The Danish Flexicurity Model: a lesson for the US

TY - CHAP

T1 - The Danish Flexicurity Model

T2 - a lesson for the US

AU - Ilsøe, Anna

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - 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 ‘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?

AB - 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 ‘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?

M3 - Book chapter

SN - 9789050958035

VL - 17

BT - Flexicurity and the Lisbon Agenda

A2 - Hendrickx, Frank

PB - Intersentia

CY - Antwerp

ER -