Reports 2005
The Foundation’s publications present the findings from its research and events on significant contemporary economic, political and social issues in a concise and accessible format. You can download all recent publications free of charge from this site (see link for each publication below).
New Jobs for Whom?
Service sector employment in Britain and Germany
By Colette Fagan, Jacqueline O’Reilly, Brendan Halpin
Since the mid-1990s the buoyant British labour market has managed to deliver one of the highest employment rates in the EU, in contrast with the dismal employment situation in Germany. This report examines the growth of service jobs in Britain and Germany since the mid-1990s, looking in particular at the quality and stability of these jobs in terms of wages and working hours.
December 2005, ISBN 1-900834-59-6
Towards a Europeanisation of Industrial Relations
Conference Report
Anglo-German Foundation, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and Hans-Böckler Stiftung
European Union legislation is starting to make a significant impact on industrial relations, and in particular on the crucial three-way relationship between management, employees and trade unions. The establishment of European Works Councils and the creation of information and consultation rights have provided new channels for employees to make their voices heard and to influence decisions about the future direction of their company. In July 2005 some 40 British and German trade unionists – from leaders and senior policymakers to workplace organisers – met in Berlin to discuss these questions, which are central to the future health of trade unions in both countries. Two days of lively and intensive debate focused on how trade unions should respond to these opportunities, especially created by the new information and consultation laws. The discussions of the bilateral conference in Berlin are summarized in this conference report.
November 2005 , published online only
Vital Environmental Information at your Fingertips?
UK and German e-government strategies under scrutiny
Dieter Zinnbauer
How can you judge the quality of the water that comes out of your tap or the air you breathe? Is it better or worse than in other neighbourhoods? How well does it conform to the government's environmental objectives? The obvious answer is to go online, but how easy is it to find the information you want, and when you do find it, how easy is it to make a judgement based on the kind of information provided? A new study sponsored by the Anglo-German Foundation has explored these very questions for two sample households in Berlin-Mitte and London Tower Hamlets. The findings confirm the powerful potential of the internet in this area, but at the same also indicate that much more could be done and that a coordinated policy strategy is badly missing.
November 2005, published online only
From Parents to Children?
Socio-economic attainment and the role of family background
Marco Francesconi, Stephen P. Jenkins, Thomas Siedler
The report looks at the determinants of socio-economic attainment in Germany (especially family background), comparing the results with similar studies in Britain. It analyses the extent to which material disadvantage is transmitted across generations from parents to children and the channels of transmission in both countries .
September 2005, ISBN 1-900834-56-1
The Greying of the Labour Market
What can Britain and Germany learn from each other?
Frerich Frerichs and Philip Taylor
In Germany and the UK, the issue of the employment of older workers has moved up the policy agenda in recent years. After decades of early retirement, concerns about the sustainability of public pension systems and future labour shortages have resulted in a new policy consensus around the need to integrate older workers. This study discusses the policies that are now emerging which are aimed at extending the end of working lives, closing of early retirement pathways and making continued employment more attractive, and educating employers and encouraging them to recruit older workers.
September 2005, ISBN 1-900834-58-8
Reconciling Demand for Labour Migration with Public Concerns about Immigration: Germany and the UK
Christina Boswell, Meng-Hsuan Chou and Julie Smith
There is a growing tension around labour migration policy in both Germany and Britain. The economic goal is to fill gaps in the labour market and ensure economic competitiveness; the socio-political goal is to meet public concern about the impact of migration. Having examined the reasons and extent of the demand for labour migration in each country, this study investigates why there is public resistance, what forms it takes, and how it differs from anti-immigrant sentiment.
August 2005, ISBN 1-900834-57-X
Employment and Social Policies for an Ageing Society
Britain and Germany compared
Conference Report
Academic Convenors: Gerhard Naegele and Alan Walker; Text: Christopher Pick
Hardly a week passes in Germany or in the UK without a newspaper headline referring to the ‘pensions crisis’ or the ‘pensions timebomb’ . Has then the welfare state passed its sell-by date? Can, and should, governments abdicate from one of the core principles of the welfare state, to ensure that their citizens enjoy a reasonably prosperous and comfortable old age? It was to consider these issues – and, more importantly, the complex demographic, economic, social and political realities that lie behind the over-simplified media treatments – that the Anglo–German Foundation brought together a wide range of experts from the UK and Germany. The discussions and debates of the bilateral conference in London are summarized in this conference report.
February 2005
Reinventing the Public Employment Service
The changing role of employment assistance in Britain and Germany
Dan Finn, Matthias Knuth, Oliver Schweer, Will Somerville
This report contains the findings of a twelve-month project exploring reform of the public employment assistance regimes for workless people under way in Britain and Germany.
The research involved an extensive literature review, analyses of labour market data,
interviews with senior national officials and experts, and case studies in four cities.
January 2005