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Riforme istituzionali ed esiti economici: l'evoluzione della "relazione d'impiego" e il ruolo del capitale umano specifico nell'esperienza italiana

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  • Lilia Costabile

Abstract

After briefly reviewing the main stages marking labour market reform in the Nineties, as well as the further reform proposals currently under discussion, this article analyses the actual and potential impact of these reforms on the "employment relation" in Italy. Focus is made: (i) on the increase in the share of short-term employment; (ii) on the effects of easier layoffs on economic efficiency and on workers' "employability" (a building block in the European employment strategy). Drawing on the literature on temporary employment and job dismissals, this paper argues, firstly, that arguments stressing the "escape" from firing costs in regular employment can not, in isolation, explain variations in the share of short term employment relations across the different areas of the country. Firms' ability to exploit the profitability of "specific" human capital may be a basic causal factor in explaining these differences. Secondly, this paper argues that lower employment protection on regular jobs may further discourage human capital accumulation and reduce workers' "employability", thus exacerbating the problem of "contractual fragility" in the Italian labour market.

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  • Lilia Costabile, 2002. "Riforme istituzionali ed esiti economici: l'evoluzione della "relazione d'impiego" e il ruolo del capitale umano specifico nell'esperienza italiana," Economia politica, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 3, pages 349-362.
    • Handle: RePEc:mul:jb33yl:doi:10.1428/8076:y:2002:i:3:p:349-362
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    4. Destefanis, Sergio, 2000. "Differenziali territoriali di produttività ed efficienza e sviluppo dualistico [Territorial differences in productivity and efficiency and Italian dualism]," MPRA Paper 62065, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. David A. Jaeger & Ann Huff Stevens, 1998. "Is Job Stability in the US Falling? Reconciling Trends in the Current Population Survey and Panel Study of Income Dynamics," NBER Working Papers 6650, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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