Politicising Commodification

This book examines the new economic governance (NEG) regime that the EU adopted after 2008. Its novel research design captures the supranational formulation of NEG prescriptions and their uneven deployment across countries (Germany Italy Ireland Romania) policy areas (employment relations public services) and sectors (transport water healthcare). NEG led to a much more vertical mode of EU integration and its commodification agenda unleashed a plethora of union and social-movement protests including transnationally. The book presents findings that are crucial for the prospects of European democracy as labour politics is essential in framing the struggles about the direction of NEG along a commodificationdecommodification axis rather than a nationalEU axis. To shed light on corresponding processes at EU level it upscales insights on the historical role that labour movements have played in the development of democracy and welfare states. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.