of their varying nature and presence within the landscape of labour relations is to be made. Hence, a multi‐dimensional understanding of the context of worker action is required.
Social implications
The implications of the paper are that conflict of work needs to be understood in broader terms, and that worker related activities can be highly innovative.
Originality/value
The paper examines union and worker responses to the current recession in Spain and focuses on the role and context of unofficial approaches, especially worker occupations, to the changing workplace.
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This paper aims to examine the cycle of labour protests in Sweden, comparing the contentious actions of trade unions in public and private sectors over 40 years. Prior studies…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the cycle of labour protests in Sweden, comparing the contentious actions of trade unions in public and private sectors over 40 years. Prior studies have focused on industrial conflicts or labour protests, but a long-term perspective on the broad protest repertoire across sectors is lacking. The goal is to test the argument of diversification of action repertoire and differences between the public and private sectors.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors apply the grievance and political opportunity theories of social movement research for explaining the cycles of labour protests and differences between sectors in Sweden over 40 years (1980–2020). The unique protest event data are combined with the official strike statistics. The research period includes the globalisation of the economy and two economic crises.
Findings
Although unions in both sectors have decreased protest mobilisation over time, private sector unions have resigned the most, whereas public sector unions continue to mobilise a diverse set of protest actions. Swedish unions have not replaced strikes with other protest repertoires. The open opportunities have allowed them to use various protests as part of “routine” operations.
Research limitations/implications
Protest event data are derived from newspapers, leading to an over-representation of large events in the urban areas. Future studies should combine data from newspapers with data about online protests.
Originality/value
By thoroughly examining all protest events mobilised by all trade unions in different sectors over 40 years (1980–2020), the paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the cycles of labour protest. The findings should interest industrial relations and social movement scholars.