IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/brjirl/v54y2016i2p285-310.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Role of Mediation Institutions in Sweden and Denmark after Centralized Bargaining

Author

Listed:
  • Christian Lyhne Ibsen

Abstract

This article compares coordinated collective bargaining in Sweden and Denmark after centralized bargaining. Existing theories — power resource and cross-class alliance theory — seem capable of explaining the transition from centralized bargaining to pattern bargaining system. However, they do not explain the internal stability of bargaining coordination once established. This analysis stresses the role of mediation institutions of both countries for solving collective action problems in pattern bargaining by pegging other settlements to the manufacturing labour cost norm. Mediation capabilities, however, differ, which is reflected in more frequent defections in Sweden than in Denmark and thus a more unstable bargaining coordination. These differences have substantive consequences for bargaining outcomes in the two countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Lyhne Ibsen, 2016. "The Role of Mediation Institutions in Sweden and Denmark after Centralized Bargaining," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 54(2), pages 285-310, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:54:y:2016:i:2:p:285-310
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/bjir.12142
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul Teague, 2009. "Path Dependency and Comparative Industrial Relations: The Case of Conflict Resolution Systems in Ireland and Sweden," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 47(3), pages 499-520, September.
    2. Franz Traxler & Bernd Brandl & Vera Glassner, 2008. "Pattern Bargaining: An Investigation into its Agency, Context and Evidence," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 46(1), pages 33-58, March.
    3. Baccaro, Lucio & Simoni, Marco, 2010. "Organizational determinants of wage moderation," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 33510, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Keith Sisson & Paul Marginson, 2002. "Co‐ordinated Bargaining: A Process for Our Times?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 40(2), pages 197-220, June.
    5. Franz Traxler & Bernd Brandl, 2012. "Collective Bargaining, Inter‐Sectoral Heterogeneity and Competitiveness: A Cross‐National Comparison of Macroeconomic Performance," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 50(1), pages 73-98, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Donato Di Carlo, 2020. "Understanding wage restraint in the German public sector: does the pattern bargaining hypothesis really hold water?," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 185-208, May.
    2. Di Carlo, Donato, 2018. "Does pattern bargaining explain wage restraint in the German public sector?," MPIfG Discussion Paper 18/3, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    3. Christian Lyhne Ibsen, 2021. "Conciliation, mediation and arbitration in collective bargaining in Western Europe: In search of control," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 27(1), pages 23-39, March.
    4. Laust Høgedahl & Christian Lyhne Ibsen & Flemming Ibsen, 2024. "Public sector wage bargaining and the balanced growth model: Denmark and Sweden compared," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 30(1), pages 55-75, March.
    5. Christian Lyhne Ibsen & Lisa Sezer & Virginia Doellgast, 2023. "Coordination versus organization: Diverging logics of firm cooperation in Denmark and Sweden," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 61(3), pages 526-549, September.
    6. Søren Kaj Andersen & Nana Wesley Hansen, 2019. "The creation and future of the new Danish trade union confederation," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 25(2), pages 229-234, May.
    7. Josefina Erikson, 2021. "A special fund for gender equality? Institutional constraints and gendered consequences in Swedish collective bargaining," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(4), pages 1379-1397, July.
    8. Holden, Steinar, 2019. "A new model for wage formation in Iceland," Memorandum 3/2019, Oslo University, Department of Economics.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Guy Mundlak, 2009. "Addressing the Legitimacy Gap in the Israeli Corporatist Revival," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 47(4), pages 765-787, December.
    2. Glassner, Vera & Pusch, Toralf, 2010. "The Emergence of Wage Coordination in the Central Western European Metal Sector and its Relationship to European Economic Policy," IWH Discussion Papers 13/2010, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    3. Braakmann, Nils & Brandl, Bernd, 2016. "The Efficacy of Hybrid Collective Bargaining Systems: An Analysis of the Impact of Collective Bargaining on Company Performance in Europe," MPRA Paper 70025, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Laust Høgedahl & Christian Lyhne Ibsen & Flemming Ibsen, 2024. "Public sector wage bargaining and the balanced growth model: Denmark and Sweden compared," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 30(1), pages 55-75, March.
    5. Nieminen, Mika & Heimonen, Kari & Tohmo, Timo, 2017. "Current accounts and coordination of wage bargaining," BOFIT Discussion Papers 20/2017, Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies (BOFIT).
    6. Patrick Lunz, 2013. "What's left of the left? Partisanship and the political economy of labour market reform: why has the social democratic party in Germany liberalised labour markets?," Europe in Question Discussion Paper Series of the London School of Economics (LEQs) 5, London School of Economics / European Institute.
    7. Monika Martišková & Marta Kahancová & Jakub Kostolný, 2021. "Negotiating wage (in)equality: changing union strategies in high-wage and low-wage sectors in Czechia and Slovakia," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 27(1), pages 75-96, February.
    8. Donato Di Carlo, 2020. "Understanding wage restraint in the German public sector: does the pattern bargaining hypothesis really hold water?," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 185-208, May.
    9. Ignacio à lvarez & Jesús Cruces & Francisco Trillo, 2023. "Radical Change and Institutional Resilience: The Case of Labour Market Reforms in Southern Europe," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 37(6), pages 1517-1543, December.
    10. Nieminen, Mika & Heimonen, Kari & Tohmo, Timo, 2017. "Current accounts and coordination of wage bargaining," BOFIT Discussion Papers 20/2017, Bank of Finland, Institute for Economies in Transition.
    11. Ines Wagner & Mari Teigen, 2022. "Egalitarian inequality: Gender equality and pattern bargaining," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 486-501, March.
    12. Scharpf, Fritz W., 2011. "Monetary union, fiscal crisis and the preemption of democracy," MPIfG Discussion Paper 11/11, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    13. Bernd Brandl & Franz Traxler, 2008. "Das System der Lohnführerschaft in Österreich: Eine Analyse der empirischen Relevanz," Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft - WuG, Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien, Abteilung Wirtschaftswissenschaft und Statistik, vol. 34(1), pages 9-31.
    14. Crouch, Colin, 2010. "Flexibility and security in the labour market: An analysis of the governance of inequality," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 43(1), pages 17-38.
    15. Chris Minns & Marian Rizov, 2015. "Institutions, history and wage bargaining outcomes: international evidence from the post-World War Two era," Business History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(3), pages 358-375, April.
    16. Jelle Visser, 2016. "What happened to collective bargaining during the great recession?," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-35, December.
    17. Luigi Bonatti & Andrea Fracasso, 2013. "The German Model and the European Crisis," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(6), pages 1023-1039, November.
    18. Crouch, Colin, 2010. "Flexibility and security in the labour market: An analysis of the governance of inequality," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 43(1), pages 17-38.
    19. Evangelia Papapetrou & Pinelopi Tsalaporta, 2018. "Macroeconomic outcomes, collective bargaining and intersectoral productivity differentials: a panel approach," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 45(4), pages 765-799, November.
    20. Caroline Murphy & Thomas Turner & Michelle O'Sullivan & Juliet MacMahon & Jonathan Lavelle & Lorraine Ryan & Patrick Gunnigle & Mike O'Brien, 2019. "Trade Union Responses to zero hours work in Ireland," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(5-6), pages 468-485, November.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:54:y:2016:i:2:p:285-310. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/lsepsuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.