In recent years, we have witnessed a growing number of publications on non-standard employment (NSE) coming from different academic disciplines. Also the wider public is increasingly aware of the phenomenon, not least due to the ongoing labour market crises in many European countries. An edited volume on Non-Standard Employment in Europe is thus a timely enterprise.

The editors Max Koch and Martin Fritz approach the topic without imposing a strict common framework on the contributors. In their short introduction, they formulate the goal of identifying ‘best practices’, that is, cases in which NSE has contributed to ‘socially inclusive socio-economic development’ (p. 5). The book consists of three parts. It begins with three overview chapters setting the stage for the empirical analyses. Barbier's conceptual overview of the varying (normative) terminology used to describe NSE (Chapter 1) is a useful reminder of the pitfalls of using concepts across political cultures. Expanding on the implications for comparative research would have even strengthened the contribution. Koch's historical overview (Chapter 2) advances the (familiar) argument that financialisation and globalisation have increased employers’ uncertainty as well as their power vis-à-vis labour, both of which are conducive to the growth of NSE. The chapter echoes insider−outsider theory (even though without a direct reference) by arguing that the growth of NSE has been further facilitated by the politically more powerful standard workers defending employment protection for open-ended contracts. Finally, O’Connor provides an overview of the different types of NSE in Europe and of pertinent EU regulations (Chapter 3). Taken together, the chapters in Part I offer a useful introduction to some relevant topics concerning NSE. However, given the fact that the contributions refrain from engaging with any theoretical controversy on NSE, one cannot help but conclude that more ambitious introductory chapters would have been possible.

Part II consists of six country or regional case studies. Although neither comparative dimensions nor the rationale for case selection are made explicit, the studies represent an interesting mix of countries and can be read against one another. In the relatively short country chapters, considerable space is devoted to (rather diverse) theoretical and conceptual considerations. While this allows the authors’ to tease out country-specific debates, it comes at the expense of empirical richness and, one has to add, readability. Given that various historical overviews for many of the selected countries are available already, it also would have been justified to focus the chapters more on the eventful recent crisis years.

Part III includes three comparative chapters on different topics. Horemans and Marx (Chapter 10) uncover considerable cross-country variation in the share of part-timers suffering from in-work poverty. The authors offer some possible explanations for this variation (for instance the extent to which part-time employment in a country is involuntary and driven by employer interests), but largely leave this question to future research. The chapter also shows that in-work poverty is generally more wide-spread among involuntary part-timers (an observation which, however, could be due to the fact that exposure to poverty leads to a stronger preference for full-time jobs). In a related analysis, Lancker (Chapter 11) shows that temporary employment is also associated with higher in-work poverty (as opposed to the previous chapter, he controls for composition effects). Taking up the editors’ suggestion, he identifies three countries that have been successful in reducing the poverty risk of temporary workers: Belgium, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. Unfortunately, readers are left alone to identify reasons for their superior performance. In sum, Chapters 10 and 11 provide an insightful description of patterns of in-work poverty and correlations with NSE in Europe. They do not succeed entirely in removing doubts about the suitability of the dependent variable, ‘poverty’. In particular, the intermingling of household and job-related determinants in the poverty measure makes it difficult to understand the isolated effect of NSE.

The third comparative chapter (12) by Fritz starts from the gloomy hypothesis that societies characterised by labour market flexibility approach a state of anomie. Although the underlying mechanisms remain somewhat vague, this is an interesting idea which could have been connected to the vast micro-level literature relating adverse labour market experiences to psychological outcomes. However, the macro-level correlations presented in the chapter can be seen as tentative evidence at best.

It is very commendable that the editors use their concluding chapter to point out policy implications. Besides rather intuitive suggestions (reducing inequality, improving social protection, facilitating dual careers), they propose some controversial policies: limiting self-employment (because it is ‘detrimental to social cohesion’), promoting part-time employment and implementing a thirty-hour working week. Unfortunately, these recommendations are not based on an empirical analysis that would give the reader much confidence in their suitability. In particular, stronger efforts would have been necessary to establish causal links between different forms of NSE and the (positive or negative) outcomes associated with them.

Readers familiar with the topic of NSE will be surprised about the lack of references to influential recent work, in particular from political economy. The ‘dualization’ concept (Emmenegger et al., Reference Emmenegger, Häusermann, Palier and Seeleib-Kaiser2012) and insider–outsider theory (Rueda, Reference Rueda2007) are cases in point. One also would have wished for more explicit statements on how the book relates to and goes beyond similar recent projects on labour market change in Europe (e.g. Blossfeld et al., Reference Blossfeld, Buchholz, Hofäcker and Kolb2011). In sum, the volume provides a rich overview of the development of NSE and its consequences, while giving justice to the diversity of national and socio-demographic contexts. It will be particularly rewarding for readers who would like to familiarise themselves with the topic. The volume may have less to offer to experienced scholars of NSE, but even this group will gain several new insights from reading it.