Travail et Société / Work and Society – serie

Labour is an essential feature of economic development and social change in industrialised Western countries. Yet economic and social theory as well as historical research have been underestimating its role. This volume discusses the labour vision developed by Christian Democratic-oriented parties and associations in the second half of XXI Century, in relation to the democratic and republican choice and – at the same time – capitalistic development. For a long time, Christian Democrats ruled in Western European countries, managing different choices and making policies for the labour market and the defence of workers’ rights. In addition, Christian churches paid increasing attention to social questions. The essays also emphasise the leading role of civil society (associations, movements and trade unions) in supporting labour policies. Hence, the historical readings collected here offer the opportunity to understand convergences but also differences among the experiences.

Trade unions have repeatedly been challenged by neoliberal programmes implemented within Member States of theEuropean Union (EU) and at the European level. The twentyseven country chapters at the core of this book chart the features of the neoliberal challenge in the EU Member States and the measures implemented by unions in their attempts to adapt to changed circumstances since 2000. It is clear that union activity, either independently or in conjunction with allies, will be at the centre of revitalization campaigns if the pieces left from the neoliberal challenges are to be picked up and wielded into a coherent response.This book offers a comprehensive comparative overview of the development, structure, and policies of national trade union movements in the EU. It presents an in-depth analysis of the challenges facing these organizations and their strategic and policy responses from 2000 to 2020.

How is the work of social workers shaped in terms of individuals and the internal organization of the structure? And how does the relationship between knowledge and practical knowledge affect professional vision, performance and choices of action? This book helps to explore how the working practice of social workers is expressed on that path where knowledge and practical knowledge, learnt in situations, becomes knowing how to work together, weaving together relationships among people, professions, objects, languages, technologies and institutions.The book therefore proposes new ways of combining these two aspects: how social workers construct their knowledge through everyday practices and what it means to empirically study the practical knowledge of social workers.