Lunch Seminars
Every month, researchers both from ReflecT and from elsewhere, will engage in discussions based upon their work. Topics will vary across the broad research scope of ReflecT. Lunch will be provided for seminar participants. We cordially invite you to participate. Please register in advance by sending an e-mail to the Secretariat of ReflecT.
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Upcoming
Our next seminar will be on 16 May 2012 and is titled:
'The End of National Models in Employment Relations'
The erosion of a number of national systems of employment relations, and the evidence from large scale workplace surveys has brought attention to the considerable diversity of employment systems within major economies. This essay applies the theory of evolutionary games to explain the diffusion of different employment systems within national economies, and how they interact with established sectoral and national level institutions. This also helps to explain potential tipping points in their expansion and retreat. Evidence to support the argument is taken from the British and French workplace employment relations surveys and the European Working Conditions Survey.
http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp0998.pdf
David Marsden is Professor of Industrial Relations at the London School of Economics (LSE) in the Employment Relations and Organisational Behaviour Group and an Associate in the Labour Markets Research Programme within the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP).
Professor Marsden has worked as an adviser to the European Commission , the International Labour Organization, the OECD, the World Bank, and to various UK trade unions, and has been visiting professor at the universities of Aix-en-Provence, Rome and Trier.
The seminar takes place from 10.00 - 11.30 in room TZ007 (Tias building, Tilburg University).
You are cordially invited to participate in this seminar. Please register in advance by sending an e-mail to the Secretariat of ReflecT.
After may the 16th, the next seminar will be on 23 May 2012 and is titled:
'Company level flexicurity in Slovakia'
This seminar deals with flexicurity policies in Slovakia. The labour market conditions in Slovakia have changed dramatically during the economic crisis and more recently, after the last election in March 2012, the government has changed. In connection to these changes the conditions for flexicurity policies got worse and also the labour market faces new challenges. Promoting flexicurity policies should therefore be launched from the company level. The research is focused at the company level of flexicurity and involves research among employers and employees in Slovakia. According to the data from this research there are some possibilities for enhancing flexibility and security among employers and employees at the same time, even in the current conditions of Slovak economy. In these possibilities the focus is mainly on enhancing employment security and internal flexibility, which the company is capable to affect. But the main question for this research still remains, whether we can use flexicurity policy without interference of the government.
Ivana Sidova is a phd-student at Matej-Bel-University Slovakia. She is doing research at flexicurity on a micro economic level in Slovakia.
The seminar takes place from 12.00 - 14.00 in room M1003 (Montesquieu building, Tilburg University).
You are cordially invited to participate in this seminar. Please register here in advance.
Previous
The last seminar was held on 18 April 2012 (cancelled) (for the seminar on March 21st scroll down) and was titled:
'Growth in life-long learning participation?'
Participation in life-long learning is not increasing in the Netherlands over de past 10 years and as a result the Netherlands is trailing other countries that do better in this respect: Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In their study they have adressed two main research questions:
- To what extent are the differences between the Netherlands and other countries ‘real’ in the sense that they cannot be explained by differences in definition and measurement?
- If these other countries do have more preferable outcomes with respect to life-long learning, what are the determining factors in these countries and what can be learned from this for the situation in the Netherlands?
To answer these questions, we have investigated participation in life long learning from three perspectives: data sources about life-long learning, the context of life-long learning policies and the policies themselves. From the analysis of European data we can concldue that Denmark, Sweden and the UK are indeed in the top group with respect to participation in life-long learning. The Netherlands is not doing much worse in comparison, but the foreign examples can be used for inspiration to improve the Dutch policies.
Loek Nieuwenhuis & Patricia Gielen are researchers at IVA, Tilburg; Arie Gelderblom is researcher at SEOR, Rotterdam.
The seminar takes place from 12.00 - 14.00 in room M1003 (Montesquieu building, Tilburg University).
You are cordially invited to participate in this seminar. Please register in advance.
21 March 2012:
' Working according to ability: real perspective or recipe for disaster?'
In 2013 the Dutch government will group together a number of social security benefits under the heading of the so-called ‘Working according to ability Act’ (WWnV). Clients from respectively social assistance (WWB), young disabled benefit (Wajong), and sheltered employment (WSW) schemes will be covered by the new act which is supposed to be executed by Dutch municipalities. Main principle of the new act is that people are stimulated (more) to take responsibility for their own subsistence by means of paid employment. Among other things this means that about 70% of the people who are now in sheltered employment have to find employment on the regular labour market. Two questions will be addressed: what are the available policy tools for integrating a substantial number of (former) benefit recipients and sheltered employees into the regular labour market and what are the likely effects of the new act on labour market outcomes for the clients involved? This seminar is the starting point of a new research project funded by Gak Foundation (Stichting Instituut Gak). Ronald Dekker is labour economist at ReflecT, Tilburg University The seminar takes place from 12.00 - 14.00 in room M1003 (Montesquieu building, Tilburg University). You are cordially invited to participate in this seminar. Please register in advance.
18 January 2012
'Securing job-to-job transitions in the labour market: a comparative study of employment security system in European countries'
Welfare and social security systems aim to respond to labour market imperfections and provide income security in the event of unemployment and disability. For many years job security was the main goal, which implied that employees had the security of being employed in their current job for a long time. In the Netherlands , and in other countries, there is a growing awareness that a job for life cannot be guaranteed any longer in a globalizing world Companies change their organisation in response to globalisation and increasing competition which require new skills and competencies. Not all employees fit into the new structure of the organisation and are forced to find another job. In this seminar Irmgard Borghouts –van de Pas (ReflecT) explores and explains the ‘status quo’ of employment security systems in European countries. In addition, she addresses possible lessons the Netherlands can learn from these foreign job-to-job systems and arrangements.
Irmgard Borghouts-van de Pas is senior researcher at ReflecT.
The seminar takes place from 12.00 - 14.00 in room M1003 (Montesquieu building, Tilburg University).
14 December 2011
'Flexibele arbeid, risico’s en de verzorgingsstaat'
Van oudsher biedt het stelsel van sociale zekerheid bescherming tegen verschillende vormen van inkomensverlies. Mensen die onvoldoende in hun eigen bestaan kunnen voorzien, kunnen rekenen op de steun van anderen. Deze steun kan op individueel niveau gebaseerd zijn op vormen van welbegrepen eigenbelang en/of op gemeenschapsbesef. Allereerst is eigenbelang een belangrijke factor om de opvattingen van mensen over sociale zekerheid te kunnen begrijpen. Risico’s en problemen waar mensen tegenaan lopen kunnen via collectieve arrangementen, zoals het stelsel van sociale zekerheid, worden opgevangen. Dit besef resulteert in een positieve opvatting van burgers over sociale zekerheid. Een ander mechanisme dat van invloed is op de opvattingen van mensen over sociale zekerheid heeft te maken met gemeenschapsbesef. Niet het eigenbelang maar de overtuiging dat mensen deel uitmaken van een groter geheel is dan de grondslag voor positieve opvattingen over sociale zekerheid. Tijdens deze presentatie wordt ingegaan op de consequenties van flexibele arbeid op de opvattingen die mensen hebben over sociale zekerheid.
Fabian Dekker is arbeidssocioloog en promoveerde op 3 november 2011 aan de Erasmus Universiteit op zijn proefschrift 'Flexible Employment, Risk and the Welfare State' .
This seminar will be in Dutch.
13 September 2011
Non-standard employment and the new standard employment contract: Reflections from a Transitional Labour Market point of view'
In the context of ensuring decent jobs for all in a world of work that requires more flexibility and new securities for the related higher risks, Schmid explores how to adjust the employment contract to the changing world of work as well as to the changing preferences over the working life. He explores four questions in this respect: Why do we need a new standard employment contract? Are there any alternatives to the ‘old’ standards? What does theory suggest for ‘new’ standards? How can we improve the governance of so-called ‘flexicurity’?
Gunther Schmid was the Director of the Labour Market Policy and Employment Research Unit at the Social Science Research Centre Berlin (WZB) from October 1989 to March 2008, and is Professor Emeritus of Political Economy at the Free University of Berlin.
The seminar takes place from 12.00 - 14.00 in room M1003 (Montesquieu building, Tilburg University).
This lunch seminar was cancelled 15 June 2011, 12.00-14.00, Montesquieu Building (M1002), Tilburg University
Ioana Andreea Pop (Tilburg University) - Inequality, wealth and health. Is decreasing inequality the key to create better societies?
This study (joint work with Erik van Ingen and Wim van Oorschot) investigated the relationship between income inequality, wealth and population health for countries in various levels of development. Hypotheses derived from the “income inequality thesis” were tested using high quality comparable data on income distribution, covering 140 countries and 2360 country-year observation. Findings revealed that within the group of high-developed countries levels and changes in wealth and in income inequality are not related to changes in population health, measured by life expectancy.
Ioana Andreea Pop is PhD candidate in the Sociology Department of Tilburg University, Netherlands. Her research focuses on the individual and contextual effects of societal income inequality.
18 May 2011, 14.00-16.30 (drinks afterwards), Montesquieu Building (M1002), Tilburg University
The labour market from different perspectives
At May 18th ReflecT’s PhD students and young researchers present their work. Each young researcher will address a contemporary labour market issue from the perspective of their academic discipline: law, sociology and economics.
• 14:00-14:45
Ivana Palinkas EU law impact on national social partners and collective bargaining in Member States
• 14:45-15:30
Daniela Skugor Competing risks at the end of the career: the impact of values and institutions on the retirement behaviour of the low and high skilled worker
• 15:30-15:45 small break
• 15:45-16:30
Sander Tuit Adverse incentives in unemployment insurance
• 16:30 ReflecT drinks
You are cordially invited to participate in this seminar. Please register in advance.
20 April 2011, 12.00-14.00, Montesquieu Building (M1002), Tilburg University
Payrolling: carefree employership?
A relatively new phenomenon in flexible staffing practices is ‘payrolling’. Payrolling is essentially the outsourcing of the formal employership by organisations. Payrolling can be an interesting option for organisations that:
• don’t want to have the administrative burden of salary payments
• want to concentrate on ‘core business’ and not with personnel issues
• still have to decide on their personnel policy
• need personnel but are not ready yet to take up employership with all of its commitments.
The question is then, what are the consequences for employees that work for payrolling organisations and what are the legal restrictions for the use of payrolling? Our ReflecT lunch seminar on April 20th will focus primarily on these legal issues. Klara Boonstra (Universityof Amsterdam/Federation of Dutch Trade Unions) and Willem Plessen (Tilburg University and Randstad Holding) will be the speaker.
16 March 2011, 12.00-14.00, Montesquieu Building (M1002), Tilburg University
Labour flexibility and product innovation at the firm level
This seminar is a ‘double bill’, with two papers. One by Robert Kok, Paul Ligthart and Lucinde Klop (Radboud University) on the use of different forms of flexibility on product innovation. Using the same data source (OSA Labour demand panel) Haibo Zhou (University of Groningen), Alfred Kleinknecht (Delft University of Technology) & Ronald Dekker (ReflecT) also investigated the role of flexibility on output with new products, distinghuishing between ‘real innovations’ and mere ‘imitations’.
In both papers the conclusion is that external flexibility is not always conducive for innovation, especially with respect to ‘real’ new to the market innovations. The findings from both papers should be food for thought to economists making unqualified pleas for the deregulation of labor markets.
Robert Kok is assistant professor of innovation management at Radboud University Nijmegen. Haibo Zhou is assistant professor of innovation economics at the University of Groningen
16 February 2011, 12.30-14.00, Montesquieu Building (M1002), Tilburg University
Labour law and related disciplines : which way forward?
Frank Hendrickx (Reflect, Tilburg University & University of Leuven) and Nuna Zekic (ReflecT, Tilburg University) aim to contribute to the interdisciplinary study of labour and labour market issues. They advance the question how labour law can contribute to an interdisciplinary research project, like in the case in ReflecT. Their proposition is that the specific issue of the interaction between labour law and related disciplines in the field of labour, is still in an early phase of development and seems to fall short of a theory. While the study of labour law and industrial relations seemed to be an almost natural combination in the past, certainly in some schools, the increasing debate in legal disciplines over methods make such an interdisciplinary approach, almost paradoxically, less evident nowadays. In order to trigger a discussion with the audience, Frank and Nuna depart from the roles and functions of labour law. It will be demonstrated that labour law rests on certain own and specific values and foundations. They will then move on to the methodology of (labour) law and will propose useful ways of interaction between labour law and related disciplines in the study of labour and labour markets. The aim of this session is to create a wider understanding of the goals and ambitions of the discipline of labour law and to search for meaningful scenario’s for labour law in the interdisciplinary research context.
Frank Hendrickx is professor of European labour at ReflecT (Tilburg University) and professor of labour law at the Law Faculty of the University of Leuven. He is the editor-in-chief of the European Labour Law Journal.
Nuna Zekic is lecturer labour law at Tilburg Law School and PhD candidate
at Reflect.
NB: this seminarstartsat 12.30 hours
15 December 2010, 12.00-14.00, Cobbenhagen Building (C186), Tilburg University THIS SEMINAR HAS BEEN CANCELLED
New ways of working (‘Het nieuwe werken’): solution to all problems?
New ways of working (‘Het Nieuwe Werken’) is a buzzword these days. There is an optimistic common expectation among forward-looking companies that through the use of information technology new ways of working can be created that will enhance workplace conditions with such an effect as to improve employee satisfaction levels, increase productivity and ultimately impact positively upon company performance.
In a special ReflecT lunch seminar we will discuss ‘New ways of working’ with Tony Krijnen and Hans van der Meer, two representatives of Microsoft Netherlands, which company has made a radical move towards ‘New ways of working’ in their headquarters in Amsterdam. Microsoft is using communications technology to give its staff in the Netherlands the freedom to chose where, when, and how they work, and is advising other companies in these matters.
From a research perspective the question can be raised whether doing your work independently and not on fixed hours or in a fixed place is really the solution to all problems in organizations and the labour market or not. Will new problems arise? Can ‘New ways of working’ be applied in all business and other organizations? What are the preconditions for it to fulfil its promise?
By the end of the seminar we hope to have addressed these questions and possible even some answers.
17 November 2010, 12.00-14.00, Cobbenhagen Building (C127), Tilburg University
Fixed terms contracts: short-term blessings or long-term traps?
Ronald Dekker (ReflecT, Tilburg University) will present joint work with Irma Mooi-Reçi (Free University Amsterdam) on the consequences for unemployment duration of fixed term contracts. Little is known about the consequences of fixed term contracts on workers’ future unemployment durations and risks of becoming unemployed. Using a comprehensive longitudinal dataset of prime age Dutch workers over the period 1980-2000, we examine how a previous held job with a fixed term contract influences both the likelihood and the duration of a future unemployment spell. Results show that workers with fixed term contracts have a much higher risk of future unemployment and no shorter unemployment spells, contradicting theoretical positions claiming that fixed term contracts shorten unemployment durations. Our findings suggest that fixed term contracts are a short term blessing that end for most workers in a long term trap.
Ronald Dekker is a labour economist and senior researcher at Reflect, predominantly on a research project about 'employment security'. He graduated in 1996 in econometrics at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and defended his PhD thesis "Non-standard employment and mobility in the Dutch, German and British labour market" in 2007 at Tilburg University.
13 October 2010, 12.00-14.00, Montesquieu Building (M1002), Tilburg University
Employment insecurity of Europeanindividuals (during the financial crisis), a multi-level approach
Heejung Chung (Tilburg University) will speak aboutsubjective 'employment insecurity' and its determinants. With co-author Wim van Oorschot (Tilburg University), she has investigated these matters with data from the 4th wave of the European Social Survey for 22 countries for the year 2008/2009. She finds that various individual level characteristics such as demographic, human and social capital, as well as attitude variables explain why an individual feels employment insecure. At the country level, it seems that labour market and economic situations are more important than institutions in explaining the cross-national variance of employment insecurity perceptions.
Heejung Chung is Labour Market Researcher, Post-doc and Manager of EDACwowe (European Data Center for Work and Welfare) in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Tilburg University. She is affiliated with Reflect and AIAS and was previously affiliated with OSA and the Korean Labour Institute.
15 September 2010, 12.00-14.00, Montesquieu Building (M1002), Tilburg University
Paul de Beer (UvA) will speak about 'employment security' and to what extent
employment security is a form of security to strive for in labour market
policy. He is sceptical about the concept and claims (ESB 95(4581) 19 March
2010) is too one-sided in the sense that it focuses only at individual
workers and relies heavily on a sufficient number of available jobs. Clearly
this has not been the case in the past two years.
Paul de Beer is professor of labour relations affiliated with 'De Burcht'
and the Amsterdam Institute for Labour Studies (AIAS) of the University of
Amsterdam. Furthermore he is editor of the "Tijdschrift voor
Arbeidsvraagstukken" and of "Socialisme en Democratie".
17 June 2010, 12.00-14.00, Montesquieu Building (M1002), Tilburg University
Employment security and the psychological contract with Charissa Freese (ReflecT, Tilburg University).
Charissa Freese will speak about the research on employment security in the HRM group at the faculty of social sciences. Their research deals with questions about the existence of a 'new' psychological contract between employers and employees in more flexible labour markets. Furthermore, specific questions are raised about the potential trade-off between job security and employment security in the psychological contract.
Charissa Freese is senior researcher in ReflecT and the HRM department at the Faculty of Social Sciences (Tilburg University). Individualized employment relationships, i-deals, employee commitment and retention are other themes in her research.
You are cordially invited to participate in this seminar. Please register in advance.
20 May 2010, 12.00-14.00, Prisma Building (PZ 004), Tilburg University
Objective and perceived outcomes of social policy and support for the
welfare state with Wim van Oorschot (ReflecT, Tilburg University) and Ferry Koster (Leiden University) will actassecond speaker.
Wim van Oorschot will speak about support for the welfare state and how it
is influenced by the outcomes of social policy. The talk is based on a
paper which is joint work with Bart Meuleman (University of Gent). Wim van
Oorschot is Professor of Sociology at the Department of Sociology of
Tilburg University (NL), and Honorary Professor at the Centre for
Comparative Welfare Studies at Aalborg University (DK). He is also
co-founder and honorary president of ESPAnet, the Network for European Social Policy Analysis and director of EDACwowe, the European Data Centre for Work and Welfare.
You are cordially invited to participate in this seminar. Please register in advance.
15 April 2010, 12.00-14.00, Simon Building (M1002), Tilburg University
Freelancers in the Dutch labour market: Empirical evidence and theoretical
explanations.
RonaldDekker (ReflecT) will speak about theoften discussed growth in
freelancing in the Dutch labour market. It has been argued in the policy
debates in the Netherlands that freelancing is an important development,
both in quantitative and in qualitative terms. Some claim that there are now
1 million freelancers (so-called 'zzp'ers'), others argue that
self-employment as aelf-employment as a 'one-person business' is, or even should be, developing
into a dominant form of employment.
The empirical evidence for the first claim is rather scarce, both for the
Netherlands and some other countries. Furthermore, there are many
theoretical reasons for the continuing prevalence of the 'traditional'
employment contracts, either temporary or not.
You are cordially invited to participate in this seminar. Please register in advance.
18 March 2010, 12.00-14.00, Montesquieu Building (M1002), Tilburg University
The European Social Fund and Domestic Activation Policies: Europeanization
Mechanisms with Gert Verschraegen (University of Antwerp).
Gert Verschraegen will give a talk on the role of flexicurity as an
important regulatory principle in the integration of national policy
instruments. In particular the European Social Fund, a financial
instrument fulfils an important role in the implementation of Member
States? active labour market policies. One could argue that the ESF has
paved the way for flexicurity and has put its principles in practice for a
long time already. The talk is based on a paper with the same title which
is joint work with Bart Vanhercke (Observatoire social europen, Brussels)
and Rika Verpoorten (University of Leuven). Gert Verschraegen is
Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology at University of
Antwerp, where he teaches theoretical sociology, cultural sociology and
sociologyof knowledge. His current research interests are in sociological
theory, sociology of Europeanization, welfare state evolution and the
sociology of knowledge.
You are cordially invited to participate in this seminar. Please register in advance.
18 February 2010, 12.00-14.00, Montesquieu Building (M1002), Tilburg University
Life-long learning with Loek Nieuwenhuis (IVA & University of Twente).
Loek Nieuwenhuis will give a talk on 'life-long learning', an important
ingredient in flexicurity and employment security policies. Professor Loek
Nieuwenhuis is senior researcher at IVA, Tilburg and professor of
vocational education, adult education and life-long learning (Max Goote
chair) at University of Twente. More details tba.
You are cordially invited to participate in this seminar. Please register in advance.
17 December 2009, 12.00-14.00, Montesquieu Building (M1003), Tilburg University
Maurice Rojer (Dutch Employers Association AWVN)
Maurice Rojer of the Dutch Employers Association AWVN will give a talk on the future of the collective agreement (CAO) in the Dutch labour market. Some claim that this institution is beyond it's 'sell-by date', others would argue that we need this institutional arrangement to cater for the changing needs of the labour market of tomorrow. One of ReflecT's researchers will be second speaker to give additional food for thought.
You are cordially invited to participate in this seminar. Please register in advance.
15 Oktober 2009, 12.00-14.00, Montesquieu Building (M1003), Tilburg University
Ronald Dekker and Ton Wilthagen (ReflecT)
ReflecT researcher Ronald Dekker will present joint work
with Ton Wilthagen on employment security. This will be presentation of
'work in progress' from the Employment security project funded by Stichting
Instituut GAK and will consist of two parts. Firstly, employment security is
firmly grounded in and connected with theoretical concepts such as
flexicurity, transitional labour markets and the capabilities approach.
Secondly, employment security is juxtaposed against job security with the
use of empirical data for the Netherlands. This seminar is meant especially,
but by no means exclusively, for the colleagues in the employment security
team.
17 September 2009, 12.00-14.00, Montesquieu Building (M1003), Tilburg University
Nicolette van Gestel (Radboud Universty, Nijmegen, The Netherlands)
'The quagmire of welfare state reform: changes in the organisation of social security' (in Dutch: 'Het hervormingsmoeras van de verzorgingsstaat; veranderingen in de organisatie van sociale zekerheid').
Nicolette van Gestel will give a presentation on her latest book, which is joint work with Paul de Beer and Marc van der Meer.
11 June 2009, 12.00-14.00, Dante building (DZ8), Tilburg University
Ingo Geishecker (Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany)
"International outsourcing and job loss fears: an econometric analysis of individual perceptions".
Ingo Geishecker will present his paper, which is joint work with Paul Frijters (Queensland University of Technology, Australia). The paper can be downloaded here.
Charissa Freese (ReflecT) will act as second speaker and respond to this paper with insights from organisational psychology and HRM studies.
Powerpoint presentations delivered by speakers in PDF:
28 May 2009, 12.00-14.00, Montesquieu building (M1002), Tilburg University
Arjan van den Born (University of Antwerp):
"The Drivers Of Freelance Career Success - A Test Of The Boundaryless Career Model In An Archetypical Environment" (joint work with Arjen van van Witteloostuijn).
Arjan van den Born (University of Antwerp, Belgium) will present his paper. This paper is a follow-up of his dissertation: "The drivers of career success ofthe jobhopping professional in the newnetworked economy".
You are cordially invitedto participate in thisseminar.Please
19 March 2009, 11.30-13.30, Tilbury's, Tilburg University
The title of Beryl ter Haar's paper is: "Soft law or no law: How to determine the legal status of the OMC?" and can be downloaded here.
You are cordially invited to participate inthis seminar. Please register in advance.
12 February 2009, 12.00-13.30, Tilbury's, Tilburg University
A paper of Ton van Schaik can be downloaded here.
The presentation of Alfred Kleinknecht can be downloadedhere. You will find an article written by Alfred Kleinknecht and Ronald Dekker by clicking this link.
Beryl ter Haar (Leiden University) and Sonja Bekker (ReflecT): Open Method of Coordination and the European Employment Strategy.
Sonja Bekkers' title will be: "The participation of stakeholders in the development of the European flexicurity concept". To download her paper in PDF please click here.
Ton van Schaik (Tilburg University) vs. Alfred Kleinknecht (Delft University of Technology): Employment protection legislation and productivity: a debate. 
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