Active Inclusion and Industrial Relations: Regional Case Studies (Work Package C)

Airmulp (Active inclusion and industrial relations from a multi-level governance perspective) focuses on the relationship between active inclusion and industrial relations. More specifically, the Project is concerned with the analysis of active inclusion issues – e.g. social exclusion, in-work poverty, labour market segmentation, long-term unemployment and gender inequalities, income support and inclusive labour markets – in the framework of social dialogue and collective bargaining, at three different levels, namely European, national and sub-national (regional and/or local). WP C focuses on the relationship between active inclusion and industrial relations at the sub-national level. The devolution of competences related to active inclusion to either regional or local governments, together with the decentralisation of industrial relations, enlarges the room for manoeuvre of social partners. Despite this trend, there are few studies on the dynamics of industrial relations at these levels, even if the regional dimension of labour market and social integration plays an important role in many European countries. However, the institutional architecture underpinning the territorial dimension of industrial relations varies across countries, and it is unclear if this masks the existence of shared, cross-national principles framing industrial relations at the decentralised level. This WP proposes a cross-national comparison of practices undertaken at the territorial level. The results are intended to deepen knowledge of the role and efficacy of the sub-national regimes of labour regulation across Europe, in relation to active inclusion. The research is based on six case studies, selected among larger regions which contain a “second-tier” city. These are: Rhône-Alpes and Lyon (France); Lombardy and Milan (Italy); Catalonia and Barcelona (Spain); Lower Silesia and Wroclaw (Poland); West Sweden and Gothenburg (Sweden); Greater Manchester and Manchester (UK). The analysis, then, has the purpose of revealing common features and diversities between the case studies as well as regional specificities within the selected countries. Furthermore, it aims at identifying different approaches to active inclusion, outlying their strong and weak points, and evaluating their outcomes.