The limits of decentralized cooperation: promoting inclusiveness in collective skill formation systems?

ABSTRACT

This paper examines how collective skill formation systems balance economic objectives related to competitiveness and social objectives related to inclusion. Based on a simple theoretical model, we argue that there are clear limits to how much inclusiveness can be achieved in collective skill formation systems. Firms are generally successful in resisting pressure by governments to be more inclusive because they benefit from their structural power in collective skill formation systems. Therefore, most pro-inclusiveness policies in such training systems do not require any firm-specific involvement. If pro-inclusiveness policies involve firms, employer associations typically participate in their development, trying to align the goal of inclusion with the economic interest of employers. Our two-level game model helps to understand this complex interaction between governments and firms. Empirical examples substantiate our expectations. They show how important it is to consider both levels simultaneously when analyzing inclusion-oriented training policy reforms.

KEYWORDS:

• Collective skill formation
• vocational training
• inclusiveness
• two-level games

Acknowledgements

This article is based on research carried out in the context of the GOVPET project funded by the Swiss State secretariat for education, research and innovation (SERI). We would like to thank project members for comments and insightful ideas. The ideas contained in this article largely originated from discussions we had at various GOVPET events with Marius Busemeyer, Martin Bæk Carstensen, Pepper Culpepper, Niccolo Durazzi, Leonard Geyer, Philipp Gonon, Lukas Graf, Christian Lyhne Ibsen, Cathie Jo Martin, Justin Powell, Kathleen Thelen and Christine Trampusch. Finally, we would also like to thank two anonymous reviewers for JEPP.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Giuliano Bonoli is Professor of social policy at the Swiss graduate school of public administration (IDHEAP), University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Patrick Emmenegger is Professor of political science at the school of economics and political science (SEPS), University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Notes

1 Collective skill formation systems are embedded in an economic structure and macroeconomic environment that affect the systems’ overall level of inclusiveness independent of our reflections. Most notably, a positive macroeconomic situation and a large share of small and medium-sized firms is expected to result in more inclusive training systems (Buchholz, Imdorf, Hupka-Brunner, & Blossfeld, 2012).

2 Source:https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/fr/home/statistiques/education-science/indicateurs-formation/themes/transitions/transition-secii.html (accessed 21.9.2019).

3 In contrast to, say, Switzerland, where the state is weaker, less interventionist and public support for social solidarity weaker.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation.