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Skill development in the transition to a ‘green economy’: A ‘varieties of capitalism’ analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

Dean Stroud ,
Peter Fairbrother ,
Claire Evans  and
Joanne Blake
Dean Stroud*
Affiliation:
Cardiff University, UK
Peter Fairbrother
Affiliation:
RMIT University, Australia
Claire Evans
Affiliation:
Cardiff University, UK
Joanne Blake
Affiliation:
Cardiff University, UK
*
Dean Stroud, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3XQ, UK. Email: StroudDA1@cf.ac.uk
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Abstract

Many traditional regions are being transformed as industries restructure. Paradoxically, the global economic downturn offers opportunities to innovate on policies to regenerate areas experiencing deindustrialisation, with one emerging focus being the development of ‘green skills’ to facilitate the transition of these places to ‘green economies’. In this article, we explore similar policy objectives (i.e. regeneration activity based (in part) on green economy transitions) across three deindustrialising/deindustrialised regions – Appalachia (United States), Ruhr (Germany) and the Valleys (South Wales) – to provide an account of the ways in which different regions with similar industrial pasts diverge in their approach to moving towards greener futures. Our argument is that the emphasis in such transitions should be the creation of ‘decent’ jobs, with new economic activity and employment initiatives embracing a ‘high road’ (i.e. high skill/high pay/high quality) trajectory. Utilising a ‘varieties of capitalism’ analysis, we contend that an effective, socially inclusive and ‘high road’ transition is more likely to emerge within co-ordinated market economy contexts, for example, Germany, than within the liberal market economy contexts of, for example, the United States and United Kingdom. In identifying the critical success factors leading to ‘high road’ green economy, the implications for any such transition within the liberal market economy context of Australia are highlighted.

Keywords

P16P25I28Green skillslabourregenerationregiontransition
Type
Symposium Articles
Information
The Economic and Labour Relations Review , Volume 25 , Issue 1: Symposium - Work, Workplaces and Industrial Relations , March 2014 , pp. 10 - 27
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2013

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