B3519 - RELAZIONI DI LAVORO E RISORSE UMANE

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will have an in-depth understanding of the institutions governing industrial relations across different European countries, as well as the main forms of transnational employment relations. They will be able to compare how these institutions shape the human resource management strategies adopted by both domestic and multinational firms. In particular, students will be able to critically assess the impact of industrial relations institutions on organizational performance and job quality.

Course contents

This course provides a comparative analysis of employment relations, examining how the institutions that govern work—trade unions, employer associations, and the state—shape labour markets, organizational strategies, and economic and social outcomes.

The course is organized into four main parts.

• It introduces the main theoretical approaches to employment relations and examines the key actors of the system, focusing on the role of trade unions, employer associations, collective bargaining at both sectoral and company level, and social dialogue.

• It explores the relationship between employment relations, productivity, job quality, and inequality, highlighting how labour market institutions influence organizational performance as well as economic and social outcomes at both the firm and national levels.

• It examines the contribution of employment relations to economic growth and analyses how this role has evolved in response to labour market liberalization, the transformation of European capitalism, and the major economic crises of recent decades.

• It addresses contemporary challenges facing employment relations, including digitalization, platform work, artificial intelligence, and the future regulation of work, with particular attention to trade union renewal strategies and emerging forms of worker representation and participation.

Readings/Bibliography

Please note that readings may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date course materials, students should refer to the course page on Virtuale.

Introduction to the Course and Employment Relations

Wright, C. F., Bamber, G. J., Doellgast, V., & Cooke, F. L. (2021). Introduction: Internationally Comparative Approaches to Studying Employment Relations. In International & Comparative Employment Relations: Global Crises & Institutional Responses (pp. 1–28).

Theoretical Perspectives on Employment Relations

Benassi, C., Dorigatti, L., & Tassinari, A. (2025). The Comparative Political Economy of Industrial Relations. In Handbook of Comparative Political Economy. Edward Elgar Publishing (pp. 267–285).

The Role of Trade Unions

Gumbrell-McCormick, R., & Hyman, R. (2013). Mapping the Terrain: Varieties of Industrial Relations and Trade Unionism. In Trade Unions in Western Europe: Hard Times, Hard Choices (pp. 29–51). Oxford University Press.

Optional reading:
Kaine, S. (2014). Union Voice. In The Handbook of Research on Employee Voice (pp. 170–186). Edward Elgar.

The Role of Employer Associations

Traxler, F. (2008). Employer Organizations. In Blyton, P., et al. (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Industrial Relations. London: SAGE.

Optional reading:
Bulfone, F., & Afonso, A. (2020). Business Against Markets: Employer Resistance to Collective Bargaining Liberalization During the Eurozone Crisis. Comparative Political Studies, 53(5), 809–846.

The Role of the State

Meardi, G. The State and Employment Relations. In Wilkinson, A., Wood, G., & Deeg, R. (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Employment Relations: Comparative Employment Systems.

Optional reading:
Howell, C. (2020). Rethinking the Role of the State in Employment Research for a Neoliberal Era. Industrial and Labor Relations Review.

Social Dialogue and Social Pacts

Baccaro, L. (2014). Similar Structures, Different Outcomes: Corporatism’s Resilience and Transformation (1974–2005). Review of Keynesian Economics, 2(2), 207–233.

Optional reading:
Tassinari, A., & Donaghey, J. (2020). Social Partnership in Europe in the Aftermath of the Great Recession. In Pohler, D. (Ed.), Reimagining the Governance of Work and Employment. LERA 2020 Research Volume (pp. 113–142).

Employment Relations, Productivity, and Economic Growth

Appelbaum, E., & Schmitt, J. (2013). Employment Relations and Economic Performance. In Comparative Employment Relations in the Global Economy (pp. 132–154). Routledge.

Optional reading:
Lavoie, M., & Stockhammer, E. (2013). Wage-Led Growth: Concept, Theories and Policies. In Wage-Led Growth: An Equitable Strategy for Economic Recovery (pp. 13–39). Palgrave Macmillan.

Employment Relations and Job Quality

Simms, M. (2022). Trade Unions and Job Quality. In Warhurst, C. et al. (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Job Quality (pp. 542–558). Oxford University Press.

Optional reading:
Piasna, A. (2023). Job Quality in Turbulent Times: An Update of the European Job Quality Index. ETUI Research Paper – Working Paper.

Employment Relations and Inequality: Causes and Solutions (I)

Baccaro, L., & Howell, C. (2017). Trajectories of Neoliberal Transformation: European Industrial Relations Since the 1970s (Capitolo 3). Cambridge University Press.

Optional reading:
Vaughan-Whitehead, D. (Ed.). (2018). Reducing Inequalities in Europe: How Industrial Relations and Labour Policies Can Close the Gap (Capitolo 1). Edward Elgar.

Employment Relations and Inequality: Causes and Solutions (II)

Ibsen, C. L., & Tapia, M. (2017). Trade Union Revitalisation: Where Are We Now? Where to Next? Journal of Industrial Relations, 59(2), 170–191.

Employment Relations and the Future of Work

Doellgast, V., & Wagner, I. (2022). Collective Regulation and the Future of Work in the Digital Economy: Insights from Comparative Employment Relations. Journal of Industrial Relations, 64(3), 438–460.

Berg, J., Green, F., Nurski, L., & Spencer, D. A. (2023). Risks to Job Quality from Digital Technologies: Are Industrial Relations in Europe Ready for the Challenge? European Journal of Industrial Relations, 29(4), 347–365. https://doi.org/10.1177/09596801231178904

Optional reading:
OECD. (2019). Facing the Future of Work: How to Make the Most of Collective Bargaining. In OECD Employment Outlook 2019, Chapter 5.

Discussion: How Should Work in the Gig Economy Be Regulated?

De Stefano, V. (2019). Negotiating the Algorithm: Automation, Artificial Intelligence, and Labor Protection. Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal, 41, 15.

Employment Relations and Italy's Economic Decline

Pulignano, V., Carrieri, D., & Baccaro, L. (2018). Industrial Relations in Italy in the Twenty-First Century. Employee Relations, 40(4), 654–673.

Orlandini, G., & Meardi, G. (2023). Round Table. Implementing the EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages in Southern Europe: The Odd Case of Italy. Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, 29(2), 253–259.

Teaching methods

Flipped classroom, class discussions, case studies, simulations and groupwork

Assessment methods

Written exam (50%), Groupwork (50%), around 2000 words.

Office hours

See the website of Chiara Benassi