title: The commodification of mobile workers in Europe - a comparative perspective on capital and labour in Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden.
abstract: One of the defining features of contemporary Europe is the freedom of movement of persons. Despite its advantages, this 'freedom of movement' is also contested, since it has been shown to cause discrimination, exploitation and pave the way for a 'race to the bottom'. How can we understand the social-economic consequences of free movement in Europe? To answer this question, we developed a typology along the dimensionsvalue of workanddegree of powerwhich delivers four ideal types of labour relationships: exploitative, deprived, greedy and esteemed. This has been applied to Central and Eastern European (CEE) workers in Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden. Our study showsdual labour market strategiesofbothcapital and labour agents, using on the one hand strategies of cost minimisation, and on the other hand compliance strategies and dual frames of reference, both of which contribute to a low degree of freedom and a low value of work. It addresses the responsibility and significance ofbothcapital and labour contributing toexploitativeandgreedyrelationships throughout all three cases. The results contribute to a more balanced understanding of the responsibilities towards the 'shadow sides' of free movement in the EU, as it shows that not all free movement of persons is totally free. Moreover, instead of bold political statements, it demonstrates the relevance of a more differentiated perspective on the downsides and benefits of European free movement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Administration and Sociology, Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), PO Box 1738, Room T17-53, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0570-9740
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Ostaijen
authors.affiliation: Institute for Urban and Regional Research/Austrian Academy of Sciences, Postgasse 7/4/2, A-1010 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Reeger
authors.affiliation: Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, Box 711, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zelano
keywords: CEE migration; Commodification; EU mobility; Ideal types; Labour market relationships