Dissertation_Paula Aleksandrowicz_12 ... - Jacobs University

fulfilled the Stockholm criteria, there will be fewer barriers to a continuance of the
reversal of the early exit trend than in Poland. 8
Adapted to my study, the path dependence thesis entails that institutional regulations on
old-age pensions, disability pensions and labour market policies in both countries proceed
on a certain path and have created beneficiaries which renders a dismantling of those
policies difficult. However, as Germany has for a longer time made endeavours to reverse
the early exit trend (first starting in 1992, which was however counterbalanced by the
introduction of ATZ), and as it has already reached the Stockholm target, I assume that it
will be easier for Germany to proceed on that path further than it will be for Poland, which
has not yet made much progress towards that target.
The second part of the hypothesis (regarding personnel policy) is based on the neoclassical
labour market theory and the concept of alternative roles, which postulate
particular employment problems of older workers (see section 2.2.). Moreover, literature
shows that companies with a higher percentage of older workers consider them as more
capable than younger workers (Bellmann et al. 2003: 143). Possibly, once the firm has
learnt to deploy older workers in line with their capacities and generates positive returns this
way, it continues on that track.
Operationalisation: Based on the results of my analysis of developments at institutional
and at organisational level, I will provide an outlook into the future. The first part of the
hypothesis will be supported if two conditions are fulfilled: 1) For both countries, there will
be the more institutional inhibitors than facilitators to the prolongation of working life, and
2) Germany will have more facilitators than inhibitors than Poland. The second part of the
hypothesis will be supported on condition that the personnel policy of Polish and German
firms does not allow a prolongation of working life, but the position of older workers in that
respect is better in German firms.
Besides of formal institutions (the industrial relations system, labour market laws and
related benefits, pension policy laws and benefits, legalised rules in general), informal
institutions play a role in the framework of early exit. Those are
- expectations and interests of employees, subcontractors, customers, financiers, the
society in whole, social partners (Walgenbach 1998),
8
The hypotheses are not numbered in chronological order but in an order following the original
conceptualisation.
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