Adapting to survive: The case of Danish employers' organisations

Christian Lyhne Ibsen; Steen Erik Navrbjerg

doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12182

Adapting to survive: The case of Danish employers' organisations

Christian Lyhne Ibsen, Steen Erik Navrbjerg

Employment Relations Research Centre

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Scholars often characterise Danish employers' organisations (EOs) as relatively stable, with a continuing role in the coordination of industrial relations and corporatist policymaking. This article shows that, beneath surface stability, Danish EOs have significantly adapted structurally and functionally to survive environmental pressures. However, rather than converging onto a liberal market trajectory, we find that Danish EOs have layered new functions onto traditional collective functions. We also find significant variations in functional adaptation depending on the employer constituencies' exposure to international competition and position in value chains. We argue that these adaptations imply that the provision of collective goods, especially in collective bargaining, is no longer sufficient for the survival of EOs.

Translated title of the contribution	Tilpasning for at overleve: De danske arbejdsgiverorganisationer
Original language	English
Journal	Human Resource Management Journal
Volume	29
Issue number	1
Pages (from-to)	36-50
ISSN	0954-5395
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12182
Publication status	Published - 2 Jan 2019

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Faculty of Social Sciences

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Adapting to survive: The case of Danish employers' organisations

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