Flexicurity: In Pursuit of a Moving Target

Flexicurity – the contraction of flexibility and security – has in a short time become a political celebrity. In this article we trace back the genealogy of this celebrity. We begin by analysing the reasons behind the current celebration of flexicurity by the European Commission, and describe the European evolution of the concept. Then we take one step backwards and describe the conceptualisation and development of the Danish case of flexicurity, which is currently the most prominent real-life example of flexicurity in action. Our final step back in time takes us to the Dutch origins of the concept.

With the near-universal celebration of flexicurity in both policy and academic circles there is a real risk of the concept becoming diluted, and eventually meaningless. In order to understand what flexicurity could and should mean we discuss various definitions of flexicurity, and arrive at a new understanding of flexicurity as an analytical concept. We suggest distinguishing between internal and external dimensions of flexibility and security, and arrive at two ideal models of either internal or external flexicurity. This distinction opens up for empirical enquiry combinations of flexibility and security that go beyond simple trade-offs and include virtuous and vicious circles between flexibility and security. The distinction also raises the issue of the difficulty in shifting from one balance of flexicurity towards another – and, thus, uncritically trying to imitate specific flexicurity examples.