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This paper aims to describe and discuss the significance of the social policy measures implemented in Southern European countries—Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain—in response to the first wave of COVID‐19. Our analysis covers interventions from 1 March to June 30, 2020. Despite significant differences in how the COVID‐19 pandemic spread—with Italy and Spain experiencing much higher rates of infection and lethality—Southern European economies are among the most hard‐hit—and are likely to find themselves in the eye of the storm, once more. The paper shows that despite differences in how countries have countered the spread of COVID‐19, there are important commonalities in the actions governments took to counteract the economic impact of the pandemic. Foremost efforts were directed at wage subsidy schemes to contain mass job destruction, additional temporary benefits to compensate self‐employed and other non‐standard workers for the loss of earnings; the expansion of unemployment insurance; and finally, the introduction and/or strengthening of schemes to provide support to families with care responsibilities. The scale of the social policy and employment protection response has nevertheless been constrained by the fiscal position of each individual country in the post‐Euro crisis context. We argue that, in the long run, the response capacity of these governments and the social and economic consequences of this crisis will need to be contextualised against the backdrop of the deep and prolonged impact of austerity‐driven measures on public budgets, production and welfare regimes over the last decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Eurostat data for 2007, 2010 and 2012, the authors examine the effects of the 2008 crisis on the situation of male and female workers in Italy, Ireland and Portugal, with particular attention to changing labour market dynamics, (intra-household) employment patterns, and incomes. The gender gaps in employment, unemployment and precarious employment are narrowing, but this trend cannot be interpreted as progress toward gender equality: it is driven by men's increasingly vulnerable position resulting from the generalized deterioration of labour market conditions, including the growth of precarious and/or low-paid employment, unemployment and poverty to the detriment of household living standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article analyses actual social dialogue experiences in Italy, Portugal and Spain in order to examine the social partners' participation in COVID‐19 crisis management. It considers the economic and political variables that have helped revitalize tripartism in all three countries relative to the previous economic crisis. The lack of austerity policies and responsibility‐sharing on the part of the social partners and governments paved the way for various agreements that, though differing in content and scope, attest to stronger peak‐level tripartite dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resumen: Se aborda la participación de los agentes sociales en la gestión de la crisis de la COVID‐19 analizando las experiencias de diálogo social tripartito surgidas en España, Italia y Portugal. Se examinan las variables económicas y políticas que han podido favorecer la revitalización del tripartismo en estos tres países en comparación con la anterior crisis económica. En este sentido, la ausencia de políticas de austeridad y la asunción compartida de la responsabilidad por agentes sociales y gobiernos han impulsado la consecución de diferentes acuerdos que, aunque difieren en su contenido y alcance, evidencian un fortalecimiento del diálogo tripartito al máximo nivel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé: Les partenaires sociaux ont‐ils été associés à la gestion de la crise du COVID‐19? Pour le savoir, l'auteur observe les pratiques tripartites en Espagne, en Italie et au Portugal en 2020. Il recherche les variables économiques et politiques susceptibles d'avoir contribué au renouveau du dialogue social tripartite observé dans ces pays, par rapport à la crise économique précédente. L'abandon des politiques d'austérité et un sentiment de responsabilité partagé par les partenaires sociaux et les gouvernements semblent avoir contribué à la conclusion de plusieurs accords, de nature et de portée variables, mais qui permettent de conclure au renforcement du dialogue social au plus haut niveau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Italy and Portugal are considered to be part of the same welfare state family - the Southern European one - analysis of a key component of the welfare state, namely, unemployment policies and regulations, reveals a different evaluation. A comparative analysis of a series of specific indicators of Italian and Portuguese unemployment regimes shows that they represent two different models. Portugal appears to be a more inclusive system, closer to continental or Northern European countries than it is to Italy, or at least representing a hybrid system that combines characteristics of continental European welfare states with characteristics that are more typical of Southern European welfare states. Italy, on the contrary, is much more clearly a Southern European welfare state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]