TY - JOUR

T1 - Defining the problem of low wage growth in Australia and Denmark

T2 - From the actors’ perspectives

AU - Andersen, Søren Kaj

AU - Wright, Chris F.

AU - Lansbury, Russell D.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Low wage growth is a challenge common to many OECD countries including countries with very different institutional systems. This paper utilises and extends Rochefort and Cobb’s (1993) ‘problem definition’ framework to analyse how employer and union representatives in Australia and Denmark explain the causes of low wage growth. Drawing on elite interviews, which allow us to assess the nuance of actors’ perceptions, we find disagreement among Australian actors about the role of the collective bargaining system in contributing to low wage growth. Despite disagreement over the extent of the low wage growth problem in Denmark, both unions and employers expressed confidence in the ability of the bargaining system to resolve it. We argue that the greater degree of consensus in Denmark compared with Australia reflects differences in national institutional systems and knowledge regimes, which have influenced the ways actors in these countries perceive low wage growth.

AB - Low wage growth is a challenge common to many OECD countries including countries with very different institutional systems. This paper utilises and extends Rochefort and Cobb’s (1993) ‘problem definition’ framework to analyse how employer and union representatives in Australia and Denmark explain the causes of low wage growth. Drawing on elite interviews, which allow us to assess the nuance of actors’ perceptions, we find disagreement among Australian actors about the role of the collective bargaining system in contributing to low wage growth. Despite disagreement over the extent of the low wage growth problem in Denmark, both unions and employers expressed confidence in the ability of the bargaining system to resolve it. We argue that the greater degree of consensus in Denmark compared with Australia reflects differences in national institutional systems and knowledge regimes, which have influenced the ways actors in these countries perceive low wage growth.

KW - collective bargaining

KW - comparative industrial relations

KW - low wage growth

KW - political economy

KW - public policy theory

KW - wage determination

U2 - 10.1177/09596801221132424

DO - 10.1177/09596801221132424

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85141017124

VL - 29

SP - 177

EP - 194

JO - European Journal of Industrial Relations

JF - European Journal of Industrial Relations

SN - 0959-6801

IS - 2

ER -