Book review: Unwitting Architect – German Primacy and the Origins of Neoliberalism

Chapter 6 discusses the challenges of developing European-level union responses to immigration. Here the picture that emerges is one of fragmentation, institutional diversity, differential access to resources, and different levels of engagement and political will. Although unions may talk about internationalism, the authors draw attention to the realities of national-level strategies and responses and the resulting difficulties this poses for coordination at the European level. It is here that the work is probably most pessimistic about union prospects. At least, while the impression is that European coordination is desirable, few clues emerge as to how to achieve this. Chapter 7 offers greater hope in considering challenges to solidarity with reference to the ‘logics of action’ triangle. The work draws heavily on Hyman’s (1999) ideas about organic solidarity with all the concomitant challenges and opportunities which this presents. It moves away from institutional path-dependent accounts that cannot account for deviation from the expected. Perhaps more explicit recognition could have been given to the existence of multiple contingent solidarities, but the dynamic nature of representation and representative claims does come across clearly. So too does the idea of the fuzzy boundary between traditional unions and their activities and newly emerging forms of representation (not just unions) and their areas of focus. The book is clearly of interest to an academic audience – students and researchers. It also ought to be of interest to policy-makers, and will certainly find an audience among the European social partners. Policy-makers operating within the EU-level institutional structures would also do well to reflect on the work’s key messages. Trade union officials and activists will also take numerous points from this book, which will allow them to examine and reflect on their own understanding and practice, not only in relation to issues of immigration, but more widely through application of the ‘logics of action’ framework across policy areas. As the work itself notes, the case for representation will be made in implicit or explicit terms to the logics of action and tactics will then follow from the chosen logic(s). There is real value for activists and officials here, enabling them to consider the various possibilities through greater awareness and explicit understanding of what logics of action are being drawn upon. For activists especially, so many of the day-to-day approaches and understandings of unionism have been made familiar by socialisation processes. This book really brings what might be possible into sharp focus.