A future for wages councils in the hospitality industry in the U.K.?

In 1974, in an effort to stimulate discussion on the role played by the Licensed Residential Establishment and Licensed Restaurant Wages Council, Mitchell and Ashton (1974) posed the following question; ‘Wages councils: do they matter?’ The article below attempts to provide a contemporary answer to this question and to widen the scope of the discussion to include the other wages councils which operate within the hospitality industry. The passage of a decade would appear to mark a suitable point at which to carry out such a review. Furthermore the timing is appropriate in that the imminent expiry of an International Labour Office convention has initiated a debate over the future status of the whole of the wages council system in Britain. Consequently it is interesting to consider how the hospitality industry stands in relation to this debate particularly in view of the recent attempts made by the Employment Minister to influence the latest award made by the L.R.W.C.     

Under threat: Rules-based fiscal policy and how to preserve it

Rules-based fiscal policy is under threat. Over the last two decades, it proved frustratingly complicated to strike the right balance between three essential properties of sound fiscal policy rules: simplicity, flexibility, and enforceability. Simplicity has been sacrificed to ensure that more contingent (i.e. flexible) rules remained enforceable. The resulting arrangements have failed to adequately guide fiscal policy, undermining formal compliance, and ultimately, popular and political support for rules. To mitigate the risk that countries abandon rules-based policymaking, we suggest downplaying enforceability—i.e. the role of formal sanctions through enforcement—and enhancing the reputational costs of breaching rules. At the limit, the rule could consist of a simple quantitative benchmark for a key fiscal indicator. To boost reputational effects, independent fiscal councils should focus on debunking the “fiscal alchemy,” clearing the public debate from partisan smokescreens, and fostering popular support for sound fiscal policies.     

Political openness and armed conflict: Evidence from local councils in Colombia

In this paper, I empirically investigate how the openness of political institutions to diverse representation can impact conflict-related violence. Regression discontinuity estimates that exploit plausibly exogenous variations in the number of councillors in Colombian municipalities show that political openness substantially decreases conflict-related violence, namely the killing of civilian non-combatants. Empirical evidence suggests that the lower level of political violence stems from parties with close links to armed groups having greater representation on larger municipal councils. Using data about the types of violence employed by these groups, and government representation, I argue that armed violence has decreased not because of power-sharing arrangements involving armed groups linked to the parties with more political representation, but rather because armed groups with more political power deter other groups from initiating certain types of violence.     

Advisory Councils in Franchising: Advancing a Theory-Based Typology

There is limited empirical data on the roles associated with Franchise Advisory Councils (FACs) yet much time, money, and energy is spent on these quasi-governing bodies. This qualitative research study combines a series of semistructured interviews with franchisors and franchisees who are part of systems with and without FACs, data from case studies involving interviews, and participant observations of FAC meetings and conference calls. The results identified four core roles FACs perform (i.e., supporting, partnering, representing, and monitoring) and uses a multitheoretical perspective to advance a typology to explain franchisor–franchisee dynamics within FACs.     

A comparison of the effectiveness of unions and non-union works councils in Korea: can non-union employee representation substitute for trade unionism?

Using survey data from 857 employees of three unionized and three non-union establishments in Korea, this study compares the effectiveness of unions and non-union employee representation (NER). Union members appear to expect more from and to be more satisfied with unions than is the case for non-union employees regarding the activities of non-union works councils. This tendency is stronger in regard to distributive and employee advocacy issues than to mutual interest issues. Union members express stronger commitment to their unions than do non-union employees to their works councils. However, union members and works council members are not significantly different in terms of organizational commitment, job satisfaction and perceived industrial relations climate. Overall, the findings indicate that the structural weaknesses of NER are more evident than its positive attitudinal effects.     

Works council and training effects on satisfaction

This paper investigates the direct and indirect impact of works councils via further training on job satisfaction. Basic estimates on an individual level do not reveal clearly direct effects, but on an establishment level, the existence of a works council increases the average job satisfaction. We also find a positive, weakly significant effect on an individual level accompanied by training under instrumental variables estimation and if we control for personal characteristics.     

Transitional Change in Poland

No abstract available for this article.     

The right to participate

A basic principle of democracy holds that all citizens have a right to participate in decisions that affect their personal interests, including decisions taken in the context of employment. Most industrialized, market economy democracies have created institutions to ensure that this right is effective. In North America, however, the right to participate in the making of critical employment decisions has not been secured, largely because of perverse, adversarial dynamics elicited by labor relations statutes. Universal, statutory participation via works councils is proposed as a means of making the right effective.     

Bribery and corruption in Australian local councils

This paper explores public concerns about corruption and bribery in Australian local government and provides guidance for policy-makers on how to control bribery and corruption. Lack of regulation is a major reason why local councils are not taking appropriate anti-corruption or bribery measures. The author urges regulators to impose radical and mandatory requirements, especially reporting requirements, on local councils. Australia should also look to other countries for successful measures to curb bribery and corruption.