Governing Labour Liminality in times of transition: accountability and policies for competitiveness (GOV & LAB)
ProjectContemporary labour systems are increasingly exposed to overlapping geopolitical, demographic, technological, environmental, and organisationaltransformations. These changes generate a persistent condition of labour liminality, in which established institutional arrangements, organisational practices,and workers’ identities are challenged while new forms of stability have not yet fully emerged. This project investigates how such liminality can beunderstood, measured, and governed through accountability mechanisms, corporate governance structures, organisational transitions, and labour andindustrial policies.
The project GOV & LAB advances a multilevel perspective on labour liminality, addressing institutional, organisational, and individual dimensionssimultaneously. It aims to develop an integrated Governance of Labour Liminality framework, capable of identifying labour-related vulnerabilities, resiliencemechanisms, and governance responses. Particular attention is devoted to the role of accountability and sustainability reporting, including CSRD/ESRSdisclosures, in making labour transformations visible, interpretable, and governable.
Methodologically, the project adopts a mixed-method research design combining a large-scale survey of approximately 2,500 Italian firms, archival andaccounting data, sustainability disclosures, case studies, interviews, and focus groups. The empirical analysis will investigate the reciprocal relationshipbetween governance and labour outcomes, the role of labour in corporate financial decisions and performance, the substantive or symbolic nature ofworkforce-related disclosure, and the governance implications of ownership and control transitions, including worker buyouts, succession processes, andrestructuring events. The project will also assess labour and industrial policies aimed at supporting workforce participation, employment quality,organisational resilience, and business continuity.
By integrating economics, accounting, management, governance, and policy analysis, the project will generate original theoretical, empirical, and policy-relevant contributions. Its expected outputs include new concepts, indicators, datasets, accountability tools, and policy recommendations to helporganisations and policymakers navigate persistent labour uncertainty. Overall, the project contributes to debates on the future of work by identifyinggovernance solutions capable of promoting resilience, inclusion, competitiveness, and social stability under conditions of labour liminality.
The project GOV & LAB advances a multilevel perspective on labour liminality, addressing institutional, organisational, and individual dimensionssimultaneously. It aims to develop an integrated Governance of Labour Liminality framework, capable of identifying labour-related vulnerabilities, resiliencemechanisms, and governance responses. Particular attention is devoted to the role of accountability and sustainability reporting, including CSRD/ESRSdisclosures, in making labour transformations visible, interpretable, and governable.
Methodologically, the project adopts a mixed-method research design combining a large-scale survey of approximately 2,500 Italian firms, archival andaccounting data, sustainability disclosures, case studies, interviews, and focus groups. The empirical analysis will investigate the reciprocal relationshipbetween governance and labour outcomes, the role of labour in corporate financial decisions and performance, the substantive or symbolic nature ofworkforce-related disclosure, and the governance implications of ownership and control transitions, including worker buyouts, succession processes, andrestructuring events. The project will also assess labour and industrial policies aimed at supporting workforce participation, employment quality,organisational resilience, and business continuity.
By integrating economics, accounting, management, governance, and policy analysis, the project will generate original theoretical, empirical, and policy-relevant contributions. Its expected outputs include new concepts, indicators, datasets, accountability tools, and policy recommendations to helporganisations and policymakers navigate persistent labour uncertainty. Overall, the project contributes to debates on the future of work by identifyinggovernance solutions capable of promoting resilience, inclusion, competitiveness, and social stability under conditions of labour liminality.