Avregleringar och arbetskraftens rörlighet. En forskningsöversikt med exempel från avregleringarna på marknaderna för el, transporter och kommunikationer

This paper broadly surveys research on the relationship between deregulations and mobility on the labour market. In the light of the theoretical debates and empirical examples discussed in earlier research, the paper points out three central problems to follow up in future research on deregulations and mobility on the Swedish labour market. First of all, what are the empirical evidences for the presupposed positive connections between, on one hand, deregulations and, on the other, increased mobility on the labour market? Research on deregulations and mobility is generally characterized by theoretical assumptions rather than empirical studies, why more empirical studies are needed to highlight the relationship between deregulations and mobility. Second, how do deregulations on the product market interact with regulations on the labour market? How are, for example, terms of employment, job security and wages affected by a deregulation of a certain trade? Third and last, how do European policies affect Swedish labour market policies and regulations? The soft regulation method used in EU social policies is many times described as weak and ineffective. Though this may be true in the short run, the soft regulation method contributes to the development of a common political language use and policy discourse which, in the long run, may lead to a fundamental change of how problems and conditions on the Swedish labour market are defined and understood.