The Danish Flexicurity Model: a lesson for the US

Anna Ilsøe

The Danish Flexicurity Model: a lesson for the US

FAOS

Abstract

Den intensiverede internationale konkurrence har betydet en global vækst i antallet af jobskift, men ikke alle lande finder det lige let at håndtere stigningen inden for rammerne af deres hidtidige arbejdsmarkedsregulering. Nogle kæmper med høje arbejdsløshedstal, mens andre har svært ved at efteruddanne og omskole ledige i takt med forandringerne i efterspørgslen på arbejdsmarkedet. I den sammenhæng fremstår dansk arbejdsmarkedsregulering som en succeshistorie. Ikke alene er arbejdsløsheden i Danmark blevet kraftigt reduceret over de seneste 10 år, det er samtidigt sket uden en væsentlig forringelse i jobkvaliteten. Mange tilskriver succesen den danske flexicurity-model, som kombinerer en let adgang til at hyre og fyre medarbejdere (fleksibilitet) med et relativt generøst dagpengesystem og et veludbygget aktiverings- og efteruddannelsestilbud (sikkerhed).

De danske resultater har vakt opsigt ikke blot i europæisk sammenhæng, hvor man især i lande som Tyskland og Frankrig ønsker at øge beskæftigelsen, men også i USA, hvor jobkvaliteten er for nedadgående. Det står imidlertid hen i det uvisse, hvorvidt lande med markante forskelle i deres politiske og økonomiske baggrund reelt kan lære en frugtbar lektie af den danske model. Nogle påpeger, at forskellene gør en eventuel overførsel af modellen til en risikabel affære, mens andre ser det som en rational strategi at introducere ‘best practices' fra andre lande.

Dette forskningsnotat angriber diskussionen fra en tredje vinkel. Nyere undersøgelser viser, at det er muligt at lære på tværs, men at en succesfuld læringsproces forudsætter, at form og indhold samt niveau vælges med stor omhu. Gennem en grundig analyse og sammenligning af den danske og den amerikanske arbejdsmarkedspolitik søger forskningsnotatet at svare på, hvorvidt det er muligt for USA at lære af den danske flexicurity-model, og hvad der potentielt kan læres.

Både dansk og amerikansk arbejdsmarkedsregulering er kendetegnet ved en høj fleksibilitet, mens sikkerheden er signifikant højere i Danmark. Det betyder også, at udgifterne til understøttelse og efteruddannelse adskiller sig så kraftigt, at det forekommer urealistisk, at opnå politisk enighed om et dansk niveau i en amerikansk sammenhæng. Til gengæld er der et potentiale for læring vedrørende implementeringen af den aktive arbejdsmarkedspolitik, hvor USA kæmper med at få efteruddannelses- og vejledningsindsatsen til at fungere effektivt på det lokale niveau. Den danske succes hviler ikke alene på et højere udgiftsniveau, men også på reformer, der har sikret en effektiv udnyttelse af de midler, der er til rådighed, herunder introduktionen af skræddersyede uddannelses- og vejledningsforløb og en stærk lokal koordinering mellem offentlige aktører og virksomheder.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Titel	Flexicurity and the Lisbon Agenda : A Cross-Disciplinary Reflection
Redaktører	Frank Hendrickx
Antal sider	45
Vol/bind	17
Udgivelsessted	Antwerp
Forlag	Intersentia
Publikationsdato	2008
ISBN (Trykt)	9789050958035
Status	Udgivet - 2008

FN’s Verdensmål

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Flexicurity and the Lisbon Agenda
Anna Ilsøe (Deltager)
17 jan. 2008
Aktivitet: Deltagelse i eller arrangement af en begivenhed - typer › Organisation af og deltagelse i konference

Citationsformater

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abstract = "In recent years, increasing international competition has caused an increase in job transitions worldwide. Many countries find it difficult to manage these tran-sitions in a way that ensures a match between labour and demand. One of the countries that seems to manage the transitions in a successful way is Denmark, where unemployment has been dropping dramatically over the last decade without a drop in job quality. This success is ascribed the so-called Danish flexicurity model, where an easy access to hiring and firing employees (flexibility) is combined with extensive active and passive labour market policies (security). The Danish results have gained interest not only among other European countries, where unemployment rates remain high, but also in the US, where job loss is often related to lower job quality. It has, however, been the subject of much debate both in Europe and in the US, whether or not countries with dis-tinctively different political-economic settings can learn from one another. Some have argued that cultural differences impose barriers to successful policy transfer, whereas others see it as a perfectly rational calculus to introduce {\textquoteleft}best practices' from elsewhere. This paper presents a third strategy. Recent literature on policy transfer suggests that successful cross-national policy transfer is possible, even across the Atlantic, but that one must be cautious in choosing the form, content and level of the learning process. By analysing and comparing the labour market policies and their settings in Denmark and the US in detail, this paper addresses the question - what and how can the US learn from the Danish model?",

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The Danish Flexicurity Model: a lesson for the US

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Flexicurity and the Lisbon Agenda

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