About Guido Montani

Guido Montani is professor of international political economy at the University of Pavia. His latest book is Supranational Political Economy: The Globalisation of the State-Market Relationship (Routledge, 2019). In 1987 he founded the Altiero Spinelli Institute in Ventotene; he is a former president of the European Federalist Movement in Italy and an honorary member of the Union of European Federalists.

Social discontent and democracy in the EU

by Guido Montani on 19th February 2019

Europe’s citizens stand restive at a crossroads. After the May parliamentary election, democracy in the EU can take a leap forward—or the populists can reprise a dark history. Peaceful protests are legitimate, and politicians have a duty to listen and respond to them. The recent social revolts in Europe, however, have deep roots. They are […]

For a democratic European government

by Guido Montani on 21st January 2019

The election to the European Parliament in May has one major flaw: it cannot lead to the election of a democratic European government. There is one issue which cannot be ignored by parties intending to take part in the forthcoming European election—the absence of a democratic European government. This is the main cause of the […]

A Joint Programme for Progressive Parties in the European Elections

by Guido Montani on 22nd November 2018

The forthcoming European Parliament (EP) election is destined to be make-or-break for the EU, determining whether Europe will continue on the path towards “an ever-closer union”, or be taken over by sovereigntist forces seeking to reduce it to a “League of Nations”. The growing support for nationalist parties in crucial countries such as Germany, France […]

Zygmunt Bauman was a towering intellectual who saw and analysed – right up to his death in early 2017 – the great socio-political changes, often convulsive, in modern western society long before his peers. Here we highlight his prescient insights into what he dubbed ‘liquid modernity’ with 24 chapters on topics ranging from online loneliness via precarity/poverty/inequality to migration, fear of the ‘Other’ and the decline of the nation state. Chronicle of Crisis, 2011-16, written by one of the great chroniclers of our times, will be read and re-read for decades and more to come.

Time for substantial minimum wage rises and a European minimum wage policy

Minimum wages in most European Union (EU) countries were increased at the start of 2019, with an median increase of 4.8 % compared with the previous year, continuing the recent trends towards faster minimum wage growth. Much of this is accounted for by substantial increases in Eastern Europe together with efforts to undertake permanent and structural increases in minimum wage levels in countries such as Spain. There is also a growing debate over the role of minimum wages for the concept of Social Europe, which is expected to play a significant role in the 2019 European Parliament elections. In this context, the German government has indicated that one of its priorities during its EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2020 will be elaborating a framework for a European minimum wage policy.

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The platform economy and social law: Key issues in comparative perspective

This Working Paper brings together two parallel but complementary approaches to the impact of the platform economy on working conditions and social law. The first part of the study shows that the business models of some platforms is a combination of technological disruption and social evasion. The second part of this working paper confirms that it is in the gaps and ambiguities in social legislation that platforms are trying to legitimise a business model abrogating all social responsibility. It is in this sense that we can talk about the risk of “social evasion” of several major platforms, exactly in the same way as fiscal evasion.

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There are high levels of optimism for the future in most EU candidate countries – including for future generations. However, current material hardships, deprivation, urban-rural disparities, gender inequalities and demographic ageing are fundamental challenges, and could undermine the current positive climate and future social cohesion. Eurofound’s European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) provides unique insight into life in the candidate countries, based on a detailed analysis of a range of indicators on living conditions and quality of society. This new report, and associated working life country profiles, present these findings in detail, and serve as a comprehensive source of information on life and society in the candidate countries.

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