This article analyzes the attitudes of Dutch employers toward social policyin the early twentieth century. Recent literature has evolved from an emphasis onpower to an emphasis on preferences.... Show moreThis article analyzes the attitudes of Dutch employers toward social policyin the early twentieth century. Recent literature has evolved from an emphasis onpower to an emphasis on preferences. Moving away from the traditional view thatunions and social democrats forced social laws on employers, recent scholars suggestthat firms saw specific advantages in the introduction of social laws.However, I showthat the attitudes of Dutch business representatives, rather than seeking these specificadvantages, merely reflected a willingness to consult, inspired by their macroeconomicview. Employers expressed the wish to attain an organized form of capitalismand accepted regulated forms of codetermination. Once the consultative platformswere in place, employers pursued strategic goals, such as labor peace and discipliningthe unions. This paved the way for accepting welfare state expansion. In sum, midtwentiethcentury business interests were strongly oriented toward coordinatedcapitalism. Show less
