Social inclusion in the knowledge economy: Unions’ strategies and institutional change in the Austrian and German training systems

Niccolo Durazzi, Leonard Geyer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

As skill formation systems are increasingly under pressure from de-industrialization and the rise of knowledge economies, their ability to include the low-skilled has been strained. But what determines how skill formation systems adjust to this challenge? By explaining the divergence of two most-similar systems, those of Austria and Germany, the article highlights the key role of trade unions and of the institutional resources and legacies available to them. Where institutional resources are high and legacies positive, as in Austria, unions were crucial in setting an inclusive pathway of reform of the training system. Where, on the contrary, institutional resources are low and legacies negative, as in Germany, unions’ strategies for inclusion failed, paving the way to a dualizing outcome. The article therefore provides a novel analysis of institutional change in skill formation systems, while also offering broader insights on the relationship between coordinated and egalitarian capitalism in post-industrial knowledge-based economies.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)103-124
Number of pages22
JournalSocio-Economic Review
Volume18
Issue number1
Early online date15 Mar 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2020

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • institutional change
  • skills
  • varieties of capitalism
  • training
  • education
  • knowledge-based economy

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