@article{Hassel, author = {Hassel, Anke}, title = {No Way to Escape Imbalances in the Eurozone? Three Sources for Germany's Export Dependency: Industrial Relations, Social Insurance and Fiscal Federalism}, series = {German Politics}, volume = {26}, journal = {German Politics}, number = {3}, issn = {0964-4008}, doi = {10.1080/09644008.2017.1342813}, pages = {360 -- 379}, abstract = {Over the last two decades, the German political economy has increasingly relied on export specialisation as a strategy for economic recovery. This export-led development strategy turned out to be a mixed blessing. While, on the one hand, specialisation in high-quality manufactured goods has preserved Germany's competitive edge vis-{\`a}-vis many other industrialised countries, it has, on the other hand, led to an increasing dependency on exports as the engine for growth. There has been no equally strong evolution of a domestic service economy beyond manufacturing-related services. The issue of export dependency becomes increasingly important in light of the financial crisis and global imbalances, vis-{\`a}-vis Greece and the Eurozone but also globally. Weak aggregate demand depresses both domestic employment and endangers the still fragile construction of the Eurozone. The paper argues that Germany finds itself in an export-dependency trap due to imbalances between domestic services and export-driven manufacturing. It analyses three sources for the over-reliance on export-oriented manufacturing and weak employment in domestic services: firstly, the industrial relations system, secondly, the social insurance financing of the welfare state and thirdly, fiscal federalism. All three are fundamental pillars of the German political economy and locked into political coalitions that are not easily changed.}, language = {en} } @techreport{HasselHelmerich, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Hassel, Anke and Helmerich, Nicole}, title = {Workers' Voice in the 100 largest European companies}, series = {MBF-Report}, journal = {MBF-Report}, edition = {Nr. 31}, issn = {2364-0413}, pages = {9}, abstract = {-Workers’ Voice is widely present among the largest 100 firms in Europe. 90 \% of the largest firms participate in collective bargaining (CBA), 73 \% have a European Works Council (EWC) and 44 \% have Board-Level Employee Representation (BLER). 27 \% have a European Company Agreement (ECA), and 23 \% an International Framework Agreement (IFA). The data set allows three broad conclusions: - First, Workers’ Voice is mostly cumulative. Companieswith BLER always participate in collective bargaining and generally have a higher percentage of other forms of Workers’ Voice in place than companies without BLER. Companies with BLER and CBA in place also almost always have at least one European Works Council in place and, in 40.9 \% of the firms, also at least one European Company Agreement.- Second, Board-Level Employee Representation and collective bargaining seem to strengthen good corporate governance. Companies with BLER offered considerably lower remuneration packages within the company than companies without BLER. Companies without BLER as well as companies without CBA spent, on average, significantly more money on the highest remuneration packages than companies with BLER andCBA present and companies with only CBA present. Companies with BLER are associated with a lower influence of a single biggest owner.- Third, companies with strong Workers’ Voice show better performance compared to those without. Companies with both BLER and CBA have higher market value as well as higher net sales.}, language = {en} }