Resocializing Europe and the Mutualization of Risks to Workers

18-19 May 2012; International Conference

About the Conference

Terms such as 'Social Europe', the 'European Social Dimension', 'European Social Model', and, more recently, 'European Social Pact', have long resided in the political and regulatory lexicon of European integration. But arguably, after reaching a climax in 2000 with the inclusion of a 'Solidarity' chapter in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the social profile of the EU has entered a deep period of crisis, one may say a phase of 'social eurosklerosis'.

The status quo is arguably one in which workers once again appear to shoulder most of the risks attendant upon the making and execution of arrangements for the doing of work, and associated with their particular personal work situation in the labour market at large. We define this status quo as one in which a process of de-mutualization of work related risks is seriously undermining the hard-fought and hard-earned social acquis that national social law, and Social Europe itself, once aspired to provide. And we advocate a reversal of the this trend in favour of a process of fair-mutualization of these risks, so as to disperse them away from workers, and share them more equitably between employers, the state, but also consumers, and society at large.

The Labour Rights Institute of UCL (LRI), with support of the UCL European Institute, the British Academy, the European Labour Law Journal and the UCL Centre for Law and Governance in the EU, seeks to bring together an interdisciplinary group of experts from the UK and the rest of Europe to discuss whether this current phase of 'social eurosklerosis' is likely to become a permanent feature of the EU, or whether new regulatory trajectories could and ought to be pursued.

For further details, see the conference website http://www.resocialisingeurope.org/.

Background analysis:

An analysis piece written for the European Institute by the two main organisers of the conference, Dr Nicola Countouris (UCL Laws) and Professor Mark Freedland FBA (Oxford) is available on our website here.

Programme

The conference is organised around 5 key thematic workshops that explore the following themes:

• Workshop 1 - 'The Quest for Social Europe, Solidarity, and Mutualisation'
• Workshop 2 - 'Working Conditions and Labour Market Regulation'
• Workshop 3 - 'Equalities and Fundamental Rights'
• Workshop 4 - 'Collective Dimensions and the Social Partners'
• Workshop 5 - 'New Challenges, New Frontiers'

While obviously preponderant in the third thematic workshop, it is envisaged that the human rights and the gender equality discourses will be crosscutting themes.

You can download a detailed programme here (PDF).

Confirmed participants include:

Prof. Diamond Ashiagbor (SOAS); Prof. Catherine Barnard (Cambridge); Dr Alan Bogg (Oxford); Prof. William Brown (Cambridge); Dr Giuseppe Casale (ILO); Professor Chelo Chacartegui (PFU Baarcelona); Prof. Hugh Collins (LSE); Prof. Colin Crouch (Warwick); Prof. Anne Davies (Oxford); Prof. Simon Deakin and Dr Aristea Koukiadaki (Cambridge and Manchester); Dr Ruth Dukes (Glasgow); Prof. Keith Ewing (KCL); Prof. Sandra Fredman (Oxford); Prof. Mark Freedland (Oxford);  Mr Thomas Haendel MEP (GUE/NGL); Prof. Frank Hendrickx (Leuven); Prof. Bob Hepple (Cambrdige); Dr Catherine Jacqueson (Copenhagen); Prof. Claire Kilpatrick (EUI); Prof. Julia Lopez (PFU Barcelona); Dr. Virginia Mantouvalou (UCL); Prof. Sonia McKay (Londonmet); Prof. G. Morris (Matrix Chambers); Dr Wanjiru Njoya (LSE); Ms Lydia Hayes and Prof. Tonia Novitz (Bristol); Dr Colm O'Cinneide (UCL); Ms Hannah Reed (TUC); Professor Mia Rönnmar (Lund); Dr Astrid Sanders (Birmingham); Prof. Monika Schlachter (Trier); Prof. Silvana Sciarra (Firenze); Dr Kendra Strauss  (Cambridge); Prof. Alain Supiot (Nantes); Prof. Aurora Vimercati (Bari); Prof. Manfred Weiss (Frankfurt); Dr Chris Wright (Melbourne)

Further information

For further information you can contact Dr Nicola Countouris and/or Professor Mark Freedland.