The dynamics shaping experiences and prospects of employer coordination in a Liberal Market Economy: The case of Scotland

Abstract

Without structures of employer coordination, it is difficult to develop and deliver effective and legitimate labour market policy. This article theorises the conditions under which employer coordination occurs in a context usually described as a Liberal Market Economy. An explanatory framework of employer coordination is developed arguing that there are structural, institutional and ideational factors that facilitate and hinder coordination. The framework is applied to an empirical analysis of the Scottish context where devolution means that the Scottish Government has taken a different approach to issues of regulating work, emphasising the policy importance of ‘fair work’. Empirical material was collected through interviews with employers’ organisations (EOs) and other key stakeholders. The article extends existing theorisation by demonstrating that the pressures that facilitate and hinder employer coordination are dynamic and contested.