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Before the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008, flexicurity topped the European labour market and social policy agenda. It was acclaimed for combining the flexibility of liberal labour markets with the security of social welfare states, thereby offering a viable formula for success in the new global economy. Nowhere was this better exemplified than in Denmark, with the Danish system repeatedly highlighted as a good example of flexicurity in action. In this article, we revisit the flexicurity concept, assessing how the Danish labour market came through the crisis. We argue that the economic crisis and especially political reforms of the unemployment insurance system have challenged the institutional complementarities of flexicurity, but that the Danish labour market is recovering and adapting to new challenges. The Danish case illustrates that institutional complementarities between flexibility and security are fragile and liable to disintegrate if the institutions providing flexicurity are not maintained and supported.

Active labor market policies (ALMPs) are an important instrument for governments in dealing with the new challenges of globalization, flexibilization, and individualization of labor markets. Politics and research has focused on the supply-side of the labor market, that is, regulating the rights and obligations of the target groups of ALMPs (mainly unemployed and inactive persons). The role and behavior of employers is under-researched and under-theorized in the vast literature on ALMPs and industrial relations. In this article, we analyze ALMPs from the employers' perspective by examining the determinants of firms' participation in providing wage subsidy jobs for the unemployed. First, we examine the historical background to the introduction and development of wage subsidy schemes as an important ALMP instrument in Denmark. Second, we derive theoretical arguments and hypotheses about employers' participation in ALMPs from selected theories. Third, we use data from a survey of Danish firms conducted in 2013 to characterize the firms that are engaged in implementing wage subsidy jobs and hypotheses are tested using a binary logistical regression to establish why firms voluntarily engage in reintegrating unemployed back into the labor market. We find that the firms which are most likely to participate in the wage subsidy scheme are characterized by many unskilled workers, a higher coverage of collective agreements, a deteriorating economic situation, a Danish ownership structure, and are especially found in the public sector. This shows that the preference formation of firms is more complex than scholars often assume.

Active labor market policies (ALMPs) are an important instrument for governments in dealing with the new challenges of globalization, flexibilization, and individualization of labor markets. Politics and research has focused on the supply-side of the labor market, that is, regulating the rights and obligations of the target groups of ALMPs (mainly unemployed and inactive persons). The role and behavior of employers is under-researched and under-theorized in the vast literature on ALMPs and industrial relations. In this article, we analyze ALMPs from the employers? perspective by examining the determinants of firms? participation in providing wage subsidy jobs for the unemployed. First, we examine the historical background to the introduction and development of wage subsidy schemes as an important ALMP instrument in Denmark. Second, we derive theoretical arguments and hypotheses about employers? participation in ALMPs from selected theories. Third, we use data from a survey of Danish firms conducted in 2013 to characterize the firms that are engaged in implementing wage subsidy jobs and hypotheses are tested using a binary logistical regression to establish why firms voluntarily engage in reintegrating unemployed back into the labor market. We find that the firms which are most likely to participate in the wage subsidy scheme are characterized by many unskilled workers, a higher coverage of collective agreements, a deteriorating economic situation, a Danish ownership structure, and are especially found in the public sector. This shows that the preference formation of firms is more complex than scholars often assume.

Immigration to the Nordic countries has increased significantly in the last 40 years (Pettersen & Østby 2013:76). Although exact data are hard to come by, it is clear that the term integration, albeit vague and often undefined, has become central in public and political debates. A central premise of most of the debates is the claim that newly arrived immigrants and refugees have not become part of their host societies to a satisfactory extent. Subsequently, an increasing number of initiatives and laws have been introduced in the Nordic countries with the intention to promote integration. (.)

Flexicurity – the contraction of flexibility and security – has in a short time become a political celebrity. In this article we trace back the genealogy of this celebrity. We begin by analysing the reasons behind the current celebration of flexicurity by the European Commission, and describe the European evolution of the concept. Then we take one step backwards and describe the conceptualisation and development of the Danish case of flexicurity, which is currently the most prominent real-life example of flexicurity in action. Our final step back in time takes us to the Dutch origins of the concept.With the near-universal celebration of flexicurity in both policy and academic circles there is a real risk of the concept becoming diluted, and eventually meaningless. In order to understand what flexicurity could and should mean we discuss various definitions of flexicurity, and arrive at a new understanding of flexicurity as an analytical concept. We suggest distinguishing between internal and external dimensions of flexibility and security, and arrive at two ideal models of either internal or external flexicurity. This distinction opens up for empirical enquiry combinations of flexibility and security that go beyond simple trade-offs and include virtuous and vicious circles between flexibility and security. The distinction also raises the issue of the difficulty in shifting from one balance of flexicurity towards another – and, thus, uncritically trying to imitate specific flexicurity examples.

PurposeThe purpose of the article is to analyse the interconnections between formal policy reforms and operational policies, specifically between new governance and employment policy. The main question is what happens to public employment policies when they are contracted out to non‐public (for‐profit and not‐for‐profit) agencies?Design/methodology/approachThe case is the contracting out of the public employment services in Australia, Holland, and Denmark. The data consists of in‐depth interviews with key respondents in the three countries, observations at service delivery agencies, and desk studies of existing research.FindingsThe new quasi‐market models seem to have difficulties in living up to the preconditions for a well‐functioning market, as well as political expectations. Contracted out employment systems do not seem to create higher efficiency, innovation, quality, and less bureaucracy than previous public bureaucracies. But a quasi‐market model, on the other hand, does seems to create a new type of employment policy, and new conditions for steering and governing the labour market and employment policy. This implies that choosing a quasi‐market model involves much more than a discussion about "technicalities" like (cost) efficiency and productivity. Some of the most important – but often neglected and depoliticised – policy changes seem to emerge from changes of the institutional set‐up rather than changes of specific laws and ministerial orders.Originality/valueThe article is innovative in trying to identify relationships between management structure and policy content. Often these changes are analysed in separate disciplines, and isolated from each other. In this article we provide an integrated and multidisciplinary approach.

The contraction of two previously opposed concepts, 'flexibility' and 'security', into that of flexicurity has become one of the most popular labour market concepts in recent years, and one that seems to cross European borders relatively easily. Seen in an international perspective, Denmark is characterised by a relatively flexible labour market and an extensive social security system. It is widely assumed that these favourable results are due to the special Danish combination of flexible employment regulations, an active labour market policy including rights and duties of education and placement, and relatively high unemployment benefits. In recent years the concept flexicurity has come to be used to describe the particular Danish mix of labour market flexibility and social security. Against this background, this article outlines the economic and political characteristics of the Danish 'flexicurity model', and the current challenges facing this model. Finally, the lessons that other European countries can learn from this Danish model will be presented.

"'Flexicurity', die Verknüpfung der ursprünglich gegensätzlichen Konzepte von , 'flexibility' und 'security' hat sich in den letzten Jahren zu einem der beliebtesten Arbeitsmarktkonzepte entwickelt, das die Grenzen in Europa relativ leicht zu überqueren scheint. Im internationalen Kontext zeichnet sich Dänemark durch einen vergleichsweise flexiblen Arbeitsmarkt und durch ein umfassendes System der sozialen Sicherheit aus. Generell werden diese positiven Ergebnisse auf die besondere dänische Kombination flexibler Arbeitsregelungen, einer aktiven Arbeitsmarktpolitik mit Rechten und Pflichten im Bereich der Ausbildung und Arbeitsvermittlung und relativ hoher Arbeitslosenleistungen zurückgeführt. Diese dänische Mischung aus Arbeitsmarktflexibilität und sozialer Sicherheit ist in den letzten Jahren zunehmend mit dem Begriff 'Flexicurity' umschrieben worden. Vor diesem Hintergrund erläutern die Autoren die wirtschaftlichen und politischen Merkmale des dänischen 'Flexicurity-Modells' und die aktuellen Herausforderungen, die sich für dieses Modell stellen. Und schließlich wird dargelegt, was die anderen europäischen Länder von dem dänischen Modell lernen können." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

"Das dänische Konzept von Flexicurity hat in Europa Furore gemacht. Es wird dabei häufig als Arbeitsmarktmodell, das sich an regulär Beschäftigte richtet, aufgefasst. Diese Einschätzung fußt auf einer Forschungslücke: Das Verhältnis von atypischen Beschäftigungsverhältnissen und der dänischen Flexicurity ist noch nicht gründlich ausgeleuchtet worden. In diesem Artikel unternehmen wir deshalb den Versuch, diese Beziehung genauer zu analysieren. Wir beschreiben die Verbreitung, Entwicklung und Regulierung von Teilzeitarbeit, befristeter Beschäftigung, Leiharbeit, Selbstständigkeit - und als eine dänische Besonderheit - von sogenannten Flexjobs. Wir finden dabei kaum empirische Belege für die weit verbreitete Annahme, dass atypische Beschäftigungsformen üblicher werden oder unregulierter und weniger geschützt als Normalarbeitsverhältnisse seien. Im Gegenteil wurde das dänische Flexicurity-Konzept auf atypisch Beschäftigte ausgeweitet. Diese Strategie der Normalisierung der atypischen Beschäftigung könnte als politisches Musterbeispiel für andere europäische Länder dienen und eine Alternative zu Ansätzen, die eine Lockerung des Kündigungsschutzes für regulär Beschäftigte verfolgen, darstellen." (Autorenreferat)