Austerity and constitutionalizing structural reform of labour in the European Union

Abstract

This article traces how, within a context of authoritarian neo-liberalism, the European Union (EU)'s constitutionalization of key economic policy areas locks in place austerity policies that impose major costs on working people while simultaneously reducing opportunities for the democratic expression of alternative approaches for dealing with the crisis. Structural reform of labour markets (along with fiscal policy) is designed to increase wage and employment flexibility, and is intended to be a set of permanently embedded rules through being constitutionalized.