IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/treure/v12y2006i1p61-82.html

Opportunities and challenges for flexicurity - The Danish example

Author

Listed:
  • Thomas Bredgaard

    (Assistant professor, PhD., Centre for Labour Market Research (CARMA), Aalborg University, Fibigerstraede 1, DK-9220 Aalborg, Denmark)

  • Flemming Larsen

    (Associate professor, Centre for Labour Market Research (CARMA), Aalborg University, Denmark)

  • Per Kongshøj Madsen

    (Professor, Director of the Centre for Labour Market Research (CARMA), Aalborg University, Denmark)

Abstract

The contraction of two previously opposed concepts, ‘flexibility’ and ‘security’, into that of flexicurity has become one of the most popular labour market concepts in recent years, and one that seems to cross European borders relatively easily. Seen in an international perspective, Denmark is characterised by a relatively flexible labour market and an extensive social security system. It is widely assumed that these favourable results are due to the special Danish combination of flexible employment regulations, an active labour market policy including rights and duties of education and placement, and relatively high unemployment benefits. In recent years the concept flexicurity has come to be used to describe the particular Danish mix of labour market flexibility and social security. Against this background, this article outlines the economic and political characteristics of the Danish ‘flexicurity model’, and the current challenges facing this model. Finally, the lessons that other European countries can learn from this Danish model will be presented.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Bredgaard & Flemming Larsen & Per Kongshøj Madsen, 2006. "Opportunities and challenges for flexicurity - The Danish example," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 12(1), pages 61-82, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:treure:v:12:y:2006:i:1:p:61-82
    DOI: 10.1177/102425890601200107
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/102425890601200107
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/102425890601200107?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. Wilthagen, Ton, 1998. "Flexicurity: A new paradigm for labour market policy reform?," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Labor Market Policy and Employment FS I 98-202, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    2. Rosholm, Michael & Svarer, Michael, 2004. "Estimating the Threat Effect of Active Labour Market Programmes," IZA Discussion Papers 1300, IZA Network @ LISER.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Büttner, Thomas, 2008. "Ankündigungseffekt oder Maßnahmewirkung? Eine Evaluation von Trainingsmaßnahmen zur Überprüfung der Verfügbarkeit (Notification or participation : which treatment actually activates job-seekers? An evaluation of short-term training programmes)," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 41(1), pages 25-40.
    2. Røed, Knut, 2012. "Active Unemployment Insurance," IZA Policy Papers 41, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Keller, Berndt & Seifert, Hartmut, 2002. "Flexicurity: Wie lassen sich Flexibilität und soziale Sicherheit vereinbaren? (Flexicurity - how can flexibility and social security be reconciled?)," Mitteilungen aus der Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 35(1), pages 90-106.
    4. Tangian, Andranik, 2009. "Six families of flexicurity indicators developed at the Hans Boeckler Foundation," WSI Working Papers 168, The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), Hans Böckler Foundation.
    5. repec:ilo:ilowps:410210 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Erling Rasmussen & Jens Lind & Jelle Visser, 2004. "Divergence in Part‐Time Work in New Zealand, the Netherlands and Denmark," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 42(4), pages 637-658, December.
    7. Michael Rosholm & Jonas Staghøj & Michael Svarer, 2007. "A Statistical Programme Assignment Model," Economics Working Papers 2007-16, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    8. Kelly, Elish & McGuinness, Seamus & O'Connell, Philip J., 2011. "What Can Active Labour Market Policies Do?," Papers EC1, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    9. Brown, Alessio J. G. & Snower, Dennis J., 2009. "Incentives and complementarities of flexicurity," Kiel Working Papers 1526, Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
    10. Maciej Bukowski & Grzegorz Koloch & Piotr Lewandowski & Anna Baranowska & Iga Magda & Arkadiusz Szydlowski & Jacek Bielinski & Magdalena Bober & Malgorzata Sarzalska & Julian Zawistowski, 2008. "Employment in Poland 2007. Security on a Flexible Labour Market," Books and Reports published by IBS, Instytut Badan Strukturalnych, number zwp2007 edited by Maciej Bukowski, january.
    11. Susumu Imai & Peter Fallesen & Lars Pico Geerdsen & Torben Tranaes, 2010. "The Effect Of Workfare Policy On Crime," Working Paper 1236, Economics Department, Queen's University.
    12. Asada, Toichiro & Flaschel, Peter & Greiner, Alfred & Proaño, Christian R., 2011. "Sustainable capitalism: Full-employment flexicurity growth with real wage rigidities," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 77(3), pages 248-264, March.
    13. Guillaume Blache, 2011. "Active labour market policies in Denmark: A comparative analysis of post-program effects," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 11071, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    14. Graversen, B.K. & van Ours, J.C., 2006. "How to Help Unemployed Find Jobs Quickly : Experimental Evidence from a Mandatory Activation Program," Discussion Paper 2006-126, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    15. Kemmerling, Achim, 2001. "Die Messung des Sozialstaates: Beschäftigungspolitische Unterschiede zwischen Brutto- und Nettosozialleistungsquote," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Labor Market Policy and Employment FS I 01-201, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    16. Stephan L. Thomsen, 2009. "Explaining the Employability Gap of Short‐Term and Long‐Term Unemployed Persons," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(3), pages 448-478, August.
    17. Daniela Zirra, 2012. "Evolution And Trends Of Flexicurity In The Current Context Of Economic And Social Development," Romanian Economic Business Review, Romanian-American University, vol. 7(1), pages 60-74, March.
    18. Thomas Bredgaard & Per Kongshøj Madsen, 2018. "Farewell flexicurity? Danish flexicurity and the crisis," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 24(4), pages 375-386, November.
    19. Stavros Rodokanakis, 2010. "A Non-Experimental Evaluation of Unemployment Risk in Crete and the Ionian Islands: Regional Evidence for Greece," Acta Oeconomica Pragensia, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2010(4), pages 44-63.
    20. Guillaume Blache, 2011. "Active Labour Market Policies in Denmark : A Comparative Analysis of Post-Program Effects," Post-Print halshs-00654181, HAL.
    21. Waller, Marie, 2008. "Further training for the unemployed : what can we learn about dropouts from administrative data?," FDZ Methodenreport 200804_en, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].

    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:treure:v:12:y:2006:i:1:p:61-82. 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: .

    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.