Thematic Priority: FP6-2002-Citizens-2
Specific Targeted Research Project
Project no. CIT2-CT-2004-508521
E-Brochure containing summary of project findings 
Final Report 1: "Dynamics of national employment models - Synthesis
Report"
Final Report 2: "The Influence of the EU on the Evolution of National
Employment Models"
The Lisbon strategy, determined at the Lisbon summit in March 2000 is to develop a specific European comparative advantage in the world economy that is also compatible with maintaining social cohesion. This strategy provides the current rationale for European employment and social policy and informs the development of the sixth framework. This political objective requires investigation by social scientists, to determine its feasibility, the likelihood of its achievement and the compatibility between different elements of European and national models with this objective. The goals of this research project are to contribute to this investigation by identifying
what form or forms of socio-economic development models are required if
Europe is to simultaneously pursue competitiveness and social cohesion
what are the challenges currently faced by European national models and
the overall European social model
how are these models responding to and adapting to these challenges, as
compared to each other and to North America and Japan
how far are these challenges leading to convergence or divergence within
Europe
and how far are these developments making it more or less difficult to
obtain the goals of the Lisbon strategy.
The key question of the project is if the national models develop new specific solutions or if we find a convergence towards a European Social or a European Market Model. It will thus contribute to the debate on whether the European socio-economic development model is more than the sum of the nation parts and whether convergence towards a common European model will strengthen or weaken European distinctiveness. The value added aimed at is (1) from a theoretical point of view the dynamisation of the often very static discussion of national models and (2) from a practical point of view the opportunity to assess the effectiveness of the European employment and Lisbon strategy.
Institut Arbeit und Qualifikation (IAQ)
Prof. Gerhard Bosch, Executive Director
Dr. Steffen Lehndorff, Head of Research Department Working-Time and Work Organisation