Show or hide comments about the document.
Search over the document's text.
Share the document through social networks or e-mail.
After selecting an area on the page.
...you can:
copy the text
share the segment
comment
cite the document

Spring 2013

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 28, Number 2

Categories: Spring 2013 | Politics

European Corporatism and Freedom of Association

Barbara Kolm, Austrian Economics Center - Friedrich A. v. Hayek Institute

Download

e-mail

<< Back to editing
Previous version by
<< Older
Newer >>
Revert to this one

Edit
Cancel
Fullscreen

Show comments
Zoom:
Page: / 18

Line spacing:
Word spacing:

Search:FindClose

search results

TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise28(2),2013,39–56EuropeanCorporatismandFreedomofAssociationBarbaraKolmUniversityofDonjaGoricaHayekInstitutAbstractThispaperexaminestheprincipleoffreedomofassociationandthethreatposedbyEuropeancorporatism.AlthoughtheprincipleiscodifiedintheEU’sCharterofFundamentalRights,importantexceptionsareallowed.Thesecaneasilyencompassavarietyofsituations.RecentevidencesuggeststhattheEUmaybeattemptingtoapplysuchexceptionsasitexpandsitsadministrativeandbureaucraticapparatusacrossEurope.Additionally,manyEuropeanstatesreflectaheartyembraceofcorporatism—theveryantithesisoffreedomofassociation—insteadofremainingopentothearrangementsthatproducedgrowthinthefirstplace:voluntaryassociation,laborflexibility,andmarketforces.ThisisnotbecausetheyhavebeengivenamandatebythegeneralwillofthepeoplebutbecausecorporatismbenefitstheinterlockinginterestsofEurope’sbigunions,bigindustries,bigfinancialinstitutions,andbigemployerconfederations.Corporatismbenefitsthefewoverthemanyanddampensmarketcompetition.Butitresultsinuncompetitivecompaniesandlethargicindustries,andleadstofewerindividualrights,lessentrepreneurialfreedom—andaviolationofthefundamentalprincipleoffreedomofassociation.JELCodes:J51,P4Keywords:Corporatism;Freedomofassociation;TradeunionsI.IntroductionTheideaoffreedomofassociationbegantoemergeasaprincipleworthdefendinginMedievalEurope.Thiswasnotsomucharesultofanyconsciouspoliticalmovementtowardsgreaterfreedomasitwasaproductofpeoplesimply“votingwiththeirfeet.”Europewasacontinentofhundredsofsmallterritoriesduringthemedievalperiod—ifagiventerritorydidnotsatisfytheindividualslivinginit,theycouldsimplymovetoanother.Thus,rulersofterritorieshadanincentivetogivetheirsubjectscertainfreedomsandprivileges—such39

GLIFOS-digital_archive

Metadata [hide]

Title	European Corporatism and Freedom of Association
Authors/Creators:	Barbara Kolm, Austrian Economics Center - Friedrich A. v. Hayek Institute
Year:	2013
Volume:	28
Number:	2
Pages:	39 - 56
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	Corporatism, Freedom of association, Trade unions, European Union, Charter of Fundamental Rights

Citation:
Kolm, Barbara / 2013. "European Corporatism and Freedom of Association." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 28(2): 39-56.