Bringing together contributions from leading labour market policy scholars from across the globe, this state-of-the-art Handbook offers extensive and compelling analyses of labour market policy in advanced democracies. Drawing on the lively debates on labour market policy that have characterised comparative social policy and comparative political economy scholarship in recent years, the Handbook provides theoretical insights into the core concepts, changing contexts and main actors that shape contemporary labour market policy. Using macro-regional case studies spanning Asia, Australasia, Europe and North America, it offers detailed empirical illustrations of how major labour market policies and institutions have evolved over time and across countries. Chapters further examine the diversity of policy options and their various political implications, assessing the relationship between labour market policy and major socio-economic outcomes, such as inequality, well being and political participation. Integrating cutting-edge theory with rich empirical insights, this incisive Handbook will be an invaluable reference for students and scholars of comparative social policy and comparative political economy. Its comprehensive coverage will also allow policy-makers and practitioners to reflect critically on the role of labour market policy in today’s complex societies.

1 Introduction: labour market policy as a field of government action and an object of research 1 Daniel Clegg and Niccolo Durazzi PART I CORE CONCEPTS 2 The rise and demise of unemployment 14 Jérôme Gautié 3 Insider-outsider divides in rich democracies: labour market policies, new inequalities and attitudes 27 Hanna Schwander 4 Activation: a research topic in its own right? 44 Jochen Clasen and Clara Mascarò 5 The academic and policy roots of flexicurity and its pathways 54 Sonja Bekker and Janine Leschke 6 Assessing labour market policy change 68 Emanuele Ferragina, Federico Danilo Filetti and Alessandro Arrigoni PART II CHANGING CONTEXTS 7 Macroeconomic regimes and labour market policies 88 Bob Hancké and Toon Van Overbeke 8 Women, work, and labour market policy 103 Sonja Avlijaš 9 Labour market policy in the era of mass migration: perspectives on Europe 116 Gemma Scalise 10 Technological change and labour market policy preferences 132 David Weisstanner 11 Putting the platform economy in its place: contested regulatory terrains 148 Alessio Bertolini, Matt Cole and Shelly Steward PART III ACTORS 12 Political parties and labour market policies 161 Reimut Zohlnhöfer and Linda Voigt 13 Trade unions and the evolution of labour market policy 177 Joshua Gordon and Dennie Oude Nijhuis 14 Employers and labour market policy 193 Sabrina Colombo, David Natali and Emmanuele Pavolini 15 International organisations: policy agendas and transfer mechanisms in global labour governance 206 Vicente Silva 16 The European Union: a significant player in labour policymaking 219 Vincenzo Maccarrone, Roland Erne and Darragh Golden PART IV JOB AND INCOME SECURITY 17 Minimum wages: by collective bargaining and by law 235 Georg Picot 18 Employment protection legislation: towards more inclusive or segmented labour markets? 249 Agnieszka Piasna 19 The parabola of unemployment insurance in advanced democracies 264 Daniel Clegg and Larissa Nenning 20 The rise of in-work benefits: policy, politics and evaluation 280 Joan Abbas and Ewan Robertson 21 From early retirement to later exit from work: shifting towards active ageing 295 Bernhard Ebbinghaus and Kun Lee 22 Universal basic income: the new political economy of an old idea 309 Leire Rincon and Tim Vlandas PART V EMPLOYMENT PROMOTION AND SUPPORT 23 Skill formation: part of and complement to the labour market policy mix? 327 Donato Di Carlo and Niccolo Durazzi 24 Effects and explanations of active labour market policy: theoretical and empirical challenges for cross-national research 343 Axel Cronert 25 Public employment services: mapping reform trends in advanced democracies 360 Timo Weishaupt 26 The changing role of frontline employment advisors 374 Rik van Berkel 27 Predictive algorithms in the delivery of public employment services 387 John Körtner and Giuliano Bonoli PART VI REGIONAL EXPERIENCES 28 Liberal labour markets at the crossroads: the cases of Australia and New Zealand 400 Shaun Wilson 29 Labour market policy reform in East Asia: from economic crises to welfare politics 417 Ijin Hong, Chung-Yang Yeh and Jaewook Nahm 30 Canada and the United States: labour market policies and varieties of federalism in two liberal welfare states 435 Daniel Béland, Shannon Dinan, and Alex Waddan 31 Labour market policy in the Visegrad countries 449 Michał Polakowski 32 Labour market policy reforms in Southern Europe: too much of the wrong medicine? 463 Arianna Tassinari, Fabio Bulfone and Angie Gago PART VII IMPACTS 33 Labour market policies and social inequality in labour market outcomes 479 Thomas Biegert 34 Poor workers in advanced democracies: on the nature of in-work poverty and its relationship to labour market policies 495 Rod Hick and Ive Marx 35 Labour market policies as a social determinant of wellbeing 508 Elke Heins 36 Labour market problems and political integration 523 Paul Marx Index 536