Changes in Comparative Political Economy: Taking Labor Out, Bringing the State Back In, Putting the Firm Front and Center

Schmidt, Vivien A. (2007) Changes in Comparative Political Economy: Taking Labor Out, Bringing the State Back In, Putting the Firm Front and Center. In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2007 (10th), May 17-19, 2007, pages 22, Montreal, Canada.

Abstract

Much has changed in comparative political economy in Europe over the past thirty years, both in terms of the political economic realities and the scholarly explanations of those realities. National economic policies and policymaking have undergone major transformations, largely in response to the pressures of globalization and Europeanization. Such transformations have entailed significant alterations in the role of the state, the importance of business, and the power of labor. In light of these changes in the political economic realities, political economists have shifted their focus over time, first taking labor out of the equation, then bringing the state back in only to devalue it in light of globalization and Europeanization before putting the firm front and center. Only recently has the state been brought back in yet again while labor has made a comeback.