Firms, employer associations and the welfare state in times of structural economic changes

The welfare state represents one of the main fields of employer associations’ action. The way companies and their associations see the welfare state might change over time, depending on, on one hand, transformations in the socioeconomic environment, on the other hand, industrial relations institutions. The puzzle addressed in the present contribution revolves around what the impact is on employer associations of the changes in the economic structure, especially in relation to welfare state issues and to what extent industrial relations traditions, in particular those connected to firms’ labor market coordination, filter such changes. The article is built around three strictly related “questions”: “who” (in terms of economic sector) are the firms today compared to the past; “what” they want from the welfare state; and “how” they try to achieve these aims. The latter question is strictly linked to the role of employer associations. In sum, the present contribution provides insights on the role of employer associations (the “how”) in relation to welfare state policies in the light of the changes in the business structure (“who”), firms’ preferences (the “what”) and industrial relation traditions.