Flexibility and security: an asymmetrical relationship?
(non-standard workers). Is it their responsibility to fairly distribute the risks and costs asso-
ciated with greater flexibility across the various segments of the workforce? In the case of
segmented labour markets, this dissonance of interests is even more striking;
vi) the prevalence of an individualistic culture, or of a narrow collectivism, prevents the develop-
ment of collective action and cooperation for the benefit of the wider community;
vii) institutional adaptability and the capacity of social actors to learn from previous mistakes has
allowed Demark and the Netherlands to adjust successfully to contemporary challenges;
viii) dysfunctional domestic institutions —in particular a low legitimacy of institutional rules and a
poor enforcement of regulations- reproduce the vicious circle of mistrust, lack of consensus
and individualism. Overcoming this fundamental dysfunction requires agreement between
the social actors on both the causes of the problem and the remedies to apply;
ix) the positive labour market performance in Denmark and the Netherlands has been mostly
attributed to their successful implementation of the flexicurity agenda: low employment
protection and intense activation policies in Denmark, high incidence of flexible but fairly
protected employment in the Netherlands, a social partnership approach in both countries.
However, other factors have also contributed to their success, such as: wage restraint in the
Netherlands, effective enforcement mechanisms in Denmark, a supportive welfare state, the
demographic composition of the workforce and an increased awareness of their vulnerability
in both countries, to mention just a few. These factors are path-dependent and non-trans-
ferable as such to any other national context. They can be useful, however, from a learning
perspective;
x) by contrast, a highly segmented labour market and a residual welfare regime, compounded
by substantial structural economic weaknesses, have undermined the chances of successful
economic and social reforms and of a strong and lasting economic performance in Spain,
and particularly in Greece.
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