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2. New perspectives on non-standard work, labour market segmentation and social protection

Non-standard work and labour market segmentation remain key topics for both academics and policymakers in Europe. Non-standard work has been portrayed as a steppingstone to more sustainable employment or a trap that keeps people in cycles of substandard jobs and unemployment. Non-standard workers often face greater job instability and limited access to social protection, making the study of non-standard employment crucial for understanding welfare states in contemporary capitalism. Research in this area focuses on the institutions and policies that shape the extent and forms of non-standard employment, the segmentation of labour markets, and transitions to standard employment. This includes employment protection legislation and a broader set of social policies regulating open-ended contracts, as well as facilitating flexible forms of employment such as fixed-term contracts, temporary agency work, marginal part-time work, and self-employment. Another area of interest is the role of actors below national politics, such as firms and their practices (e.g. outsourcing, subcontracting, temporary agency work, and online platforms) and the policies and interventions of social partners. A further research area examines the consequences of segmented labour markets in terms of job quality, including pay, the physical and social work environment, working time quality, work-life balance, job security, and workers' representation. The rise of non-standard employment has also impacted access to social protection, including unemployment benefits and pensions, as social protection systems are often designed around ‘standard employment’. Some countries have been more successful in integrating non-standard workers into social protection systems through innovative policy solutions. There are notable differences in labour market segmentation across countries, sectors, occupations, and over time. In some cases, segmentation has worsened, while in others, steps have been taken to reduce labour market divides and improve job quality and social protection.

In light of this, we invite papers offering new analytical and methodological perspectives on non-standard work and labour market segmentation. The stream is open to both conceptual and empirical papers, with a particular interest in papers exploring new ways to analyze labour market segments and mobility. We welcome contributions using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. Comparative studies are encouraged.

1. Populism, the Far-Right, and Social Policy

Dorottya Szikra (CEU Vienna)

Philip Rathgeb (University of Edinburgh)

Leonce Röth (LMU Munich)

The global rise of populist movements and far-right ideologies has profoundly influenced political landscapes, policy priorities and public discourse. They have become part of the political mainstream and entered government in states as diverse as Argentina (Milei), Brazil (Bolsonaro), Hungary (Orbán), Italy (Meloni), Turkey (Erdogan), and the USA (Trump). While much scholarship has examined populism and far-right movements independently, their intersection with social policy remains underexplored. Social policy represents a critical arena for far-right movements to generate electoral support and entrench themselves in power.

This stream therefore seeks to investigate the relationship between populism, the far-right and social policy. 

Key Questions of the proposed streams may be (but are not limited to) the following:

• How do populist and far-right movements conceptualize and frame social policy issues discursively?
• How does social policy affect the electoral fortunes of the far-right?
• How have populist or far-right governments changed social policies or other (re-)distributive policy domains, either as party in government or through agenda-setting in opposition? How do processes of social policy reform coincide with democratic backsliding under far-right and populist rule?
• How do parties coordinate in shaping social policy at the EU level?
• What are the socio-economic outcomes of the far-right’s social policy agendas and reforms (e.g. in terms of poverty and inequality)?
• How do mainstream political actors, civil society, and international organizations respond to the social policy demands of the far-right?
• How do populist or far-right movements and parties approach eco-social policies that link climate change policies with questions of social policy and redistribution more broadly?

We welcome contributions that examine these questions in contexts and cases across the world. Methodologically, we are open to a range of different contributions, including single case studies, comparative case studies or large-N designs. We would like to bring together contributions from different neighboring disciplines (e.g., politics; political economy; social policy; sociology) to stimulate discussion on complementary theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of populism, the far-right and social policy. Depending on the submissions received we consider pursuing a special issue publication with this conference stream.