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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Lessons for regulating informal markets and implications for quality assurance
— the case of migrant care workers in Austria | | Author(s) | Andrea E Schmidt, Juliane Winkelmann, Ricardo Rodrigues, Kai Leichsenring |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 36, no 4, April 2016 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, April 2016 |
| Pages | pp 741-763 |
| Source | journals.cambridge.org/aso |
| Keywords | Immigrants ; Care support workers ; Informal care ; Policy ; Quality ; Performance ; Austria. |
| Annotation | The rising number of private care arrangements in which live-in migrant care workers are engaged as a functional equivalent to family care calls for special attention by policy-makers and formal long-term care providers on their implications for quality assurance and professional standards in the long-term care sector. Austria is one of the first countries in Europe where tangible legal measures have been taken to regulate this area under the heading of '24-hour care', typically provided by middle-aged women. The reform measures implemented in 2007 have gone beyond policing and control mechanisms, to also include incentives and tangible subsidies for all stakeholders. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of these reforms on the transition from informal to formal economy, by focusing on quality assurance and working conditions. The authors analyse empirical data and findings from semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders by reference to a framework for informal (or illegal) markets by Beckert and Wehinger (2013). They discuss potential implications in terms of valuation, competition and co-operation for policy in Austria, and draw lessons for other countries. Results indicate that even after efforts to 'legalise' migrant care, the sector remains a grey area within modern labour market legislation and quality management. This is due to the very nature of personal care, low professional status associated with care work, and the reluctance of political stakeholders to regulate private household activities. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-160318004 A |
| Classmark | TJ: QRS: P6: QAD: 59: 5H: 76A |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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