The German social democratic party initiated in 2003 the greatest overhaul of labour market legislation in decades, severely cutting unemployment benefits and slashing employment protection legislation. How can we explain this radical policy shift? This paper will present a counter-intuitive...

Liberal versus protective models of welfare capitalism -- The left divided -- Democratic transitions and the transformation of the Portuguese and Spanish lefts -- Reversal of fortune: the politics of labor incorporation -- The evolution of labor market protections : intra-left competition and...