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The Transformation of French Industrial Relations: Labor Representation and the State in a Post-Dirigiste Era

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  • Chris Howell

    (Oberlin College, chris.howell@oberlin.edu)

Abstract

Despite continued social protest, something quite fundamental has changed in the regulation of class relations in France. This article explores two paradoxes of this transformation. First, a dense network of institutions of social dialogue and worker representation has become implanted in French firms at the same time as trade union strength has declined. Second, the transformation has involved a relaxation of centralized labor market regulation on the part of the state, yet the French state remains a central actor in the reconstruction of the industrial relations system. Institutional reform of industrial relations could not take place without the active intervention of the state because employers and trade unions alone were unable to create durable industrial relations institutions. The collapse of trade unionism meant the need for new actors on the labor side and only the state could both create and confer legitimacy upon those new actors.

Suggested Citation

  • Chris Howell, 2009. "The Transformation of French Industrial Relations: Labor Representation and the State in a Post-Dirigiste Era," Politics & Society, , vol. 37(2), pages 229-256, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:polsoc:v:37:y:2009:i:2:p:229-256
    DOI: 10.1177/0032329209333993
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Schneider, Sebastian, 2014. "Varieties of capitalism, varieties of crisis response Bank bailouts in comparative perspective," PIPE - Papers on International Political Economy 21/2014, Free University Berlin, Center for International Political Economy.
    2. Bruno Palier & Kathleen Thelen, 2010. "Institutionalizing Dualism: Complementarities and Change in France and Germany," Politics & Society, , vol. 38(1), pages 119-148, March.
    3. Doellgast, Virginia & Bellego, Maxime & Pannini, Elisa, 2020. "After the social crisis: the transformation of employment relations at France Télécom," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 103663, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Richard Hyman & Rebecca Gumbrell-McCormick, 2010. "Trade unions, politics and parties: is a new configuration possible?," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 16(3), pages 315-331, August.
    5. Alice Evans, 2019. "Overcoming the Global Despondency Trap: Strengthening Corporate Accountability in Supply Chains," CID Working Papers 367, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    6. Donato Di Carlo & Christian Lyhne Ibsen & Oscar Molina, 2024. "The new political economy of public sector wage-setting in Europe: Introduction to the special issue," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 30(1), pages 5-30, March.
    7. Chris Howell, 2021. "Rethinking the Role of the State in Employment Relations for a Neoliberal Era," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 74(3), pages 739-772, May.
    8. Ben Clift, 2013. "Economic Patriotism, the Clash of Capitalisms, and State Aid in the European Union," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 101-117, March.
    9. Burgess, Pete & Corby, Susan & Höland, Armin & Michel, Hélène & Willemez, Laurent & Buchwald, Christina & Krausbeck, Elisabeth, 2017. "The roles, resources and competencies of employee lay judges: A cross-national study of Germany, France and Great Britain," Working Paper Forschungsförderung 051, Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, Düsseldorf.

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