Regulation of work and employment: Towards a multidisciplinary, multilevel framework

Work and employment remain a central concern to people's livelihoods, wellbeing and identities. But how are the terms, nature and quality of work and employment determined? In other words, what is the system of regulation that shapes and reproduces these terms? This series aims to address the complexities and dynamics of the forces that give rise to patterns of regulation at local, national, supranational and international levels. The series will contribute to developing understanding of these issues and in doing so; it will inform policies, strategies and practices of government, businesses and unions.

The regulation of work and employment has always generated debate about the competing demands between economic concerns (e.g., competitiveness and productivity), and social concerns (e.g., worker rights, equality and social justice). However, the global financial crisis has created a high degree of tension as businesses struggle to reconcile the need to survive intensified competition whilst dealing with the fragmentation of industrial relations (IR). In this context, the regulation of work and employment is a central point of contention. Such controversy is evidenced in the debates around UK membership of the EU (Monks, 2013).

For governments, policy-makers and inter-governmental agencies, this translates into struggles to set the 'rules of the game' and the degree of intervention. Most workers and their families, as well as unions welcome regulation as they see it as a key element of decent work, work-life balance and health and safety (van Wanrooy et al., 2011; Sanséau and Smith, 2012). However, many employers argue that a high degree of regulation may discourage them from investing and creating jobs in a local economy, instead driving them to countries with a lower degree of regulation. From the perspective of the labour movement, such arguments can precipitate an international 'race to the bottom' in terms of employers offering poor conditions rather than decent opportunities.

These contradictions are seen in diverse discussions about regulation at national and supranational levels. For example, the UK government's "Red Tape Challenge" (BIS, 2012); the EU15 Project (OECD, 2012), and the report on Standards for Rule Making (Business Council of Australia, 2012) show that regulation is seen as a burden on business. The CBI (2012) notes that regulation stymies performance and economic growth, and hinders investment. Indeed, in the last two decades there has been an increase in governments' efforts to reform (i.e. reduce) regulatory interventions into labour markets and workplaces. However, the OECD (2004, 2012) recognises that a regulatory framework is essential to efficient markets and effective government. At an international level, evidence from economies such as Germany suggests that employment protection and strong economic output can coexist.

This highlights that regulation should no longer be a theme reserved for specialist discussion. This seminar programme presents a timely opportunity to establish an innovative, collaborative dialogue where diverse discussions are brought together with a view of improving our learning in academic terms and to influence policy-making and practices (see Bamber et al., 2010; Bamber et al., 2011).

We propose six seminars focusing on:
1. Competing approaches to regulation of work and employment.
2. Workplace regulation: human resource management (HRM) and IR issues.
3. International regulation.
4. Regulation and the individual experience of work.
5. Regulation and the firm.
6. The future of regulation.

Seminar 1 identifies the commonalities in seemingly disparate discourses, setting out key questions. Seminars 2-5 each explore regulation at a different level of analysis (workplace, international, individual and organisational). Seminar 6 establishes an agenda for the future that seeks to advance the discussion, inform and influence policy and practice.

The series brings multidisciplinary, multilevel, international approaches to discuss the challenges associated with the regulation of work and employment. It is therefore of interest and practical significance to a range of stakeholders: academics, policy makers, public and private organisations, non-governmental organizations, consultants and professional societies, employer associations, inter-governmental agencies and trade unions. Given its focus on work and employment, the seminar series speaks directly to these range of stakeholders as they are all involved in different aspects of the regulation of work and employment; either at individual, organizational, national, supranational or international levels.

The main impact of the seminar series will be on the policy-making community (e.g., governments, inter-governmental agencies). Given that policy-makers have the difficult task of reconciling diverse interests; their work can antagonise some stakeholders. In this respect, facilitating a collective dialogue about these issues is fundamental not only to identify points of contention and points of encounter, but to deal with the inevitability of competing expectations. The seminar series will have a fundamental impact on the way policy-making organizations engage in discussion with other stakeholders about the purpose and scope of regulation. As a result of this, we suggest that the series has the potential to influence policy-makers.

We also envisage an impact on practitioners. The conception stage of the series had significant input from the ideas and proposed points of professional societies and employer associations. There is clear evidence of the need to establish a dialogue that is multidisciplinary and multi-level and in this respect; many of the issues that the series will address are directly related to the challenges identified by these stakeholders. The series will provide them with analytical tools to participate in these discussions more effectively.

Finally, we see the series as impacting scholars in the field. Discussions about academics being 'out of touch' or disconnected from 'the real world' lead back to the limited active engagement with practitioner and policy-making communities. In that respect, the dialogue facilitated by the series is not one-sided; where academics come as knowledge experts to address a passive audience of participants. Instead, the series relies on a careful organisation of discussion that fosters knowledge sharing and collaborative knowledge building. Different stakeholders will draw on ideas from others and engage in discussion to build a common framework. Therefore, the series will have an impact on how academics approach discussions about regulation. The series' strategy for participation relies on targeting doctoral and early career researchers, so we envisage that this strategy will maximise impact in this group.

In facilitating a multidisciplinary, multilevel discussion, the series is adopting an approach consistent with the International Labour Organization's policy recommendation of "social dialogue" between stakeholders in relation to improving the quality of jobs (Papadakis and Bé, 2008). The series also answers calls for discussions informed by specific employment or workplace issues and have input from different stakeholders (CIPD, 2011). This would create a strong interlocking mosaic to advance practical understanding of regulation of work and employment (Trubek et al., 2000; Stewart and Martinez Lucio, 2011). As such, we are confident that the series will have a significant impact on advancing the way these stakeholders engage with each other.