Varieties of buffers against precarity mediating the consequences of flexibility for worker's wellbeing: A comparative study of worker experiences

1.概述研究劳动力市场灵活性的变化，以及获得个人和集体缓冲对抗不稳定性的方式，影响工人的福祉。比较实证研究分两个阶段：绘制两个欧洲福利国家的对比制度和政策景观，并与工人进行访谈。研究问题：1.劳动力市场灵活性的变化如何影响工人的物质和非物质福利？2.这在多大程度上取决于对不稳定性的缓冲区的不同访问？3.员工的灵活性体验在共性和多样性上更引人注目吗？2.背景2.1灵活性的多样性阿特金森（1984）的模式区分了4种灵活性，这取决于员工是否容易被雇用和解雇;或者工人的工作时间，工作角色或工资是否不同。2.2灵活工人的物质和非物质福利灵活性可能对福利产生积极或消极，物质或非物质的影响。潜在的负面影响可以用两个概念来探讨：收入的不稳定性和自我理解的不稳定性。（2015年，第8页）关于不安全就业对消费者信心的影响的工作，可以区分收入不稳定的两个因素：不确定性与工人收入实际不足，以满足基本需求。自我理解的不确定性主要借鉴了Sennett（1998）的工作来描述（i）无法对自己的生活形成连贯和令人满意的叙述，（ii）无法确定和实践需要长期稳定的就业和个人关系的性格特征。预计将在以工人为导向的灵活性的情况下发现，2.3缓冲区对福利的负面影响缓冲区对不稳定性（克莱门特等。al 2009，p.242）是工人生活的特征，使他们无法承受雇主灵活性可能导致的不稳定就业的（所有）后果。缓冲区可以是物质的或非物质的（见图2）。方法3.1比较分析的维度：国家，部门，工会化，工作水平，私营环境初步文献综述将认识到欧洲福利国家之间的转移和服务（T&S）和劳动力市场监管（LMR）的变化程度。将详细研究两个对比国家。作为一个指示，英国可能会被选为经济自由的案例，因为它的有限的LMR，以及其T&S的低水平和高条件性。第二个例子可能是德国或荷兰。前者以其更严格的劳动报酬率、制度化的劳资关系和各种慷慨的T&S而闻名。后者作为一个混合的“flexicurity”的情况下，结合灵活的劳动力市场（相当）普遍和慷慨的T&S.3.2 Interviewing strategyInterviewing允许调查的材料和非材料的灵活性工人的福祉的后果。为了探索非物质的幸福，自我理解，有必要找出工人如何理解自己的生活。过滤问题将确定工人受到哪些灵活性的影响，以及他们可以访问哪些集体和个人缓冲区。灵活工作者将在两个选定的国家接受采访：在一系列部门，工会化程度，工作水平和私人环境中，以及标准雇佣关系中的一个小的对照组。影响4.1学术工作者的经验将被带到分析的前沿和中心。从理论上讲，调查结果将有相关的主要方法进行比较研究。4.2政策政策的影响将寻求通过生产灵活性，认真考虑工人的经验和体制环境的政策框架。

1. OverviewStudy of the ways variations in labour market flexibility, and access to individual and collective buffers against precarity, affect workers' wellbeing. Comparative empirical research in 2 phases: mapping the contrasting institutional and policy landscapes of 2 European welfare states and conducting interviews with workers.Research questions:1. In what ways do variations in labour market flexibility affect workers' material and immaterial wellbeing?2. To what extent does this depend on varying access to buffers against precarity?3. Are worker experiences of flexibility more striking in their commonality or variety?2. Context2.1 Varieties of flexibilityAtkinson's (1984) schema distinguishes 4 types of flexibility present depending on the ease with which: employees can be hired and fired; or worker's hours, job role, or wages be varied.2.2 Material and immaterial wellbeing of flexible workersFlexibility may have positive or negative, material or immaterial consequences for wellbeing.Potential negatives can be explored using 2 concepts: precarity of income and precarity of self-understanding.Drawing on Crouch's (2015, p.8) work on the effects of insecure employment on consumerconfidence, 2 elements to precarity of income can be distinguished: uncertainty vs. actual insufficiency of workers' income to meet basic needs.Precarity of self-understanding draws primarily on the work of Sennett (1998) to describe (i) an inability to form a narrative about one's own life that is coherent and satisfying, and (ii) an inability to both settle on and practice character traits which require long-term and stable employment and personal relations.Expected to be found in instances of worker-oriented flexibility, concepts relating to potentialpositive consequences for wellbeing will be developed.2.3 Buffers against negative consequences for wellbeingBuffers against precarity (Clement et. al 2009, p.242) are features of worker's lives whichprevent them bearing (all) the consequences of precarious employment that may result fromemployer-side flexibility. Buffers may be material or immaterial (see Figure 2).3. Methodology3.1 Dimensions of comparative analysis: country, sector, unionisation, job level, privatecircumstanceAn initial literature review will recognise the extent of variation in transfers and services (T&S) and labour market regulation (LMR) between European welfare states. 2 contrasting countries will be studied in detail. As an indication, the UK is likely to be chosen as an economically liberal case, for its limited LMR, and the low level and high conditionality of its T&S. A second case is likely to be either Germany or the Netherlands. The former for its tighter LMR, institutionalised industrial relations, and its variously generous T&S. The latter as a hybrid 'flexicurity' case combining flexible labour markets with (fairly) universal and generous T&S.3.2 Interview strategyInterviewing allows the investigation of both the material and immaterial consequences of flexibility for worker's wellbeing. To explore immaterial wellbeing, of self-understanding, it is necessary to find out how workers understand their own lives. Filtering questions will identify which varieties of flexibility a worker is subject to, and which collective and individual buffers they have access to. Flexible workers will be interviewed in the 2 selected countries: in a range of sectors, degrees of unionisation, job levels, and private circumstances, alongside a small control group in the standard employment relationship.4. Impact4.1 AcademicWorker experiences will be brought to the front and centre of the analysis. Theoretically, the findings will have relevance for the dominant approaches to comparative research.4.2 PolicyPolicy influence will be sought by producing a policy framework on flexibility, which takes worker's experience and institutional context seriously.