The Jobs Crisis: Causes, Cures, Constraints

Veranstalter:	IMK in der Hans-Böckler-Stiftung
Ort:	Berlin
vom:	24.10.2013
bis:	26.10.2013

More than five years after the beginning of the financial crisis in the United States, the world economy is still highly fragile. In particular, many countries are facing a severe jobs crisis. This is especially true for the euro area, which fell back into recession in 2012 and where unemployment has reached unprecedented levels. Especially worrying is the surge in youth unemployment in some countries. Even in those parts of the world, where unemployment is comparably low, a jobs crisis exists of a different nature: many jobs are increasingly precarious and low paid. Where are new and decent jobs to come from? In many countries, fiscal policy appears firmly set on an austerity course, while the ability of monetary policy to further stimulate the economy is questioned. What is the scope of macroeconomic policy to reduce unemployment? What is the role of labour market institutions and policies in the current context? And in the face of environmental concerns, how can employment be decoupled from economic growth and green jobs promoted? The submission of papers in the following areas is encouraged:

• The theory of employment and unemployment
• Possibilities and limitations of monetary and fiscal policy
• Labour market institutions, active labour market policies, and decent jobs
• Industrial policy, productivity and outsourcing
• Green jobs and limits to growth
• Working time and employment in a stagnating economy

For the open part of the conference the submission of papers on the general subject of the Research Network – macroeconomics and macroeconomic policies – is encouraged as well. We also ask for the submission of papers for graduate student sessions on both the specific topic of this conference and the general subject of FMM. There will also be a day of introductory lectures for graduate students prior to the opening panel on 24 October. Hotel costs will be covered for participants presenting in the graduate student sessions (for a maximum of four nights from 23 to 27 October).

The deadline for paper proposals is 30 June 2013. Please send an abstract (one page) to fmm@boeckler.de. Decisions will be made in early August. Registration forms for the introductory lectures and the conference will be made available online in mid-August. Accepted papers should be sent by 15 October to be posted on the conference web page. Selected papers will be published after the conference in a special papers & proceedings issue of the European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention (EJEEP). Conference language is English.

Speakers in plenary sessions: Dean Baker (Center for Economic and Policy Research), Laurence Ball (John Hopkins University), Rod Cross (University of Strathclyde), Gerald Epstein (University of Massachussets, Amherst), Joachim Möller (Institute for Employment Research, IAB), Sigrid Stagl (Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration), Engelbert Stockhammer (Kingston University), Lance Taylor (New School), Raymond Torres (International Institute of Labor Studies).

Programme (pdf)