Dependent Self-Employment

Theory, Practice and Policy

Colin C. Williams, Professor of Public Policy, Sheffield University Management School (SUMS), University of Sheffield, UK and Ioana Alexandra Horodnic, Lecturer, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, ‘Alexandru Ioan Cuza’ University of Iași, Romania

Dependent self-employment is widely perceived as a rapidly growing form of precarious work conducted by marginalised lower-skilled workers subcontracted by large corporations. Unpacking a comprehensive survey of 35 European countries, Colin C. Williams and Ioana Alexandra Horodnic map the lived realities of the distribution and characteristics of dependent self-employment to challenge this broad and erroneous perception.

‘How can we tackle the deficit of work faced by dependent self-employed workers? This topic is timely, complex and under review by policy-makers, academics and researchers in the EU, OECD and ILO. The book sheds light on the phenomenon and policies in 35 European countries. In addition, the study supports evidence-based discussions and policy-making on this employment model.'
– Päivi Kantanen, Ministerial adviser, Senior representative of Finland in UDW Platform

‘Williams and Horodnic’s incisive analysis of the growing phenomenon “dependent self-employment” helps to cast light on the murky and poorly understood nature of contemporary employment relationships. This theoretically informed and empirically based account of Europe-wide self-employment tackles prevailing stereotypes. The result is a balanced and lucid assessment that develops theory, contributes empirical evidence and offers positive policy options that advance the goal of decent work.'
– Monder Ram OBE, Aston University, UK

‘A comprehensive read on dependent self-employment, this book – perhaps for the first time – positions a politico-economic lens to a sociological theme, traditionally ignored as “casual work”.’
– Anjula Gurtoo, Indian Institute of Science, India