Bjarke Refslund
Biographic Data
| ID | 342701 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bjarke Refslund |
| GIVEN NAMES | Bjarke |
| FAMILY NAME | Refslund |
| SIGNATURE | REFSLUND B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Aalborg University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4236-4000 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 25 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 11 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Transnationalised labour struggle – Workers’ conflict on the move? The case of striking truck drivers in Gräfenhausen
While transnationalisation of work typically has been to the advantage of capitalists, hopes have been uttered that workers could also organise and act transnationally. Yet until now the successes of transnational labour struggles have been limited. This article, however, presents a case where workers successfully used the transnational dimension of work as well as international value chains in their collective action. By drawing on both transnat…
Tensions and experimentation in setting, extending and enforcing working conditions
Labour clauses in public procurement, which require contractors to provide their employees with a certain minimum level of wages and working conditions, have garnered increased political and scholarly attention in recent years. However, much of the discussion has centred on legal provisions, with less consideration given to the intricacy of how these clauses are implemented and integrated within existing wage-setting systems. This article focuses…
Theorizing collective action—Instrumental collectivism as a key concept for explaining workplace collective action
This article addresses workplace collective action. Through a discussion of instrumental and norm‐driven motivations for workers' collective action, it is argued that most workers are driven mainly by instrumental motivations—meaning, that they aim to achieve certain outcomes. Consequently, the theoretical concept of instrumental collectivism from Alan Fox is utilized to explain and understand collective action. Finally, six conditions facilitati…
Workers, Power and Society
We feel extremely privileged to have these four great scholars engage with and comment on the edited volume, which was the result of a process that we initiated to reflect and learn.We were fortunate enough to have a splendid group of contributors with us during that process, and we did indeed learn a lot.However, the process of theorizing and learning is far from over as the comments given in this forum illustrate.As we wrote in the conclusion t…
From panic to business as usual
This article focuses on migrant labour in Nordic agriculture, wild berry picking and food processing. The starting point is the fear of a food crisis at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic (2020) because of the absence of migrant workers. The question was raised early in the pandemic if food systems in the Global North are vulnerable due to dependence on precarious migrant workers. In the light of this question, we assess the reactions of f…
Power resource theory revisited
While their power is declining, unions and workers remain prominent actors in society. Therefore, there is a need to bring power resource theory back to the analytical forefront in the study of contemporary labour politics and labour market sociology. It provides the analytical perspectives necessary for a comprehensive and historical understanding of labour markets and labour politics. However, this article argues that the original theory develo…
How Self-regulating can it be? Explaining Limitations in Firms’ Compliance with Reflexive Regulation
The article investigates whether reflexive regulation, which emphasizes the regulatee's ability to self-regulate – and in particular to adapt their organizational structure and behavior to the regulators' prescriptive goals – leads to companies behaving in the way prescribed by the regulator. Five conditions, which can explain why companies comply or do not comply with reflexive regulation, are specified and then tested empirically. The findings …
Moving In and Out of the Shadow of European Case Law
Judicial Europeanization, particularly European case law and the Rüffert ruling, has created significant legal uncertainty in the use of labour clauses in public procurement, which may constrain national policymakers. However, national actors find ways to ‘push back’ against Europeanization in order to prioritize domestic policy goals. By analysing the long‐term political dynamic surrounding public procurement in Denmark, Germany and the UK since…
Active Enactment and Virtuous Circles of Employment Relations
Transnational workers on large-scale construction projects are often poorly included in national industrial relations systems, which results in employment relations becoming trapped in vicious circles of weak enforcement and precarious work. This article shows how Danish unions have, nonetheless, been successful in enacting existing institutions and organising the construction of the Copenhagen Metro City Ring, despite initially encountering a hi…
Tackling Precarious Work in Public Supply Chains
Through a cross-national comparative study of local government 'best practice cases' of socially responsible procurement in Denmark, Germany and the UK, this article critically examines the role of labour clauses in addressing issues of low wages and precarious work in public supply chains. It provides new insights on the negotiations and outcomes of labour clauses across different stages of the policy process, including implementation and monito…
Offshoring Danish jobs to Germany
Increasing internationalisation of production is often seen as causing an erosion of West European social systems and, in particular, the worker's position, but the macro-level empirical evidence is often flawed. This article provides evidence based on a case study of Danish slaughterhouses that offshoring strongly affects the power relations within the industry. These changes in industrial relations can largely be explained by developments in th…
Tackling Precarious Work in Public Supply Chains
Through a cross-national comparative study of local government 'best practice cases' of socially responsible procurement in Denmark, Germany and the UK, this article critically examines the role of labour clauses in addressing issues of low wages and precarious work in public supply chains. It provides new insights on the negotiations and outcomes of labour clauses across different stages of the policy process, including implementation and monito…
Active Enactment and Virtuous Circles of Employment Relations
Transnational workers on large-scale construction projects are often poorly included in national industrial relations systems, which results in employment relations becoming trapped in vicious circles of weak enforcement and precarious work. This article shows how Danish unions have, nonetheless, been successful in enacting existing institutions and organising the construction of the Copenhagen Metro City Ring, despite initially encountering a hi…
Moving In and Out of the Shadow of European Case Law
Judicial Europeanization, particularly European case law and the Rüffert ruling, has created significant legal uncertainty in the use of labour clauses in public procurement, which may constrain national policymakers. However, national actors find ways to ‘push back’ against Europeanization in order to prioritize domestic policy goals. By analysing the long‐term political dynamic surrounding public procurement in Denmark, Germany and the UK since…
Offshoring Danish jobs to Germany
Increasing internationalisation of production is often seen as causing an erosion of West European social systems and, in particular, the worker's position, but the macro-level empirical evidence is often flawed. This article provides evidence based on a case study of Danish slaughterhouses that offshoring strongly affects the power relations within the industry. These changes in industrial relations can largely be explained by developments in th…
Tackling Precarious Work in Public Supply Chains
Through a cross-national comparative study of local government 'best practice cases' of socially responsible procurement in Denmark, Germany and the UK, this article critically examines the role of labour clauses in addressing issues of low wages and precarious work in public supply chains. It provides new insights on the negotiations and outcomes of labour clauses across different stages of the policy process, including implementation and monito…
Active Enactment and Virtuous Circles of Employment Relations
Transnational workers on large-scale construction projects are often poorly included in national industrial relations systems, which results in employment relations becoming trapped in vicious circles of weak enforcement and precarious work. This article shows how Danish unions have, nonetheless, been successful in enacting existing institutions and organising the construction of the Copenhagen Metro City Ring, despite initially encountering a hi…
Moving In and Out of the Shadow of European Case Law
Judicial Europeanization, particularly European case law and the Rüffert ruling, has created significant legal uncertainty in the use of labour clauses in public procurement, which may constrain national policymakers. However, national actors find ways to ‘push back’ against Europeanization in order to prioritize domestic policy goals. By analysing the long‐term political dynamic surrounding public procurement in Denmark, Germany and the UK since…
Power resource theory revisited
While their power is declining, unions and workers remain prominent actors in society. Therefore, there is a need to bring power resource theory back to the analytical forefront in the study of contemporary labour politics and labour market sociology. It provides the analytical perspectives necessary for a comprehensive and historical understanding of labour markets and labour politics. However, this article argues that the original theory develo…
How Self-regulating can it be? Explaining Limitations in Firms’ Compliance with Reflexive Regulation
The article investigates whether reflexive regulation, which emphasizes the regulatee's ability to self-regulate – and in particular to adapt their organizational structure and behavior to the regulators' prescriptive goals – leads to companies behaving in the way prescribed by the regulator. Five conditions, which can explain why companies comply or do not comply with reflexive regulation, are specified and then tested empirically. The findings …
From panic to business as usual
This article focuses on migrant labour in Nordic agriculture, wild berry picking and food processing. The starting point is the fear of a food crisis at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic (2020) because of the absence of migrant workers. The question was raised early in the pandemic if food systems in the Global North are vulnerable due to dependence on precarious migrant workers. In the light of this question, we assess the reactions of f…
Tensions and experimentation in setting, extending and enforcing working conditions
Labour clauses in public procurement, which require contractors to provide their employees with a certain minimum level of wages and working conditions, have garnered increased political and scholarly attention in recent years. However, much of the discussion has centred on legal provisions, with less consideration given to the intricacy of how these clauses are implemented and integrated within existing wage-setting systems. This article focuses…
Theorizing collective action—Instrumental collectivism as a key concept for explaining workplace collective action
This article addresses workplace collective action. Through a discussion of instrumental and norm‐driven motivations for workers' collective action, it is argued that most workers are driven mainly by instrumental motivations—meaning, that they aim to achieve certain outcomes. Consequently, the theoretical concept of instrumental collectivism from Alan Fox is utilized to explain and understand collective action. Finally, six conditions facilitati…
Workers, Power and Society
We feel extremely privileged to have these four great scholars engage with and comment on the edited volume, which was the result of a process that we initiated to reflect and learn.We were fortunate enough to have a splendid group of contributors with us during that process, and we did indeed learn a lot.However, the process of theorizing and learning is far from over as the comments given in this forum illustrate.As we wrote in the conclusion t…
Transnationalised labour struggle – Workers’ conflict on the move? The case of striking truck drivers in Gräfenhausen
While transnationalisation of work typically has been to the advantage of capitalists, hopes have been uttered that workers could also organise and act transnationally. Yet until now the successes of transnational labour struggles have been limited. This article, however, presents a case where workers successfully used the transnational dimension of work as well as international value chains in their collective action. By drawing on both transnat…
Political science (7 works) · Business (6 works) · Labor Movements and Unions (6 works) · Economics (5 works) · Employment and Welfare Studies (4 works) · Law (4 works) · Politics (4 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Marketing (3 works) · Power (physics) (3 works)