Political exchange

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Political exchange is a term from the social science discussion about neocorporatism that is used in analogy to economic exchange. In the case of political exchanges, the "exchange of goods" consists of mutual obligations between the parties involved.

For the first time, the Italian social scientist Alessandro Pizzorno coined the English term "political exchange", which was then also used in German-language corporatism literature in a translated form.

Typical of the "political exchange" are social pacts between governments and trade unions . As a rule, the trade unions are asked to moderate their wage demands and / or limit their strike activity and, in return, they receive political concessions (e.g. extension of their rights of co-determination in business and companies) and / or material compensation for their members (improvement of social security, tax breaks or the like.) assured.

The content of the “political exchange” can be fixed through a formal social contract or it can be entered into in the form of an unexplicit, informal social pact. For example, the tripartite arrangement between trade unions, business associations and state administration during the Concerted Action (1967–1977), also known as the “Keynesian social contract”, was based more on an informal elite consensus than on a formal agreement.

In the 1990s, in some Western European countries (the Netherlands, Denmark), social pacts between the labor market parties and the state were revitalized. In Germany, too, after the change of government in 1998, there was an attempt to set up a central “ alliance for work ”, which, however, failed because of the incompatible ideas and demands of trade unions and employers' associations.

See also

literature

  • Bob Hancke, David Soskice : wage determination, fiscal policy and political exchange within the EMU . Schüren, Marburg 2008, ISBN 3-89472-218-5 .
  • Bernd Marin (Ed.): Generalized Political Exchange: Antagonistic Cooperation and Integrated Policy Circuits . Campus, Frankfurt am Main 1990

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Alessandro Pizzorno: Political Exchange and Collective Identity in Industrial Conflict . In: Colin Crouch , Alessandro Pizzorno (Eds.): The Resurgence of Class Conflict in Western Europe . Vol. 2. Macmillan, London 1978, ISBN 0-333-19786-0 . Pp. 277-298.
  2. ↑ Giuseppe Fajertag, Philippe Pochet (eds.): Social Pacts in Europe - New Dynamics . Brussels 2000.