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Brexit: ‘Revolt’ against the ‘elites’ or Trojan horse for more deregulation?

Author

Listed:
  • Arantza Gomez Arana
  • Jay Rowe
  • Alex de Ruyter
  • Rebecca Semmens-Wheeler

    (Birmingham City University, UK)

  • Kimberley Hill

    (University of Northampton, UK)

Abstract

This article explores the UK vote in 2016 to exit the European Union, colloquially known as ‘Brexit’. Brexit has been portrayed as a British backlash against globalisation and a desire for a reassertion of sovereignty by the UK as a nation-state. In this context, a vote to leave the European Union has been regarded by its protagonists as a vote to ‘take back control’ to ‘make our own laws’ and ‘let in [only] who we want’. We take a particular interest in the stance of key ‘Brexiteers’ in the UK towards regulation, with the example of the labour market. The article commences by assessing the notion of Brexit as a means to secure further market liberalisation. This analysis is then followed by an account of migration as a key issue, the withdrawal process and likely future trajectory of Brexit. We argue that in contrast to the expectations of those who voted Leave in 2016, the UK as a mid-sized open economy will be a rule-taker and will either remain in the European regulatory orbit, or otherwise drift into the American one. JEL Codes : F2, F53, F55, F66, K33

Suggested Citation

  • Arantza Gomez Arana & Jay Rowe & Alex de Ruyter & Rebecca Semmens-Wheeler & Kimberley Hill, 2019. "Brexit: ‘Revolt’ against the ‘elites’ or Trojan horse for more deregulation?," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 30(4), pages 498-512, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecolab:v:30:y:2019:i:4:p:498-512
    DOI: 10.1177/1035304619881271
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    4. Stuart Gietel-Basten, 2016. "Why Brexit? The Toxic Mix of Immigration and Austerity," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 42(4), pages 673-680, December.
    5. Stephen Nickell & Jumana Saleheen, 2017. "The impact of EU and Non-EU immigration on British wages," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 7(1), pages 1-28, December.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Brexit; deregulation; European Union; immigration; inequality; market regulation; nationalism; neoliberalism; sovereignty;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F2 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business
    • F53 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Agreements and Observance; International Organizations
    • F55 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Institutional Arrangements
    • F66 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Labor
    • K33 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - International Law

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