Research Interests

•  The response of the international trade union movement to globalisation
  

  Public sector reform, particularly focusing on the growth in the use of the private sector in the provision of public services.

• The waste management sector as an example of a public service increasingly dominated by multinational companies.

• Trade union use of the internet (examining the associated debates about union democracy, union organisation, access and the north-south divide)

Recent Research

• Equal pay in Welsh local government. A project for UNISON Cymru.

• Contracting out of school meals. A project for UNISON.

• Hospital cleaning and infection control. A project for UNISON.

• Corporate greed and the banking sector. A paper for UNI, the Global Union Federation for private sector services.

• Equal Opportunities and Diversity in the European electricity industry. Commissioned by the Social Dialogue Committee (Eurelectric, EPSU, and EMCEF).

• Skills needs in the European electricity industry. Commissioned by the Social Dialogue Committee (Eurelectric, EPSU, and EMCEF).

• Multinational activity in the municipal waste industry. Globalised companies in public services

• Developing the Cyber Picket Line's World Trade Union Directory web site into an online database. Project funded by CSAP.

• Building an online Global Political Economy reference database (full text and hyper links to sources). Project funded by CSAP.

• Mapping extent and nature of private sector involvement in state schools sector, particularly with reference to multinational companies

• Developing research on trade unions and public services in Wales.

• Rowntree-funded project to monitor supply-side corruption in the UK across the public-private interface focusing on the construction, defence, education, water, energy and waste sectors.

  Related work
  

  • I teach on the Global Labour University MSc course (http://www.global-labour-university.org/). Aimed at union officers and activists, the project was set up by ILO/ACTRAV and Global Unions with the support of the TUC, COSATU, Canadian Labour Congress, CUT (Brazil), DGB, Malaysian TUC and universities (Berlin School of Economics and University of Kassel in Germany, Campinas in Brazil, Cardiff University in the UK, York University in Canada, and Wits in South Africa).
  • I am also a member of the Steering Group of Corporatewatch and a member of the ILO/ACTRAV-sponsored Global Union Research Network.
  • I maintain the Cyber Picket Line website with its listing of online union websites in the World Trade Union Directory.

Davies, S. (forthcoming) ‘UK Municipal waste management: from a public service to a globalised industry’. Competition and Change.

 Davies, S (2005) ‘Lost in translation' Public Finance 11-17 November 2005

 Davies, S (2005) School meals, markets and quality. UNISON: London

 Davies, S (2005) Corporate greed, pay and jobs in the banking sector: a note for UNI. Union Network International: Nyon, Switzerland.

 Davies, S. (2005) Using the Freedom of Information Act: A UK Case Study. UNICORN: Cardiff.

 Davies, S. (2005) Hospital contract cleaning and infection control. UNISON: London.

 Fairbrother P., Davies S., Hammer N., Jephcote, M., Parken, A., Stroud D. (2004) Equal Opportunities And Diversity: Changing Employment Patterns In The European Electricity Industry. A Report for EPSU, EMCEF and Eurelectric. Vol One – Main Report. December, 2004.

 Fairbrother P., Davies S., Hammer N., Jephcote, M., Parken, A., Stroud D. (2004) Equal Opportunities And Diversity: Changing Employment Patterns In The European Electricity Industry. Vol Two – Annexes A Report for EPSU, EMCEF and Eurelectric. December, 2004.

 Davies, S (2004) ‘The great divide'. Public Finance. 12 November 2004

 Davies, S (2004) ‘After EU enlargement: a rough guide to the trade union movement in the European Union'. SOCSI Working Paper No. 49 , May 2004. School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University. ISBN 1-904815-09-X.

 Davies, S (2003) ‘The new politics of public services in Wales’ in Second term challenge: can the Welsh Assembly Government Hold its Course? John Osmond (ed) Institute of Welsh Affairs and the Constitution Unit. November 2003 ISBN 1 871 726 16 6. Cardiff and London.

 Davies, S (2003) 'Devolution stirs policy evolution' Health Matters Issue 54, Winter 2003/04.

 Fairbrother, P, Davies, S, Hall, D, Hammer, N, Stroud, D & Thomas, S (2003) Future Skills Needs In The European Electricity Sector. A Report for EPSU, EMCEF and Eurelectric. Brussels

 Davies, S (2003) ' Inside the laboratory: The new politics of public services in Wales, Catalyst Paper 17, August 2003.

 Davies, S. and Fairbother, P. (2003) Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Public Private Partnerships (PPPs): Definitions and Sources (file size 244k), Working Paper No. 39, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University. ISBN 872330 90 8 (a version of this paper was also presented at the PSI international conference on Private Financing of Public Services, London, 10 November 2003.

 Hall, D, de la Motte, R and Davies, S. (2003) Terminology of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), a paper for the EPSU. Mimeo. Brussels.

 Davies, S (2003) ‘Across the clear red water’, Public Finance 23-29 May, 2003.

 Davies, S (2003) European waste management: background to a discussion on EWCs.A report for the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) , 24 April 2003

 Davies S, Hall D, Lethbridge J, Lobina E and Thomas S "The UK Experience - Privatised Sectors and Globalised Companies", Paper presented at the CESifo/Warwick conference on ‘Privatisation Experiences In the EU’, Munich, 10-11 January 2003.

 Fairbrother P, Hall D, Davies S, Hammer N and Lobina E (2002) The Right to Strike in the Electricity Sector in EU Countries. Commissioned by the Enérgeia Foundation. ISBN: 1-872330-71-1

 Carter R, Davies S and Fairbrother P "The Rise and Rise of Market Relations in the British Public Sector: Implications for Industrial Relations", Economic & Labour Relations Review, Vol. 13, No. 1, June 2002, pp 36-59.