Governing Solidarity in European Labour Markets

Atypical Employment and Minimum Wage Reform in Spain and Portugal
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-032-85795-4
Verlag: Routledge

Buch, Englisch, 200 Seiten, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 470 g

Reihe: Routledge Studies in Labour Economics

Across Western Europe, the rise of atypical employment has deepened insider–outsider divides. This book asks why two structurally similar countries – Portugal and Spain – pursued different routes to reduce labour market segmentation following the conclusion of the sovereign debt crisis. It argues that the composition of the governing social bloc drives the orientation of reform, while the choice of decision-making arena (parliamentary law-making versus tripartite social concertation) and the EU’s evolving social governance shape the breadth and depth of reform.

Building on the distinction between competitive and inclusive solidarity, the book compares four domains: employment protection and collective bargaining; statutory minimum wages; regulation of ride-hailing platforms in passenger transport; and the regularisation of precarious public sector work. The analysis covers Portugal’s progressive cycle (2015–2021) and Spain’s coalition years (2019–2025), drawing on elite interviews, content analysis of parliamentary debates and media coverage, and official documents. The findings reveal a targeted, outsider-focused strategy in Portugal and a more universal re-regulation in Spain.

Governing Solidarity offers a fresh framework and rich evidence for scholars of political economy and industrial relations, as well as advanced students and policymakers confronting labour market segmentation.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Marques, Paulo

Branco, Rui

Molina, Óscar

Carmo, Renato Miguel

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Internationale Wirtschaft Entwicklungsökonomie & Emerging Markets
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Wirtschaftspolitik, politische Ökonomie
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Volkswirtschaftslehre Allgemein Arbeitsmarkt
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Regierungspolitik Wirtschafts- und Finanzpolitik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction – Paulo Marques 1. Competitive and Inclusive Solidarity in Contemporary Labour Markets: Two Ideal Types – Paulo Marques, Rui Branco, Óscar Molina and Renato Miguel Carmo 2. Blocs, Arenas and European Leverage in Iberian Labour Market Solidarity – Paulo Marques and Ana Costa 3. Employment Protection and Collective Bargaining Reforms after Austerity: Divergent Paths in Portugal and Spain – Rui Branco, Paulo Marques, Óscar Molina, and Madalena Ferreira 4. Iberian Minimum Wages: Two Paths to Inclusive Solidarity – Paulo Marques, Nuno Rodrigues and Óscar Molina 5. Regulating Platform-Mediated Passenger Transport in Portugal and Spain – Luís Guerreiro, Paulo Marques and Victor Riesgo Gómez 6. Regularising precarious public employment in Portugal and Spain: a comparative analysis – Nuno Rodrigues, Paulo Marques, Renato Miguel Carmo and Maria Asensio 7. Conclusion - Comparative Insights from a Decade of Iberian Labour Market Reforms – Rui Branco, Paulo Marques and Renato Miguel Carmo

Über Autor(innen)

Paulo Marques is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Economy at ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal.

Rui Branco is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Studies at NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal.

Óscar Molina is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain.

Renato Miguel Carmo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal.