TY - JOUR
T1 - Brexit
T2 - ‘Revolt’ against the ‘elites’ or Trojan horse for more deregulation?
AU - Gomez Arana, Arantza
AU - Rowe, Jay
AU - de Ruyter, Alex
AU - Semmens-Wheeler, Rebecca
AU - Hill, Kimberley
PY - 2019/12/1
Y1 - 2019/12/1
N2 - This article explores the UK vote in 2016 to exit the European Union, colloquially known as ‘Brexit’. Brexit has been portrayed as a British backlash against globalisation and a desire for a reassertion of sovereignty by the UK as a nation-state. In this context, a vote to leave the European Union has been regarded by its protagonists as a vote to ‘take back control’ to ‘make our own laws’ and ‘let in [only] who we want’. We take a particular interest in the stance of key ‘Brexiteers’ in the UK towards regulation, with the example of the labour market. The article commences by assessing the notion of Brexit as a means to secure further market liberalisation. This analysis is then followed by an account of migration as a key issue, the withdrawal process and likely future trajectory of Brexit. We argue that in contrast to the expectations of those who voted Leave in 2016, the UK as a mid-sized open economy will be a rule-taker and will either remain in the European regulatory orbit, or otherwise drift into the American one. JEL Codes: F2, F53, F55, F66, K33.
AB - This article explores the UK vote in 2016 to exit the European Union, colloquially known as ‘Brexit’. Brexit has been portrayed as a British backlash against globalisation and a desire for a reassertion of sovereignty by the UK as a nation-state. In this context, a vote to leave the European Union has been regarded by its protagonists as a vote to ‘take back control’ to ‘make our own laws’ and ‘let in [only] who we want’. We take a particular interest in the stance of key ‘Brexiteers’ in the UK towards regulation, with the example of the labour market. The article commences by assessing the notion of Brexit as a means to secure further market liberalisation. This analysis is then followed by an account of migration as a key issue, the withdrawal process and likely future trajectory of Brexit. We argue that in contrast to the expectations of those who voted Leave in 2016, the UK as a mid-sized open economy will be a rule-taker and will either remain in the European regulatory orbit, or otherwise drift into the American one. JEL Codes: F2, F53, F55, F66, K33.
KW - Brexit
KW - deregulation
KW - European Union
KW - immigration
KW - inequality
KW - market regulation
KW - nationalism
KW - neoliberalism
KW - sovereignty
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074358380&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1035304619881271
DO - 10.1177/1035304619881271
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85074358380
VL - 30
SP - 498
EP - 512
JO - Economic and Labour Relations Review
JF - Economic and Labour Relations Review
SN - 1035-3046
IS - 4
ER -