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Chinese investment and European labor: should and do workers fear Chinese FDI?

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  • Brian Burgoon
  • Damian Raess

Abstract

The rapid increase in Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) into Europe raises important questions about the implications of such for workers and organized labor in Europe: (1) does Chinese FDI flow more or less to regulated labor markets than do other investment sources?; (2) what are the strategies of works councilors and union representatives in dealing with real or expected investment from China?; and (3) how do individual workers view the propriety of Chinese FDI given China’s low-wage, labor-unfriendly profile in the global economy? Quantitative and qualitative data on Chinese FDI, individual opinions about China and globalization, and on strategies of labor representatives provide some leverage to preliminarily answer these questions. First, Chinese FDI does not seem to be more (or less) focused on investing in the least regulated labor markets than other sources of FDI. Second, interviews with works councilors and union representatives in Germany, France and the Netherlands affirm a cautiously optimistic view of Chinese investors as no more or less threatening to organized labor than other investors. Third, analysis of attitudes about Chinese and European interests in managing globalization suggest that less-skilled, more vulnerable, pro-labor-union workers in Europe tend to be more rather than less enthusiastic about Chinese management than their fellow citizens. These patterns suggest a surprising, if tentative, embrace by workers and their representatives in Europe of that investment. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Brian Burgoon & Damian Raess, 2014. "Chinese investment and European labor: should and do workers fear Chinese FDI?," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 179-197, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:asiaeu:v:12:y:2014:i:1:p:179-197
    DOI: 10.1007/s10308-014-0378-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sophie Meunier & Brian Burgoon & Wade Jacoby, 2014. "The politics of hosting Chinese investment in Europe—an introduction," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 109-126, March.
    2. Patrick Wagner & Damian Raess, 2023. "South to north investment linkages and decent work in Brazil," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 37(1), pages 122-159, March.
    3. Sophie Meunier, 2014. "A Faustian bargain or just a good bargain? Chinese foreign direct investment and politics in Europe," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 143-158, March.
    4. Raess, Damian & Wagner, Patrick, 2022. "South to north investment linkages and decent work in Brazil," Papers 1382, World Trade Institute.
    5. Nana de Graaff & Diliara Valeeva, 2021. "Emerging Sino–European Corporate Elite Networks," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 52(5), pages 1147-1173, September.
    6. Rutvica Andrijasevic & Devi Sacchetto & Ngai Pun, 2020. "One firm, two countries, one workplace model? The case of Foxconn’s internationalisation," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 31(2), pages 262-278, June.
    7. Eduardo Ordonez‐Ponce & David Talbot, 2023. "Multinational enterprises' sustainability practices and focus on developing countries: Contributions and unexpected results of SDG implementation," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(2), pages 201-232, March.
    8. Cheche Duan & Yicheng Zhou & Dehong Shen & Shengqiao Lin & Wei Gong & József Popp & Judit Oláh, 2021. "The Misunderstanding of China’s Investment, and a Clarification: “Faustian Bargain” or “Good Bargain”? On the OFDI Data of Central and Eastern Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-25, September.
    9. Wade Jacoby, 2014. "Different cases, different faces: Chinese investment in Central and Eastern Europe," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 199-214, March.
    10. Sophie Meunier, 2017. "Integration by Stealth: How the European Union Gained Competence over Foreign Direct Investment," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 593-610, May.

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