Public Sector Shock

The Impact of Policy Retrenchment in Europe

Edited by Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead, Professor, University of Geneva, Switzerland and Sciences Po, Paris, France

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline.com.

The goal of this volume is to study this ‘public sector shock’. While budgetary reforms seek to ensure a more balanced and sound economic policy, they may generate new work inequalities among public sector employees, most particularly among women, who account for a considerable proportion of public sector employment. Cuts in education and training may also have an impact on the quality of human capital in both the public and private sectors, despite the fact that the recent crisis has shown the value of education as employees with better skills and training are more likely to maintain their jobs and incomes.

‘This is a very timely volume as Europe begins to reevaluate the enthusiasm its leaders have shown for austerity as a response to economic and fiscal crisis.’
– P. K. Kresl, Choice

‘This is a fascinating, rich and comprehensive analytical account of the causes and consequences of austerity measures affecting the public sector in terms of pay and employment. The editors have assembled a broad array of contributions that really reflect the diversity within Europe, both in terms of how deep the financial crisis hit, and the drivers of public sector reforms. An absorbing and thought-provoking read.’
– Jacqueline O’Reilly, University of Brighton, UK