Al. Ellingsaeter, LABOR-MARKET RESTRUCTURING AND POLARIZATION PROCESSES - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF POLITICAL-INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS, Economic and industrial democracy, 19(4), 1998, pp. 579-603
Theories on the restructuring of post-industrial labour markets postul
ate that polarization processes induce a cleavage between those inside
and those outside the labour market, or/and increasing differences be
tween workers belonging to the core versus the periphery of the labour
market. This article critically explores the polarization postulates
and their potential consequences for gender and class divisions. It is
argued that the effects of labour market restructuring must be unders
tood in their specific political and institutional context, one in whi
ch the state and industrial relations influence the operation of labou
r markets and the organization of work. As the case for examining the
impact of political-institutional factors on labour market restructuri
ng, one of the Scandinavian countries, Norway, is selected. The focus
is particularly on the impact of consensus-building institutions, soci
al investment strategies and the balance between capital and labour.