The economic crisis within the European Union also involves a crisis of democracy. On the one side the austerity-politics of the Troika limits the influence of democratic procedures. On the other side new forms of soc...The economic crisis within the European Union also involves a crisis of democracy. On the one side the austerity-politics of the Troika limits the influence of democratic procedures. On the other side new forms of social protests rise in which social actors struggle for an extension of the democratic public: the resistance against evictions the self-organization of medical care, the occupation of public places etc. realized new forms of social cooperation, discussion and decision-making processes. On this background a reference to John Deweys theory of the democratic public seems to be helpful to reconstruct and to orient these conflicts and the claims raised in them. According to Dewey the normative criteria which we use if we evaluate actions or common institutions are a part of the social process and insofar a process themselves. These criteria have to be reflected and reformulated in new situations in which new social problems and conflicts occur. The democratic public is in this conception the realm in which a common elucidation of problematic social consequences of the existing institutions takes place and in which proposals for the overcoming of these consequences are formulated. Therefore it reconstructs the central norms embedded within the social institutions, it shows how collective actions guided by these norms leads to problematic social consequences. This is then the background for a critical reflection on, and a reformulation of the guiding norms of these institutions. To realize such a form of collective self-determination the democratic public can not be reduced to a separate political sphere, rather it has to be extended to all forms of social cooperation especially the economy.展开更多
Following a period of significant development at the end of the 1990s, with economic growth rates greater than those of the European Union, the Portuguese economy stagnated in 2002 and even declined in 2003. The curre...Following a period of significant development at the end of the 1990s, with economic growth rates greater than those of the European Union, the Portuguese economy stagnated in 2002 and even declined in 2003. The current context of international crisis has just interrupted the fragile growth trend initiated in 2004: In fact, real GDP, which increased by 1.9 percent in 2007, had a growth rate of zero in 2008 and declined by 2.9 percent in 2009. The crisis has abruptly increased the closure of companies and unemployment jumped from 7.3% in the second haft of 2008 to 10.1% in the forth quarter of 2009. Notwithstanding, social dialog was resilient to this situation of economic crisis, as shown by the number of collective agreements negotiated by the social partners, the number of workers covered by collective agreements and the observed increase in real wages. Additionally, social partners have agreed on a reform of the Labour Code. Are this data enough evidence of social concentration on crisis management? This paper will analyze this issue, giving particular attention to collective bargaining in Portugal and the crisis impact on the industrial relations system and their actors展开更多
文摘The economic crisis within the European Union also involves a crisis of democracy. On the one side the austerity-politics of the Troika limits the influence of democratic procedures. On the other side new forms of social protests rise in which social actors struggle for an extension of the democratic public: the resistance against evictions the self-organization of medical care, the occupation of public places etc. realized new forms of social cooperation, discussion and decision-making processes. On this background a reference to John Deweys theory of the democratic public seems to be helpful to reconstruct and to orient these conflicts and the claims raised in them. According to Dewey the normative criteria which we use if we evaluate actions or common institutions are a part of the social process and insofar a process themselves. These criteria have to be reflected and reformulated in new situations in which new social problems and conflicts occur. The democratic public is in this conception the realm in which a common elucidation of problematic social consequences of the existing institutions takes place and in which proposals for the overcoming of these consequences are formulated. Therefore it reconstructs the central norms embedded within the social institutions, it shows how collective actions guided by these norms leads to problematic social consequences. This is then the background for a critical reflection on, and a reformulation of the guiding norms of these institutions. To realize such a form of collective self-determination the democratic public can not be reduced to a separate political sphere, rather it has to be extended to all forms of social cooperation especially the economy.
文摘Following a period of significant development at the end of the 1990s, with economic growth rates greater than those of the European Union, the Portuguese economy stagnated in 2002 and even declined in 2003. The current context of international crisis has just interrupted the fragile growth trend initiated in 2004: In fact, real GDP, which increased by 1.9 percent in 2007, had a growth rate of zero in 2008 and declined by 2.9 percent in 2009. The crisis has abruptly increased the closure of companies and unemployment jumped from 7.3% in the second haft of 2008 to 10.1% in the forth quarter of 2009. Notwithstanding, social dialog was resilient to this situation of economic crisis, as shown by the number of collective agreements negotiated by the social partners, the number of workers covered by collective agreements and the observed increase in real wages. Additionally, social partners have agreed on a reform of the Labour Code. Are this data enough evidence of social concentration on crisis management? This paper will analyze this issue, giving particular attention to collective bargaining in Portugal and the crisis impact on the industrial relations system and their actors