@article{2023:assmus:running_lo,
title = {Running low on state-capacity: strengthening EU mobile workers’ rights by outsourcing enforcement? The role of advisory services in Germany},
year = {2023},
note = {During the Covid-19 pandemic, the precarious working and living
conditions of mobile workers made headlines across Europe. The
challenges of securing better working conditions are inherent in the
integration of the European single market, which removed market
barriers while leaving the enforcement of labour rights to national
institutions. At the same time, representing workers’ interests in a
cross-border context poses difficulties regarding organisation and
access. This paper focuses on the role of civil society actors in the
cross-border enforcement process by examining the role of advisory
services in Germany. To what extent can these new structures fill
existing gaps in the enforcement of labour rights and the
representation of the interests of mobile workers? Where do they reach
their limits? Empirically, this paper draws on documents, reports and
semi-structured expert interviews. The data was analysed using
qualitative text analysis. Drawing on the literature on interest
representation and the enforcement of EU law, I examine the position
of these services in the enforcement process along the lines of the
fire-alarm vs. police-patrol dichotomy. I argue that these advisory
services function as a “sponsored” fire-alarm, compensating for
some of the institutional shortcomings but falling short of structural
improvements beyond individualised support.},
journal = {Culture, Practice & Europeanization},
pages = {26--49},
author = {Assmus, Josephine},
volume = {8},
number = {1}
}