Debating Lessons from Germany After the Social Democratic Century

Abstract

This article seeks to stimulate a debate about the propositions that this special issue advances on German political economy by presenting responses from two experts who were not otherwise involved. Both scholars independently engage with the volume’s characterisations of empirical developments and arguments for conceptual innovation. Their comments highlight three themes in particular: the malleability of ‘conflictual partnership’ in industrial relations, the growing political prominence of consumer interests, and the revitalisation of social movements. In a rejoinder, the editors spell out how the proposed shift in the scholarly lens on Germany from stability to imbalance helps address these themes. The rejoinder closes with an invitation for scholars and practitioners to draw on the volume as they interpret, manoeuvre within, and try to positively shape what will undoubtedly be a challenging future.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Walther Müller-Jentsch is Professor Emeritus of Sociology (with the chair, ‘Organisation and Co-determination’) at the Ruhr-University Bochum. He has published many articles and books on empirical, historical, and theoretical aspects of industrial relations, among them the first German-language textbook on industrial relations (Soziologie der industriellen Beziehungen, 1986; 2nd. ed. 1997).

Britta Rehder is Professor of Political Science (with the chair, ‘Germany’s Political System’) at the Ruhr-University Bochum. She has published extensively on industrial relations and organised interests, as well as on a wide range of topics in political sociology and law. She has written numerous books, and has published articles in GWP – Gesellschaft. Wirtschaft. Politik, Zeitschrift für Rechtssoziologie and Industrielle Beziehungen.

Sidney A. Rothstein is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Williams College. His research focuses on Europe and the United States, and investigates the politics of digital transformation, seeking to explain how the transition to the knowledge economy reshapes relationships of power, and patterns of inequality, in different countries. His work has been published in Socio-Economic Review, Studies in American Political Development, and Perspectives on Politics.

Tobias Schulze-Cleven is Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Global Work and Employment at the School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers University-New Brunswick. His research examines the contemporary political economy of labor market and higher education reforms across the rich democracies. He has published in outlets such as Comparative Political Studies, New Political Economy, and Politics & Society.

ORCID

Sidney A. Rothstein http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9460-765X

Tobias Schulze-Cleven http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9155-6677

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. https://www.igmetall.de/ueber-uns/branchen/so-kommt-die-autoindustrie-aus-der-krise

2. https://www.igmetall.de/politik-und-gesellschaft/umwelt-und-energie/ig-metall-im-dialog-mit-fridays-for-future-bewegung

3. While the Commission’s lack of activism to date is in line with weak traditions of concertation in Germany (Ornston and Schulze-Cleven 2015), recommendations for minimum wage increases might well become less conservative in the future.