IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/ilrrev/v73y2020i5p1046-1069.html

Between East and West? East Germany’s Employment System in a Dynamic Comparison

Author

Listed:
  • Stefan Kirchner

Abstract

This article investigates how working conditions in East Germany differ from those in West Germany as well as from those among its Central and Eastern European (CEE) neighbors (Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland). Building on repeated International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) survey data (1989, 1997, 2005, and 2015), the author compares key elements of East Germany’s employment system with West Germany and its CEE neighbors over time. The results show that, initially, East Germany’s conditions resembled a logic reflecting the need for economic survival that was distinct from West Germany and from the emerging general patterns of its CEE neighbors. By 2015, East and West German working conditions nearly converge. This article develops and extends the employment system approach to address situations of transformation and substantial institutional change, and contributes to the ongoing debate on regional diversity in Germany’s economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefan Kirchner, 2020. "Between East and West? East Germany’s Employment System in a Dynamic Comparison," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 73(5), pages 1046-1069, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:73:y:2020:i:5:p:1046-1069
    DOI: 10.1177/0019793919831694
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0019793919831694
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0019793919831694?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David Marsden, 2015. "The future of the German industrial relations model [Die Zukunft des deutschen Modells der Arbeitsbeziehungen]," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 48(2), pages 169-187, August.
    2. Marsden, David, 2015. "The future of the German industrial relations model," Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 48(2), pages 169-187.
    3. Jan Drahokoupil & Martin Myant, 2015. "Labour’s legal resources after 2004," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 21(3), pages 327-341, August.
    4. Bernhardt, Janine & Krause, Alexandra, 2014. "Flexibility, performance and perceptions of job security: a comparison of East and West German employees in standard employment relationships," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 28(2), pages 285-304.
    5. Michael N. Mitchell, 2012. "Interpreting and Visualizing Regression Models Using Stata," Stata Press books, StataCorp LLC, number ivrm, March.
    6. Amable, Bruno, 2003. "The Diversity of Modern Capitalism," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199261147.
    7. J. Scott Long & Jeremy Freese, 2006. "Regression Models for Categorical Dependent Variables using Stata, 2nd Edition," Stata Press books, StataCorp LLC, edition 2, number long2, March.
    8. Crouch, Colin, 2005. "Capitalist Diversity and Change: Recombinant Governance and Institutional Entrepreneurs," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199286652.
    9. Anke Hassel, 2014. "The Paradox of Liberalization — Understanding Dualism and the Recovery of the German Political Economy," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 52(1), pages 57-81, 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. Lawrence M. Kahn, 2020. "Editorial Essay: Introduction to a Special Collection on European Labor Markets in Flux: The German Experience," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 73(5), pages 1040-1045, October.

    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. Phil Almond & Maria C. Gonzalez & Jonathan Lavelle & Gregor Murray, 2017. "The local in the global: regions, employment systems and multinationals," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 115-132, March.
    2. Gerber, Christine, 2014. "Trade union responses towards labour market dualization comparing the impact of the varieties of industrial relations in Germany, Slovenia and Poland," PIPE - Papers on International Political Economy 23/2014, Free University Berlin, Center for International Political Economy.
    3. Amable, Bruno & Azizi, Karim, 2011. "Varieties of capitalism and varieties of macroeconomic policy. Are some economies more procyclical than others?," MPIfG Discussion Paper 11/6, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    4. Tony Edwards & Paul Marginson & Anthony Ferner, 2013. "Multinational Companies in Cross-National Context: Integration, Differentiation, and the Interactions between MNCS and Nation States," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 66(3), pages 547-587, May.
    5. Farkas Beáta, 2018. "What can institutional analysis say about capitalism in Central and Eastern Europe? Results and limitations," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 54(4), pages 283-290, December.
    6. Oberfichtner Michael & Schnabel Claus, 2019. "The German Model of Industrial Relations: (Where) Does It Still Exist?," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 239(1), pages 5-37, January.
    7. Mazumdar, Surajit, 2010. "Indian Capitalism: A Case that doesn’t Fit?," MPRA Paper 28162, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Ahlquist, John S. & Breunig, Christian, 2009. "Country clustering in comparative political economy," MPIfG Discussion Paper 09/5, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    9. Ron Boschma, 2025. "A new evolutionary perspective on institutional complementarities and regional development," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2514, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised May 2025.
    10. Oberfichtner Michael & Schnabel Claus, 2019. "The German Model of Industrial Relations: (Where) Does It Still Exist?," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 239(1), pages 5-37, January.
    11. Elvire Guillaud, 2008. "Preferences for redistribution: a European comparative analysis," Working Papers halshs-00586260, HAL.
    12. Rachael Gibson & Harald Bathelt, 2014. "Proximity relations and global knowledge flows: specialization and diffusion processes across capitalist varieties," Chapters, in: André Torre & Frédéric Wallet (ed.), Regional Development and Proximity Relations, chapter 9, pages 291-314, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    13. Gemma Scalise, 2021. "The local governance of active inclusion: A field for social partner action," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 27(1), pages 59-75, March.
    14. Alexander Ebner, 2010. "Varieties of Capitalism and the Limits of Entrepreneurship Policy: Institutional Reform in Germany’s Coordinated Market Economy," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 319-341, September.
    15. Schneider, Martin R., 2021. "Labor-Management Relations and Varieties of Capitalism," GLO Discussion Paper Series 934, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    16. repec:hal:pseose:halshs-00586260 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Ron Boschma, 2025. "Towards an Evolutionary Perspective on Institutions in Economic Geography," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2527, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Aug 2025.
    18. Thomas Sauer & Stephanie Barnebeck & Yannick Kalff & Judith Schicklinski, 2015. "ROCSET – The Role of Cities in the Socio-Ecological Transition of Europe. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 93," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 58134.
    19. John Hassard & Jonathan Morris, 2025. "The impact of human resource management practices on managerial work: Institutional constraints, strategic actions and organizational outcomes," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 46(4), pages 967-985, November.
    20. Baccaro, Lucio & Pontusson, Jonas, 2018. "Comparative political economy and varieties of macroeconomics," MPIfG Discussion Paper 18/10, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    21. Phil Almond & Maria Gonzalez Menendez, 2006. "Varieties of capitalism: the importance of political and social choices," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 12(3), pages 407-425, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    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:sae:ilrrev:v:73:y:2020:i:5:p:1046-1069. 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: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu .

    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.