ILRIC 6325 - The European Social Model

Spring. 4 credits. Student option grading.

Co-meets with ILRIC 4325.

V. Doellgast.

This course examines the past and future of the “European Social Model.” Europe has long been known for its strong labor unions and social regulation of labor markets. We will ask to what extent these traditions have been maintained or transformed in the face of market liberalization and integration within the European Union. The class is organized in three parts. In part one, we will discuss major ‘national models’, including Germany, the Nordic countries, and France – reviewing both the history of these models and recent changes in collective bargaining and labor market institutions. In part two, we will compare major areas of labor market policy across European countries, including pay, parental leave, gender quotas, employment protection, and working time flexibility. In part three, we will examine the process and politics of European integration in the European Union (EU), including extension into Central and Eastern European countries and migration within Europe. The class will conclude with a discussion of challenges facing the EU: support for far right parties; responses to the climate crisis; and geopolitical conflict.