Andreas Kornelakis | King's College London (original) (raw)

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Papers by Andreas Kornelakis

Final research report. Research undertaken under the LSE Hellenic Observatory’s “National Bank ... more Final research report.
Research undertaken under the LSE Hellenic Observatory’s “National Bank of Greece Small Research Grants Scheme”.

Relations industrielles, 2014

Montréal. Il a pour mission la promotion et la valorisation de la recherche. Érudit offre des ser... more Montréal. Il a pour mission la promotion et la valorisation de la recherche. Érudit offre des services d'édition numérique de documents scientifiques depuis 1998. Note : les règles d'écriture des références bibliographiques peuvent varier selon les différents domaines du savoir.

The SAGE Handbook of Human Resource Management, 2010

Relations Industrielles Industrial Relations, 2014

The article considers the strategies of trade unions towards the representation of call centre wo... more The article considers the strategies of trade unions towards the representation of call centre
workers. Using a comparative case study, it examines the divergent union responses to the
growth of contingent labour by looking at the telecommunications industries in Italy and Greece.
Although the trade unions in Italy pursued inclusive strategies embracing the call centre workers
and negotiating the restructuring of the whole sector, the unions in Greece followed a policy
of exclusion leaving call centre workers outside representation and negotiating their internal
restructuring. The article argues that the different union identities, and the diverse power
resources and internal organizational politics help explain the variation in the trade unions’
strategic responses.

Despite the common challenges posed by European market integration and liberalisation, the behavi... more Despite the common challenges posed by European market integration and liberalisation, the behaviour of telecommunications operators across Europe suggests
a variety of modes of adjustment and paths to privatisation. The article examines the puzzle of divergent responses to liberalisation by OTE and Telecom Italia (TI), casting
light on their distinct paths to privatisation and internationalisation. The cases are considered in the context of the Varieties of Capitalism frame, which challenges the
perspective that global market integration will lead to convergence in strategies and structures. Thus, the article suggests that the observed differences are largely explained
by the domestic actors’ preferences, and to a much lesser extent attributed to the globalising forces of technological change and competition.

The recent Eurozone crisis has reinvigorated neoliberal policies and brought to the fore an acade... more The recent Eurozone crisis has reinvigorated neoliberal policies
and brought to the fore an academic and policy debate over
the deregulation of employment relations’ institutions ‘in the
name of competitiveness’. In the context of this debate, we ask
the following question: have firms with employment relations
institutions been less able to improve productivity during the
crisis? We consider this question by examining data from the
European Company Survey. We also look into different models
of capitalism to gauge whether there are context-specific
institutional effects that may mediate firm-level outcomes.
Contrary to the dominant neoliberal discourse, we do not find
any strong evidence that employment relations institutions
are negatively associated with productivity increases. Instead,
we find that certain high performance work practices are
positively and significantly associated with productivity
increases across EU-15 and in particular institutional contexts. Taken together these results challenge the neoliberal ‘low road’ policies that are focused on dismantling employment
relations institutions and suggest shifting the attention
towards context-sensitive ‘high road’ policies and practices.

Recent scholarship in the Human Resource Development (HRD) field considered how practice might re... more Recent scholarship in the Human Resource Development (HRD) field considered
how practice might respond to contemporary issues facing organizations, such as
the emergence of the knowledge economy, and the need for lifelong learning and
organizational flexibility. A similar set of challenges have pre-occupied European
policymakers, with a notable debate on how to increase flexibility in Europe.
The article reviews the theoretical debate on flexibility, and the related policy
of “Flexicurity” that aspires to balance flexibility with employment security at
the national level. The article argues that the challenges that both nations and
organizations face should not be seen as mutually exclusive. Instead, it suggests
that labor policy and workplace practice can be mutually enhancing and calls for
a research agenda on “organizational Flexicurity.” The article suggests that HRD
scholars are best placed to advance such an agenda, as career development and
learning lies at the heart of those issues.

Recent literature argues that trade unions in restructuring service industries have responded to ... more Recent literature argues that trade unions in restructuring service industries have responded to the challenges of the post-industrial era by accepting different forms of labour market dualization. This article examines two case studies from Italy and Greece, in which unions adopted divergent responses to intensified market pressures unleashed by the liberalization of national telecommunications markets. In the Italian case, collective bargaining was successfully centralized, resulting in the inclusion of traditional labour market ‘outsiders’. In contrast, bargaining centralization failed in Greek telecommunications, leading to intensified dualization. These different paths of institutional change are explained as resulting from differences in ideological cleavages among unions and distinct legacies in employers’ associations.

an important institution for the world of work: wage bargaining. Although there is a widespread e... more an important institution for the world of work: wage bargaining. Although there is a widespread
expectation that liberalization and firms’ needs for flexibility brings convergence to the liberal
market model of decentralized industrial relations, recent literature suggests that diversity
persists and that there are a range of different responses. This article contributes to the debate
by applying a coalitional perspective to highlight the factors that influence divergent trajectories
of change in wage bargaining. The case studies of Italian and Greek banking suggest that the
existence of ‘employer associability’ may moderate decentralizing tendencies and facilitate the
reform of industrial relations institutions, while ‘labour–state coalitions’ are critical for the
survival of institutions. Finally, the article discusses the findings in relation to wider debates in
the comparative political economy of work.

Jerusalem Papers in Regulation & Governance , 2013

The paper traces the process of change in the regulation and associational governance of the labo... more The paper traces the process of change in the regulation and associational governance of the labour market of the Greek telecommunications industry during the past two decades. The industry has been shaped by the EU regulatory impact, which prompted the opening up of the market to competition. The competitive pressures, in conjunction with the privatization process of the incumbent operator, brought about new structures of interest representation in labour and business. The paper considers these developments in the context of theoretical conjectures about convergence and divergence in the labour relations sphere of capitalist models. It is argued that the path of convergence to the Anglo-Saxon model of decentralised bargaining is largely explained by the form of interest representation of business, and the divisions between and within labour.

Industry Studies Association Working Paper Series, 2012

The widespread trends towards markets liberalisation, decline in trade union power, and flexible ... more The widespread trends towards markets liberalisation, decline in trade union power, and flexible work organization were expected to push collective bargaining institutions to converge to a decentralised bargaining structure. This crude version of the neoliberal convergence thesis, however, was not borne out. Instead, change in employment relations has been more nuanced than initially thought. This paper explores the conditions under which centralisation of bargaining is possible, even in a more competitive environment with pressures for greater flexibility. It draws on case study evidence from the Italian telecommunications industry, tracing back the process of liberalisation since the early 1990s. It is shown how the strategies and the coalitions between organised labour, business and the state explain in large part this path of institutional change.

Hellenic Observatory Papers on Greece and Southeast Europe, 2011

Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations, 2014

EUI Working Papers SPS, 2010

How do we explain divergent trajectories of change in wage bargaining institutions? Existing stud... more How do we explain divergent trajectories of change in wage bargaining institutions? Existing studies maintained that European economic integration and liberalisation, decline in trade union power, changing work organization and new pay systems would push national wage-setting institutions towards decentralisation. This expectation, however, was not borne out. Instead, change in wage bargaining has been more nuanced and differentiated than anticipated. To overcome the limitations of earlier theoretical conjectures, this paper explores the mediating conditions under which centrifugal tendencies in wage bargaining are likely to be reversed. I argue that 'employer associability' and 'labour-state coalitions' mediate pressures for convergence to the Anglo-Saxon model of decentralised bargaining. A strong employers association is expected to better appreciate the long run benefits of industry-wide bargaining, but also accommodate its firm-members needs for increased flexibility, striking effective compromises. In the absence of a strong employers association, the state may 'fill the gap' of employer associability and the institution is likely to survive due to a labour-state coalition. Unions will likely stem an employers' offensive, if they are able to speak with a single voice and use their political influence effectively. The relevance of the argument is suggested by two critical case studies that trace developments in wage bargaining since the mid 1990s in Italian and Greek banking.

Working Papers on the Reconciliation of Work and Welfare in Europe, 2009

European Journal of Industrial Relations, 2011

The article tracks institutional changes within two central spheres for Varieties of Capitalism (... more The article tracks institutional changes within two central spheres for Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) theory: the industrial relations system and the finance/corporate governance system. Italy and Greece are examined in comparative perspective vis-à-vis CME and LME paradigm cases. The review of recent developments reveals that while industrial relations in both countries show signs of greater coordination, the finance/corporate governance system acquired increasingly liberal market characteristics. Thereby, this analysis casts doubt to the dual convergence thesis, arguing that the hybrid character of the two countries was exacerbated over the last two decades.