Global Economy and Business Research Unit (Gebru)

RESEARCH THEMES

Migration and labour market mobility (Dr Moira Calveley, Professor Jane Hardy, Dr Steve Shelley) This includes a focus on the dynamics of European East-West migration and the intervention of stakeholders such as states and trade unions. In addition there is an interest in the specific micro and macro issues related to migration from developing economies.

Projects and activities

Opportunities and challenges related to the cross-border mobility and recruitment of the health care workforce supported by the EU Commission and commissioned by EPSU.

ESRC funded project on Cross Border Collaboration: UK Trade Unions and Polish Migrant Workers (2007-2009).

CWU funded project on Migrant Workers and Trade Union Learning (March-December 2009).

Indicative publications

Calveley, M. Hardy, J and Shelley, S. Migrant and Minority Learning Needs in the Communications Industry. Wimbledon: Communication Workers’ Union. December 2009. (www.cwu.org.uk/assets/_files/documents/jan_11? cwu_1295379363_Migrant&MinorityLearningNeedsI.pdf) (

Hardy, J., Calveley, M., Shelley, S. and Zahn, R (forthcoming August 2012) ‘Opportunities and challenges related to cross border mobility and recruitment in the health sector’, report commissioned by the European Public Service Unions.

Hardy, J. and Clark, N.(2011) The Impact of Labour Migration to the United Kingdom from New Member States post-2004, report commissioned by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Germany.

Hardy, J. and Fitzgerald, I. (2010) ‘Negotiating ‘solidarity’ and internationalism: the response of Polish trade unions to migration’, Industrial Relations Journal, 41, 4: 367-381.

Hardy, J. (with Fitzgerald, I.) (2010) ‘Thinking outside the box?’ Trade union organizing strategies and Polish Migrant Workers in the UK’, British Journal of Industrial Relations, 48, 1: 131-150.

Foreign direct investment and outsourcing business services (Dr Mariana Dodourova, Dr Martina Fifekova, Professor Jane Hardy, Dr Graham Hollishead, Dr Professor Ursula Huws) This examines new divisions of labour as businesses increasingly outsource and offshore part of their value chains. Projects include new divisions of labour as the economies of Central and Eastern Europe are becoming recipients of investment in high and low value service sector functions. A further focus is outsourcing from the core economies to the emerging economies of India and China.

Project funded by International Visegrad Fund What Kind of Competitiveness for the Visegrad Four ? (Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary) (2006-2009). Regional Studies Association Funded network on Outsourcing and Offshoring Business Services (with the Jagiellonian University, Krakow and Sheffield Hallam University (2008- 2010).

Hardy, J,. Fifekova, M. and Sass, M. (2011) Impacts of horizontal and vertical foreign investment in business services: the experience of Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, European Urban and Regional Studies, 18, 4: 427-443.

Hardy, J. and Fifekova, M. (2010) Business Service Foreign Direct Investment in Central and Eastern Europe: Trends, Motives and Impacts, Visegrad Project Report, What Kind of Competitiveness for the Visegrad Four?

Hardy, J. and Hollinshead, G. (2011) ‘The Embeddedness of Software Development in the Ukraine: An Offshoring Country Perspective’, European Planning Studies, 19, 9: 1633-1650.

Critical developments in international management and employment

(Dr Graham Hollinshead, Dr Yasmin Imani)

This is concerned with how management practices and the institutions of work are transferred across national boundaries through foreign investment.

Knowledge transfers and ambiculturalism in Chinese outward investment

Varieties of Capitalism and the Evolution of Offshoring of Evolution Offshoring Strategies’ A Case Study Approach- Major Collaborator; Dr. Francesca Gagliardi, funded by UH QR- February 2011 to July 2011

Politics and Power in the Multinational Corporations. Major collaborator; Professor Mairi Maclean, University of Exeter Business School, September 2006- September 2011

An Investigation into motives for adopting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Ukraine. Major collaborator, Jana Filosof, funded by UH seedcorn- April 2011 to July 2011.

Calveley, M and Hollinshead, G (2010) ‘Diversity in Russia’ in Özbilgin, M and Sayed J (eds) Diversity Management in Asia Edward Elgar Press, Cheltenham and New York

Hardy, J. and Kozek, W. (2011) Changing workplace relations in foreign investment firms in Poland, Employee Relations, 33, 4: 375-394.

Hollinshead, G. and Michailova, L.(2009) ‘Western management training in Eastern Europe: trends and developments over a decade’ Human Resource Development International, 12(2)

Hollinshead, G. and Maclean, M. (2009) ‘Transition and organizational dissonance, Human Relations, 60 (10). Competitiveness and Growth in Core and Emerging Markets (Professor Hulya Dagdeviren, Professor Jane Hardy, Mr John Hill, Dr Keith Salmon, Dr Muna Simatele Dr Ya Ping Yin)

This theme is focused on a comparative approach to competitiveness, growth, innovation and inequality in both core economies and emerging markets). The ongoing research is quantitative and qualitative concerned with examining different methodologies. The group is interested in investigating both national and regional economies and from a variety of perspectives (institutionalist, microeconomic, Marxist).

An important strand of this theme is an active engagement in issues that face developing and post-communist economies. There is a particular interest in privatisation, poverty and the provision of public services. Expertise exists in a diverse range of economies which includes for example, on economies such as China, Poland, Zambia, Bangladesh and Argentina.

Symposium at the University of Hertfordshire on Twenty Years since Transformation of Central and Eastern Europe contributors from six European countries (Poland, Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Finland) (2009).

Dagdeviren, H. (2009) “Market failures and effectiveness of regulation in the power sector” Annals of Public and Co-operative Economics, forthcoming

Dagdeviren, H. (2008) “Waiting for Miracles: Commercialization of Urban Water Services in Zambia” Development and Change, 39 (1), pp. 101-121.

Hardy, J. (2012) China’s capitalism and the crisis, International Socialism Journal, 133, January.

Hardy, J. (2009) Poland’s New Capitalism, Pluto Press, London.

Commodifying and outsourcing public services

(Professor Jane Hardy, Dr Eva Hartmann1, Professor Ursula Huws)

This is a new research theme for GEBRU which will examine the commodification and privatisation of public services with a particular focus on how this process is both driving and underpinned by the internationalisation of these services and its implications for understanding the nature of the state. We are planning a workshop 11-12 January 2013 at the University of Hertfordshire Towards a International Political Economy of Commodification, Privatisation and Internationalisation of Public Services in a Time of Austerity with contributors from across Europe.

Huws, U. (2011) ‘Crisis as Capitalist Opportunity: new accumulation through public service commodification’. Socialist Register, 2012.

Huws, U. (2011) ‘Crisis as Capitalist Opportunity: new accumulation through public service commodification’. Socialist Register, 2012. Huws, U. (2008) ‘The new gold rush: the new multinationals and the commodification of public sector work; introduction’ Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation Volume 2 No 2.

1 Visiting scholar from the University of Lausanne.