The increasingly punitive nature of immigration control across the Western world and the overrepresentation of foreign nationals in European prisons has revitalised criminological interest in issues of migration. Alessandro De Giorgi (2010: 153) and others contend that restrictive, 'illegalising' immigration admission policies and 'hyper-criminalising' immigration controls create a population of migrant workers on European territory, whose legal precarity makes them ideal fodder for employment in post-Fordist neoliberal labour markets. This thesis refines the neoliberal-materialist analysis of immigration policy, as described most succinctly by De Giorgi (2010), through a comparative case study of the UK and Germany. To this end, it explores the various economic, political and cultural factors that have driven the development of a punitive regulation of immigration in the two countries and compares immigration control practices. It also examines the ways in which immigration status siphons immigrants into precarious work and how this process occurs differently in the UK and Germany. An underlying concern is to examine the extent to which differences in the underlying labour markets of the two countries, as described in Hall and Soskice's (2001) Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) typology, structure differences in the processes outlined in the neoliberal-materialist analysis. While the development of immigration controls is motivated by a wide variety of factors outside of the labour market, the fact that motivating factors are largely shared among countries of the same VoC type suggests some relationship with the underlying economic structure. In addition, the thesis argues that foreigners are vulnerable to specific forms of workplace exploitation and social marginalisation in 'coordinated' Germany because of factors associated with the VoC – a finding that also has important connotations for understanding the more intense overrepresentation of foreign nationals in German prisons. At the same time, it highlights the importance of other cultural and social factors, unique to each country, in the politics of immigration. The final section reverses the previous line of the enquiry by examining whether immigration 'neoliberalises' industrial relations in Germany. It finds that immigration's effects depend, to a significant extent, on the degree to which foreigners are constructed as precarious workers through state policy. In turn, immigration policy's wider effects on the labour market suggest native workers might also have an interest in preventing the precaritisation of their immigrant counterparts. Finally, immigration status may become less and less important in understanding the exploitation of workers in Europe, as citizenship is associated with fewer rights.

This study takes its starting point in the problematic relationship between skills and welfare policies. It poses Sweden’s vocational education and training (VET) as a case which has seen the kind of tripartite efforts that might help us better understand the dynamics underlying a highly developed mixture of social citizenship and efficiency. To better approach this case the study also seeks to combine the theoretical insights provided by the Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) and Power Resources Theory (PRT) schools of thought, capitalizing on an ability to see “both sides of the coin” that such a combination may entail. But to avoid the presumptions that have formed around notions of stable “models” or “worlds”, the study also takes an inductive stance, forming a dialectic strategy that leans heavily on the work of historical institutionalism. Thus a general research question is posed: how can we explain the developments of Sweden's VET as an arena for welfare policies - during the period 1946-1991 - by combining an inductive approach with the insights gained from the theoretical frameworks represented by PRT and VoC? The study proceeds by tracing developments in Sweden’s VET during two sub-periods, taking into account both ideological and business-interest concerns. The aim is first to establish an account of “how” the institutions changed over time. The subsequent analysis brings back the theoretical framework to provide explanations. The study arrives at a number of conclusions: it first of all finds that Sweden’s school-based VET of 1971 itself rested on a firm “cross-class settlement”, which persisted through the reforms of 1991. But when seen as an arena for welfare policies, the foundation appears much weaker: while the reforms of 1971 were influenced by an ambitious welfare policy agenda, the ensuing changes arguably rolled back some of the comprehensiveness and universality previously associated with the labor movement’s education policy. Two underlying hypotheses are presented that focus on the strategic role played by “general skills”: the first hypothesis is that organized capital’s reliance on large firms played an important role in weakening its position vis-a-vis labor, thanks to its dependence on the kind of widely diffused general skills that the labor movement had strategic access to. The second hypothesis is that the same reliance on general skills created difficulties for the Social Democratic Party to create a new cross-class settlement, as circumstances changed. The conclusion suggests further studying the area of general skills as a power resource itself in a comparative perspective.

The main objective of this thesis is to propose a new perspective in terms of the convergence debate as it is discussed in varieties-of-capitalism (VoC) literature. The initial configuration of VoC stance as well as a part of the literature foresees the convergence of hybrids to a liberal market economy. By revisiting the core arguments of national-systems-of-innovation approach as well as the elaborations of the various critiques of VoC stance, we will propose the opposite. If we are to take &lsquo / innovation&rsquo / as a starting-point of analysis and favor government intervention with respect to it, hybrids are more likely to converge to a political economy that resembles more a coordinated-one. However the meanings of the key terms such as &lsquo / coordinated-market-economy&rsquo / and &lsquo / convergence&rsquo / will be re-evaluated to be able to provide an adequate standpoint in terms of the convergence debate.

This research contributes to an understanding of Japanese Foreign Investment (JFDI) in Poland, by using a Variety of Capitalism approach and drawing on literature from employment relations. It examines firstly, the extent to which Japanese production and managerial institutions and practices can be transplanted to different economic and cultural environments; and secondly, the character of workers' response towards these practices, in the context of JFDI in Poland. It draws on primary data drawn from interviews conducted with the managers and workers in five firms in a Japanese electronics manufacturing cluster in Toruń, Northern Poland, as well as the policy makers, researchers and journalists on a regional level. First, the transfer of Japanese management 'style' is considered in terms of recruitment, training practices, issues of monitoring and discipline and quality assurance policies. This study reveals that the transfer of Japanese typical practices is of minor importance to Japanese corporations based in Poland, and the character of these practices in the Polish workplace is peripheral. However, the subordination of labour is brought by the precarisation of employment, rather than the implementation of Japanese quality policies. Second, the focus of the research is on the response of workers and finds that they did not remain passive actors in this process and resisted the adapted form of Japanisation in Poland. Although the role of formal trade unions was limited, the data pointed to other forms of resistance, both conventional and novel, from sabotage, absenteeism, humour to insubordination and the use of blogging sites. In the context of the researched labour process, the empirical findings point to markers of collectivism in all forms of worker resistance and hence identified that the collective worker not only has not disappeared from both the labour process debate and the workplace itself, but, even if not evidently, is present through the resistance to management practices and control.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the causes of welfare state expansion, specifically the causes of welfare state expenditure of active labor market policy (ALMP). ALMP aims at reducing unemployment and increasing participation in the labor market. The field of political economy has long asked the question of why certain welfare states are characterized by generous social policy, while others are not. Several theories have been presented over the years, each providing new perspectives. The two theories that could be considered to be the most prominent are the Power Resource Theory, which centers on the importance of power resources of major classes, and the Varieties of Capitalism, which is more focused on the different needs of capitalists.The specific interest of this paper is the varying orientations of ALMP. It is argued that ALMP should not be understood as a homogenous concept, but instead as a category of policy which consists of a range of tools from which a government can choose. Analyzing the expenditure of these tools separately is thus of great importance for the development of a deeper understanding of the welfare state.Using regression analysis, I analyze which of the theories mentioned above is most strongly correlated to increased expenditure of ALMP. I use a total expenditure of ALMP, as is customary within the field, but I also include two other measures for specific tools of ALMP; incentive reinforcement programs and training programs.The results indicate that when looking at the total expenditure of ALMP the VoC approach appears to better explain the cause of welfare state expenditure. However, when including the measures for the specific tools of ALMP, the classic notion of VoC is confirmed only regarding incentive reinforcement programs, and contradicted regarding training programs. Moreover, the classic notion of PRT is confirmed regarding the expenditure of training programs, albeit with quite limited evidence. Also, the classic notion within PRT finds little support in the analysis of total expenditure of ALMP and the expenditure of incentive reinforcement programs. Only making a distinction between large and small welfare states is thus argued to be a simplification. Welfare states with similar levels of social expenditure might in fact differ significantly regarding actual policy preference.It is concluded that the continued disaggregation of ALMP is necessary in order to further the research field. Acknowledging the highly heterogeneous nature of ALMP is essential when understanding its expenditure.

Esta dissertação analisa a economia política do processo de internacionalização de empresas privadas brasileiras ocorrido durante o governo Lula (2003-2010). A partir de 2005, verificou-se uma expansão do investimento direto brasileiro no exterior, resultado de uma política do governo federal destinada a formar grandes empresas transnacionais capazes de concorrer internacionalmente. Grandes fusões, aquisições e projetos de investimentos no exterior foram financiados por recursos públicos, no âmbito da política industrial operada pelo Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES), principal banco estatal de fomento ao setor privado no país. Uma característica importante desse movimento foi a concentração em setores nos quais o Brasil já é competitivo, como os intensivos em trabalho e recursos naturais, em contradição com diretrizes originalmente estabelecidas pela própria política industrial do governo Lula, que preconizava o incentivo a indústrias mais intensivas em tecnologia. Utilizando a abordagem institucional das \"variedades de capitalismo\", argumenta-se que isso ocorreu porque a política de internacionalização de empresas pautou-se por demandas de curto prazo de grupos econômicos privados, refletindo características institucionais mais gerais da economia brasileira. / This dissertation analyzes the political economy of the internationalization process of Brazilian private companies occurred during Lula administration (2003-2010). Since 2005, there was an expansion of Brazilian foreign direct investment abroad, as a result of a federal government policy intended to form large corporations able to compete internationally. Major mergers, acquisitions and investment projects abroad were financed by public funds under the industrial policy operated by National Bank of Economic and Social Development (BNDES), the main state bank to support the private sector in the country. An important feature of this movement was the focus on sectors in which Brazil is already competitive, as the labor and natural resources intensives sectors, in conflict with guidelines established by the same industrial policy of the Lula government, which advocated the support of more technology-intensive industries. Using the institutional approach of \"varieties of capitalism\", it is argued that this occurred because the internationalization policy was guided by short-term demands of private economic groups, reflecting wider institutional characteristics of the Brazilian economy.

Alors que les nations du monde se rapprochent et deviennent plus interdépendantes, le contexte global changeant nécessite une recherche académique plus adaptée. Les théories développées pour les démocraties avancées au vingtième siècle ont maintenant besoin d’additions complémentaires, ou peut-être de contreparties divergentes, pour expliquer les processus de développement des pays émergents. Pour traiter ces changements, les académiques ont soit créé de nouvelles théories soit étendu d’anciennes pour les adapter aux pays en développement. Cependant, malgré d’encourageants progrès, la nature dynamique des pays en cours de développement, à la fois économiquement et politiquement, implique qu’une large travail reste à accomplir. La littérature sur les développements institutionnels dans le domaine de l’économie politique pour les pays avancés est, tout en évoluant, bien établie. Les théories qui soutiennent cette thèse viennent d’études de capitalisme comparatif (CC) sur les pays avancés. Cette thèse donne un aperçu de l’impact de la structure économique sur les institutions économiques et politiques, l’évolution de ces institutions, et comment ces institutions affectent l’état social d’un pays, avec une importance particulière accordée aux résultats de l’état social. Après un premier chapitre introductif, le chapitre deux suggère que les pays en développement caractérisés par des économies plus coordonnées devraient avoir des systèmes électoraux plus proportionnels. Le chapitre trois continue avec cette idée et suggère que les économies coordonnées devraient produire des états sociaux plus généreux avec de hautes dépenses gouvernementales. Aussi, ces pays devraient avoir des résultats sociaux plus optimaux, tels que des baisses d’inégalités et des niveaux de pauvreté. Cette évolution connective peut être expliquée par la co-évolution des institutions économiques et politiques. Afin de mieux comprendre la formation et la variété des états sociaux dans les pays en développement, le chapitre quatre ne considère qu’une région, Afrique Subsaharienne (AS). Ce chapitre considère aussi comment la générosité de l’état social influe les résultats de la protection sociale. / As nations around the world become closer and increasingly interdependent, the changing global context requires a parallel advancement of academic research. Theories developed for advanced democracies in the twentieth century now require complimentary additions, or perhaps diverging counterparts, to help explain the developmental processes of developing countries. To address these changes, scholars have created new theories or extended old ones to consider developing countries. However, despite the positive and thorough advancements thus far, the dynamic nature of countries undergoing development and transition, both economic and political, means that the work is far from finished. The literature on institutional developments in the political economy for advanced democracies is, while still evolving, well established. The theories supporting the research within this thesis rely on comparative capitalism studies and the varieties of capitalism approach focused on advanced democracies. The purpose of this thesis is, using the key tenants of comparative capitalism and the varieties of capitalism theory, to expand this literature to developing countries. After the introduction found in chapter one, chapter two suggests that developing countries with more coordinated economies should have more proportional electoral rule systems, which are a type of political institution. Chapter three continues along the idea of this subject by suggesting that these coordinated economies, which have more proportional electoral rules systems, according to chapter two, should produce more generous welfare states with higher government spending and more optimal welfare outcomes, such as low inequalities and low levels of poverty. This connective story can be explained by the co-evolution of economic and political institutions. In order to understand more deeply welfare state formation and variety, along with how welfare generosity affects welfare outcomes in developing countries, chapter four takes a closer look at one region in particular, Sub­-Saharan Africa.

Esta dissertação analisa a economia política do processo de internacionalização de empresas privadas brasileiras ocorrido durante o governo Lula (2003-2010). A partir de 2005, verificou-se uma expansão do investimento direto brasileiro no exterior, resultado de uma política do governo federal destinada a formar grandes empresas transnacionais capazes de concorrer internacionalmente. Grandes fusões, aquisições e projetos de investimentos no exterior foram financiados por recursos públicos, no âmbito da política industrial operada pelo Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES), principal banco estatal de fomento ao setor privado no país. Uma característica importante desse movimento foi a concentração em setores nos quais o Brasil já é competitivo, como os intensivos em trabalho e recursos naturais, em contradição com diretrizes originalmente estabelecidas pela própria política industrial do governo Lula, que preconizava o incentivo a indústrias mais intensivas em tecnologia. Utilizando a abordagem institucional das \"variedades de capitalismo\", argumenta-se que isso ocorreu porque a política de internacionalização de empresas pautou-se por demandas de curto prazo de grupos econômicos privados, refletindo características institucionais mais gerais da economia brasileira. / This dissertation analyzes the political economy of the internationalization process of Brazilian private companies occurred during Lula administration (2003-2010). Since 2005, there was an expansion of Brazilian foreign direct investment abroad, as a result of a federal government policy intended to form large corporations able to compete internationally. Major mergers, acquisitions and investment projects abroad were financed by public funds under the industrial policy operated by National Bank of Economic and Social Development (BNDES), the main state bank to support the private sector in the country. An important feature of this movement was the focus on sectors in which Brazil is already competitive, as the labor and natural resources intensives sectors, in conflict with guidelines established by the same industrial policy of the Lula government, which advocated the support of more technology-intensive industries. Using the institutional approach of \"varieties of capitalism\", it is argued that this occurred because the internationalization policy was guided by short-term demands of private economic groups, reflecting wider institutional characteristics of the Brazilian economy.

The MA thesis called "Transformation of the labour markets in the United Kingdom, Germany and France in 2007-2010" tests the theory underlying models of capitalism in the context of the EU's Europeanization policies. The theoretical concept is analysed through labour market reforms in the UK, Germany and France between 2007 and 2010. For the purposes of this work, the United Kingdom represents a liberal market economy, Germany a coordinated market economy and France is considered a state-influenced market economy. The time span of the present study is linked to the concept of flexicurity, i.e. the EU's policy aiming to modernize and harmonize the Member States' labour markets, implemented in 2007-2010 within the Lisbon Strategy. The primary objective of the present work is to verify whether the labour market reforms introduced by the British, German and French governments corresponded to their national models of capitalism in the period from 2007 to 2010. The present thesis also explores the degree to which the national governments and socials partners of the UK, Germany and France identified with the concept of flexicurity in 2007-2010. Using the method of a comparative synchronous case study, the research shows that not all labour market reforms were in full compliance with the national models....

This thesis examines the decision-making regarding market-orientation within specific types of Swedish state-owned enterprises, namely the Public Business Authorities (Affärsverk, PBAs), during a period of institutional upheaval in the 1980s. It specifically focuses on the leadership groups – director general and board – of the Energy PBA (Statens Vattenfallsverk), the Postal PBA (Postverket), and the Tele PBA (Televerket). The thesis adopts a theoretical framework that integrates the perspectives of varieties of capitalism and the attention-based view of the firm, which posits that firm behaviour is determined by where and how attention is directed within the organisation. The thesis delineates two distinct leadership strategies for addressing market-orientation: the deliberative institutional change strategy, characterised by consensus-building through negotiation using existing modes of strategic interaction, and the entrepreneurial institutional change strategy, characterised by leveraging existing modes of strategic interaction to transcend them and forge novel paths towards new modes of strategic interaction. The former was applied by the Postal and Energy PBAs, while the latter was applied by the Tele PBA.