Zur Politischen Ökonomie der Arbeitslosigkeit: Mancur Olson versus Insider-Outsider-Theorie

In explaining persistently high unemployment, Mancur Olson’s logic of collective action and the insider-outsider approach both focus on simular incentive structures of pressure groups. This contribution examines the astonishingly rarely tested hypothesis that both approaches are compatible to be integrated in a broader and widely acceptable basis for overdue labour market reforms. Moreover, a straightforward political economy of reforms is derived from this synthesis. However, a deeper comparison reveals that both models also share a great weakness. They clearly do not incorporate interests common to insiders and outsiders and self-correcting mechanisms in the wake of steadily growing costs of unemployment.