Forms of Network Governance for the European Trade Union Federations

Abstract

By concentrating on the problem of the existence of different interests and agendas among the affiliates of the European Trade Union Federations (ETUFs) and their role vis-à-vis their national trade union affiliates, this chapter applies power resources theory and network governance approach to study their governance structures and tries to identify different governance forms they have adopted by bringing forth the problem of the existence of different interests and agendas among their affiliates. The network governance approach focuses on the structure of collective action, where the organisations are seen as a governed networks of organisations by explaining network outcomes through governance arrangements i.e., coordination mechanisms, processes, and practices developed by network members at different levels of interaction. There are three forms of network governance based on goal-consensus: shared governance, lead organization governance and network administrative organisation models.

ETUFs function as network administrators responsible for mediation and coordination. By showing, how ETUFs are able to establish a joint policy-direction amid diverging interests of the affiliates from different countries, when these organisations do not have the possibility to coordinate or push through such decisions themselves allows for discussing the role of the ETUFs and their affiliates from a network governance perspective.