The obsession with deregulation, austerity and technological change: the political dimensions of regulatory change and their outcomes in Spain

The aim of the chapter is to understand the changes that have taken place in terms of Spanish industrial relations and its de-regulation in the context of the recent history and regulatory context. The way economic and social policies and developments - and the contradictions with them have framed - the nature of change in the past twenty or so years is explained. The chapter also looks at the way alternative policies and responses have emerged in relation to the focus on de-regulation and reflects on how these have developed and what their outcomes are. The role of the changing political context and the emergence of new actors on the left of Spanish debates is outlined and debated. The main conclusion is that the politics of neoliberal de-regulation has led to a range of counterpoints and alternative policies but there are challenges in sustaining these long-term.