Analysis of changes in the relationship between the state, labor and capital during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2023

In recent decades, significant changes have occurred in the relationship between the state, employers, and trade unions, which became even more important after the financial and economic crisis of 2008/09. Neoliberal convergence among very different countries led to the design of the research and the selection of three different countries based on various criteria (the relationship between the state and the economy, welfare models, the labor-capital relationship, and specific public policy networks). Three different EU member states, all located on the semi-periphery, were selected: Slovenia, Ireland, and Portugal. The study includes 23 semi-structured interviews with representatives of the state, trade unions, and employers in the three chosen countries. The aim of the research was to gain insight into changes within public policy networks in these countries in the field of the labor market and employment policies during the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare these changes with developments in public policy networks before the COVID-19 pandemic. The researcher was interested in what shifts in power occurred between labor and capital, how the state positioned itself in relation to social partners, and how social partners were able to influence specific public policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.