Abstract

The article sheds light on the evolution of social pacts in some countries of the Euro zone. Through a historically oriented analysis we have studied the institutionalization of social pacts. In some countries early pacts have been stabilized, while in others we see an 'uneven' institutionalization. The focus on institutional dynamics and constraints provides a first understanding of continuity and change and contributes to deal with some of the key limits of the literature on industrial relations. Social pacts prove to be a key part of the 'institutional recalibration' of modern welfare states through a more open multi-actor governance.