Without much fanfare Ahmed Kathrada worked alongside Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and other giants in the struggle to end racial discrimination in South Africa. He faced house arrest and many court trials related to his activism until, finally, a trial for sabotage saw him sentenced to life imprisonment alongside Mandela and six others.

Conversations with a Gentle Soul has its origins in a series of discussions between Kathrada and Sahm Venter about his opinions, encounters and experiences. Throughout his life, Kathrada has refused to hang on to negative emotions such as hatred and bitterness. Instead, he radiates contentment and the openness of a man at peace with himself. His wisdom is packaged within layers of optimism, mischievousness and humour, and he provides insights that are of value to all South Africans.

South African higher education students have for the years 2015 and 2016 stood up to demand not only a free education but a decolonised, African-focused education. The calls for decolonisation of knowledge are the ultimate call for freedom. Without the decolonisation of knowledge, Africans may feel their liberation is inchoate and their efforts to shed Western dominance all come to naught.

Over the years various African leaders including Steve Biko wrote about the need to decolonise knowledge. The call for decolonisation is largely being equated with the search for an African identity that looks critically at Western hegemony. Biko sought the black people to understand their origins; to understand black history and affirm black identity. These are all embedded in the struggle to decolonise and search for African values and identities.

The contributors in this book treat several but connected themes that define what Africa and the diaspora require for a society devoid of colonialism and ready for a renewed Africa. “The discussions we develop and the philosophies we adopt on Pan Africanism and decolonisation are due to a bigger vision and for many of us the destination is African renaissance”. Everyone has a role to play in realising African renaissance; government, churches, universities, schools, cultural organisations all have a role to play in this endeavour.

Sociopolitical occurrences in recent years have, if anything, brought to the fore the close relationship between developments in the labour market and progress on the socio-econo-political terrain. The ideological divides in South Africa are especially apparent in the labour market, and these compound the basic conflict between the objectives of protecting basic worker rights on the one hand, and increasing economic growth on the other. The South African labour market contains an abundance of information about labour markets in general and the South African labour market in particular. The South African labour market has a down-to-earth and practical approach. It considers the evidence and identifies some urgent discussion points about the sensitivity of employment to economic growth. Three appendix chapters deal extensively with the impact of globalisation on the labour market, how other countries have managed the challenges of globalisation, and consensus-seeking institutions such as Nedlac. Questions and study suggestions are included at the end of each chapter. The South African labour market is aimed at economics students as well as general readers wanting an overview of the South African labour market. The late Dr Frans Barker was a senior executive at the Chamber of Mines. During his career, he was also vice-president of the Economic Society of South Africa and president of the Industrial Relations Association of South Africa. He served on governing structures of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), was a commissioner for the Commission for Employment Equity and was also involved in Nedlac in various roles. Dr Barker lectured at a number of universities and was the author of several publications related to labour issues. Derek Yu is an associate professor at the Department of Economics at the University of the Western Cape. He has a decade of teaching experience in undergraduate and postgraduate Labour Economics, and has published comprehensively in this area. He is also the author of the first edition of Basic mathematics for economics students: theory and applications. Pietman Roos has a decade's experience in different civil society organisations including national government, news media and organised business. He has worked on economic policy formulation, commentary, negotiation and advocacy, and has lectured undergraduate economics and jurisprudence.

Contingent Workers' Voice in Southern Europe investigates the manifold challenges posed by the continued expansion of the platform economy, the rise of non-standard forms of employment, and the diversification of work identities. Leading authors explore the potentialities and barriers for collective protection and representation of contingent workers in the platform economy, based on the experiences, needs, and aspirations of workers in Italy and Spain. Chapters undertake in-depth analyses of a diverse and innovative variety of initiatives for the protection, organization, and representation of contingent workers. The book ultimately constructs a framework to interpret the evolution of contingent workers' experiences, allowing trade unions, social movements, and cooperatives to develop organizational and representative practices that better respond to their needs. This incisive book will be of interest to researchers and advanced students of sociology, international relations, political science, and labour law. Its practical insights will also enable trade unionists, activists, and policymakers in the field of labour relations to make informed decisions and identify possible avenues for development.

Winner of the 2021 Sara A. Whaley Prize of the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) A first-of-its-kind study of the working-class culture of resistance on the Honduran North Coast and the radical organizing that challenged US capital and foreign intervention at the onset of the Cold War, examining gender, race, and place. On May 1, 1954, striking banana workers on the North Coast of Honduras brought the regional economy to a standstill, invigorating the Honduran labor movement and placing a series of demands on the US-controlled banana industry. Their actions ultimately galvanized a broader working-class struggle and reawakened long-suppressed leftist ideals. The first account of its kind in English, Roots of Resistance explores contemporary Honduran labor history through the story of the great banana strike of 1954 and centers the role of women in the narrative of the labor movement. Drawing on extensive firsthand oral history and archival research, Suyapa G. Portillo Villeda examines the radical organizing that challenged US capital and foreign intervention in Honduras at the onset of the Cold War. She reveals the everyday acts of resistance that laid the groundwork for the 1954 strike and argues that these often-overlooked forms of resistance should inform analyses of present-day labor and community organizing. Roots of Resistance highlights the complexities of transnational company hierarchies, gender and race relations, and labor organizing that led to the banana workers' strike and how these dynamics continue to reverberate in Honduras today.

Focusing on public administration activities in the field of national labour policy, this timely book provides detailed analyses of labour administration reforms, innovations and challenges in different countries, including detailed case studies from Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the US. Combining rigorous research and practical policy recommendations, the book contains contributions from top scholars in the fields of economics, employment relations, labour law and public administration, as well as officials from the International Labour Organization (ILO). Chapters offer wide-ranging investigations of topics such as labour inspection, social dialogue involving employer organizations and trade unions, and the role of performance management and new technologies in labour administration. The book further demonstrates the vital role of labour administration in upholding employment rights and promoting employment, emphasizing the ways in which it can contribute to good governance, sustainable development and decent work. This will be a critical read for employment relations, global labour studies and public administration scholars. Policy makers and practitioners working in and around employment policy and labour law will also find this book beneficial, particularly with its in-depth case studies.

This cutting-edge book charts the latest ideas and concepts in employment relations research. Mapping out the intellectual boundaries of the field, The Future of Work and Employment outlines the key research and policy outcomes for work and employment in the age of digitisation and artificial intelligence. Internationally renowned contributors unpack the implications of the latest developments in employment relations, from the rise of the gig economy to the role of platform companies, from perspectives such as employment (in)security, equity, fairness, wellbeing and voice. Reviewing the extant literature on the future of work, and exploring the biggest issues facing the modern workforce, this book argues for a research base that allows more sober reflections on the grand claims that dictate the future of work. Empirically-grounded and incisively-argued, the book forms critical reading for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of business and human resource management, featuring insight into the latest developments in the field. Researchers, policymakers and practitioners will also benefit from its implications for policy and its blending of theory and practice.

As our digital economy continues to expand, gig work becomes increasingly significant. This incisive book investigates the ways in which social dialogue can reinforce decent working practices and create inclusive workplaces in the growing gig economy, putting forward a framework for structured dialogue and collective bargaining among social partners, platforms, and workers. Centred on four major case studies - Germany, Greece, Switzerland, and the UK - the book analyses the key challenges that characterise the varied European landscape of gig economies and workforces. With a particular focus on the hospitality, driving, and food delivery sectors, chapters explore the intersection of social partners' responses and gig workers' capacity to organise and build collective voice. Examining the complicated and overlapping linkages between workers' rights, social protection, social dialogue, and decent work, the book aims to expose, and ultimately put an end to, precariousness and exploitation in the context of gig labour. Integrating critical theoretical perspectives and methodologies with context-sensitive evidence, this book will be an essential resource for students and scholars of sociology, social policy, labour policy, employment relations, and human resource management. Its examination of timely questions of collective action and social dialogue in the gig economy will also appeal to activists, journalists, social partners, and policymakers.

'Korea owes its rise to the ranks of the most prosperous nations, largely, to its investment in human resources. Yet, significant gaps remain that block further improvements in the lives of its workers and citizens. This book is as authoritative and comprehensive as it is insightful on the strengths of the Korean system and the challenges Korean policymakers face. In this respect, this book is not simply a telling of the Korean condition but rather of every nation aspiring to prosperity.' - Anil Verma, University of Toronto, Canada 'This book is a compedium of information on the evolution, development and practice of employment relations in South Korea. It records the dynamism that enables the tripartite actors in S. Korea to respond to changing economic and political development, as well as the tremendous industrialization that the country has witnessed in recent decades. The social partners have not only played an active role in shaping public policy, as well as the behaviour and interaction between them and the State. These have enormously contributed to industrial peace, industrialization and economic growth and development. This is a book that is surely to serve not only the academic community and the social partners in Korea, as they evaluate their own role, strategy and desirable changes so as to build on achieved success. For students of comparative employment relations, the book is a useful case study, and I commend it to the international employment relations community.' - Tayo Fashoyin, Retired Professor of Comparative Employment Relations; Former Director in the ILO, Geneva, and Former Secretary of ILERA The Evolution of Korean Industrial and Employment Relations explores current employment and workplace relations practice in South Korea, tracing their origins to key historical events and inevitable cultural adaptation in one of Asia?s ?'miraculous? democracies'. This volume challenges common but dated misconceptions of Korean industrial relations fixated on an economically successful but politically turbulent past. As Korea?'s employment relations continue to evolve, the accommodations made by companies and labor provide powerful insights for leaders in developing economies worldwide striving for prosperity, stability, and democratization. This book focuses on current realities both social and economic to uncover the potent challenges facing employers and workers in a slow-growth era of union decline. Lee and Kaufman provide a wide-ranging and global perspective authored by established and up-and-coming scholars both in and outside Korea in fields such as labor law, sociology, industrial relations, and labor economics. Up-to-date evaluation, data and analysis provide a modern and innovative perspective on employment and industrial relations practice. Scholars of global and specifically Asian industrial relations, human resource management and modern comparative labor relations will find this book of value. Policy makers and CEOs in emerging economics will benefit from the modern and innovative perspective on employment and industrial relations practice, including CEOs managing workplaces in South Korea. Contributors include: J.R. Bellace, C. Brewster, H.-G. Chang, Y.-K. Choi, F.L. Cooke, V.L. Doellgast, M. Gunderson, J.-J. Hur, I. Jun, B.E. Kaufman, D.-B. Kim, D.-O. Kim, H. Kim, H.-T. Kim, T.A. Kochan, H. Kwon, R. Lansbury, B.-H. Lee, K.-S. Lee, S.-H. Lee, S.-M. Lee, Y.-M. Lee, D. Lewin, Y. Nho, K.W. Park, M.J. Park, K.-P. Roh, P. Sheldon, P.B. Voos

'Korea owes its rise to the ranks of the most prosperous nations, largely, to its investment in human resources. Yet, significant gaps remain that block further improvements in the lives of its workers and citizens. This book is as authoritative and comprehensive as it is insightful on the strengths of the Korean system and the challenges Korean policymakers face. In this respect, this book is not simply a telling of the Korean condition but rather of every nation aspiring to prosperity.' - Anil Verma, University of Toronto, Canada 'This book is a compedium of information on the evolution, development and practice of employment relations in South Korea. It records the dynamism that enables the tripartite actors in S. Korea to respond to changing economic and political development, as well as the tremendous industrialization that the country has witnessed in recent decades. The social partners have not only played an active role in shaping public policy, as well as the behaviour and interaction between them and the State. These have enormously contributed to industrial peace, industrialization and economic growth and development. This is a book that is surely to serve not only the academic community and the social partners in Korea, as they evaluate their own role, strategy and desirable changes so as to build on achieved success. For students of comparative employment relations, the book is a useful case study, and I commend it to the international employment relations community.' - Tayo Fashoyin, Retired Professor of Comparative Employment Relations; Former Director in the ILO, Geneva, and Former Secretary of ILERA The Evolution of Korean Industrial and Employment Relations explores current employment and workplace relations practice in South Korea, tracing their origins to key historical events and inevitable cultural adaptation in one of Asia?s ?'miraculous? democracies'. This volume challenges common but dated misconceptions of Korean industrial relations fixated on an economically successful but politically turbulent past. As Korea?'s employment relations continue to evolve, the accommodations made by companies and labor provide powerful insights for leaders in developing economies worldwide striving for prosperity, stability, and democratization. This book focuses on current realities both social and economic to uncover the potent challenges facing employers and workers in a slow-growth era of union decline. Lee and Kaufman provide a wide-ranging and global perspective authored by established and up-and-coming scholars both in and outside Korea in fields such as labor law, sociology, industrial relations, and labor economics. Up-to-date evaluation, data and analysis provide a modern and innovative perspective on employment and industrial relations practice. Scholars of global and specifically Asian industrial relations, human resource management and modern comparative labor relations will find this book of value. Policy makers and CEOs in emerging economics will benefit from the modern and innovative perspective on employment and industrial relations practice, including CEOs managing workplaces in South Korea. Contributors include: J.R. Bellace, C. Brewster, H.-G. Chang, Y.-K. Choi, F.L. Cooke, V.L. Doellgast, M. Gunderson, J.-J. Hur, I. Jun, B.E. Kaufman, D.-B. Kim, D.-O. Kim, H. Kim, H.-T. Kim, T.A. Kochan, H. Kwon, R. Lansbury, B.-H. Lee, K.-S. Lee, S.-H. Lee, S.-M. Lee, Y.-M. Lee, D. Lewin, Y. Nho, K.W. Park, M.J. Park, K.-P. Roh, P. Sheldon, P.B. Voos

In the neoliberal world, rising individualism has frequently been linked to rising inequality. Drawing on social theory, philosophy, history, institutional research and a wealth of contemporary empirical data, this innovative book analyzes the tangled relationship between individualism and inequality and explores the possibilities of rediscovering individualism's revolutionary potential. Ralph Fevre demonstrates that a belief in individual self-determination powered the development of human rights and inspired social movements from anti-slavery to socialism, feminism and anti-racism. At the same time, every attempt to embed individualism in systems of education and employment has eventually led to increased social inequality. The book discusses influential thinkers, from Adam Smith to Herbert Spencer and John Dewey, as well as the persistence of discrimination despite equality laws, management and the transformation of individualism, individualism in work and mental illness, work insecurity and intensification. This multi-disciplinary book will be essential reading for students and scholars of sociology, economics, philosophy, political science, management science and public policy studies, among other subjects. It will also be of use to policymakers and those who want to know how the culture and politics of the neoliberal world are unfolding.

The main original aim of the European Union was to promote convergence towards higher economic growth and social standards. However, EU countries have sometimes experienced different trajectories, due in part to their different starting points and the fact that their convergence on particular socio-economic indicators has varied. At the same time, little evidence has so far been presented on cross-country convergence within the EU. This book aims to answer a number of important questions. To what extent have European countries converged or diverged with EU-wide economic and social indicators over the past 20 years? What have been the drivers of convergence? Why do some countries lag behind, while others experience continuous upward convergence? Why are these trajectories not always linear? Particular attention is paid to the role of institutions, actors and industrial relations - focusing on the resources and strategies of governments, employers and trade unions - in nudging EU countries onto an upward convergence path. This book provides a unique analysis of socio-economic indicators to identify convergence trends in the EU. It defines a number of clusters that help to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of national socio-economic models and the European Social Model. Cross-country case studies help to identify the possible impact of global movements (migration, foreign investment) and policies (social protection, social dialogue, employment) on cross-country convergence. This book offers a timely assessment of convergence within the EU, identifying its drivers in the world of work and in institutions and industrial relations. It presents examples of where institutions and industrial relations can change convergence outcomes and proposes a range of useful policy options. Scholars and researchers will find it an invaluable reference for studies of European affairs and social policies. Contributors include: D. Anxo, B. Bembic, G. Bosch, V. Ciampa, P. Courtioux, C. Erhel, K. Espenberg, A. Figueiredo, P. Gonzalez, D. Grimshaw, I. Marx, J. Masso, I. Mierina, R. Munoz de Bustillo Llorente, P.J. O'Connell, W. Salverda, A. Simonazzi, V. Soloviov, D. Vaughan-Whitehead, R. Vazquez-Alvarez, L. Villamaina

By examining the evolution of industrial relations institutions in the emerging economies of Brazil, China, India, South Africa and Turkey, the authors in this book assess the contribution of these institutions to inclusive development. Industrial Relations in Emerging Economies uses real world examples to assess the relevance of the conceptual frameworks used to examine employment relations. The chapters focus on the evolution of industrial relations institutions and the role these have played in periods of economic and political transition. They demonstrate that rather than acting as a constraint on development, trade unions can contribute to stability, security and equity. However, the contribution of industrial relations institutions to inclusive development is at best a contested pathway. At worst it is viewed as increasingly irrelevant to the vast numbers of workers in the informal economy. The authors reveal a continuing demand for independent collective interest representation in labour relations, whether in the informal economy or in rapidly industrialising districts. This book will prove an interesting and stimulating read for students, academics and researchers in the fields of human resources, industrial relations, sociology and labour economics, in addition to trade union researchers and policy-makers. Contributors include: J. Berg, A. Celik, S. Hayter, C.-H. Lee, N. Pons-Vignon, U. Rani, E. Schneider, R. Sen

Employment relations, much discussed in other industries, has often been neglected in professional sports despite its unique characteristics. The book aims to explore in detail the unique nature of the employment relationship in professional sports and the sport industry. In four parts the book examines, firstly the regulation of sporting competition both within and across sporting codes; secondly a range of employment law issues such as how contracting and negotiation are handled, how disputes are resolved, and the role of sporting representatives such as player associations. The third section discusses the economic issues related to employment such as transfers, drafts and efforts to achieve ''competitive balance''. The final section of the book explores contemporary issues in sports management and governance, including anti-discrimination and anti-doping policy. Through this analysis the book identifies the complex and unique issues surrounding employment relations within professional sports and the sport industry. Contributors include: J. Anderson, M. Barry, P. Bouris, C. Coupland, C. Depken III, J.B. Dworkin, T. Engelberg, S. Gardiner, R. Gomez, B. Keller, L. Masteralexis, G. Maynes, H. Mitchell, S. Moston, J.A.R. Nafziger, M. Nichol, R. Paul, P. Schuwalow, J. Skinner, J. Solow, M. Stewart, K. Vieweg, P. Von Allmen, A. Weinbach, R. Welch

In book two of the series "My Job: Real People at Work Around the World," author Suzanne Skees profiles three professionals from each of the following sectors: health and recovery, education and finance, agribusiness and processing, tourism and culture, and diplomacy and peace. The unique and interesting profiles explore how our experiences, interests, and views help determine the career we pursue and how the career, in turn, continues to shape our identity.

In 1897 a small landholder named Robert Eastham shot and killed timber magnate Frank Thompson in Tucker County, West Virginia, leading to a sensational trial that highlighted a clash between local traditions and modernizing forces. Ronald L. Lewis's book uses this largely forgotten episode as a window into contests over political, environmental, and legal change in turn-of-the-century Appalachia. The Eastham-Thompson feud pitted a former Confederate against a member of the new business elite who was, as a northern Republican, his cultural and political opposite. For Lewis, their clash was one flashpoint in a larger phenomenon central to US history in the second half of the nineteenth century: the often violent imposition of new commercial and legal regimes over holdout areas stretching from Appalachia to the trans-Missouri West. Taking a ground-level view of these so-called "wars of incorporation," Lewis's powerful microhistory shows just how strongly local communities guarded traditional relationships to natural resources. Modernizers sought to convict Eastham of murder, but juries drawn from the traditionalist population refused to comply. Although the resisters won the courtroom battle, the modernizers eventually won the war for control of the state's timber frontier.

Technological Change and Mature Industrial Regions explicitly adopts an inter-disciplinary approach to analysing the structural transformation of mature regions. The major focus of the book is from an economics perspective, but it also employs sociological analyses, business history approaches and technological analyses. It critically considers the identification and development of regional capabilities and regional policy initiatives for mature industrial areas in the context of globalisation and technological change. Specific cases from a range of different countries help to distinguish which aspects of mature regions' technology, knowledge or structure are region-specific, and which are more generally applicable to mature industrial regions throughout the world. The book will prove to be invaluable for academic researchers as well as government and policy communities.

Trust is an elusive concept, meaning different things to different people, and so needs to be clearly defined. By focusing on relations within and between firms, Bart Nooteboom undertakes to produce a clearer definition of trust and its role in the economy. Trust deals with a range of questions such as: what are the roles of trust? What can we trust in? Can trust serve as an instrument for the governance of relations? Is trust a substitute, a precondition or an outcome of contracts? The author then goes on to analyse what trust is based on, what its limits are, how it grows and how it can also break down. The role of intermediaries is also discussed. Bart Nooteboom argues that trust goes beyond calculative self-interest and that blind, unconditional trust is unwise. He then examines the paradox of how trust can be non-calculative and yet, not blind. The book also reveals ways to measure and model trust, its antecedents and its consequences.

The presence of transaction costs greatly modifies the traditional picture of the allocation of resources through the market. It gives rise to many phenomena inexplicable in the simple market view and to problems of government policy. Oliver Williamson has been a leading figure in this analysis. His interpretations of corporate governance and of the complementarity between internal controls and the market have been the most profound in the literature. It is good that his leading essays are now available in collected form.' - Kenneth J. Arrow, Stanford University, US'Oliver Williamson's contributions to economics are certainly among the most important of the past several decades, and their importance will be increasingly recognized as economists come to grips with all that he has accomplished. This collection provides an unparalleled view of those contributions, and it belongs on the bookshelf of everyone who wants to understand complex economic transactions.' - David Kreps, Stanford University, US 'This book provides a terrific opportunity to have a collection of Oliver Williamson's best papers on transaction cost economics all in one convenient volume.' - Paul L. Joskow, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and MIT 'Williamson's work on transaction cost economics has shaped the thinking of all social scientists about organizations and institutions. This volume reprints many of his seminal papers on the subject, and is valuable both as commemoration and for reference.' - Avinash Dixit, Princeton University, US Transaction cost economics has and continues to be a fruitful area of research. There is still much to be done in the field with past research being used in conjunction with the vast number of contractual phenomena that have yet to be investigated in transaction cost economics terms. New challenges are posed by the need to move beyond the design of new contractual instruments (such as financial derivatives) to include an examination of the lurking hazards that attend contract implementation. This important collection brings together Professor Williamson's key papers on transaction cost economics. It will be of benefit to academics, scholars and practitioners with an interest in this progressive subject.

The purpose of this volume is to bring together the leading scholarly papers about how globalization has impacted the role of SMEs. In fact, globalization has affected SMEs in two major ways. The first has been to facilitate the transnational activities of SMEs. Transnational activities, ranging from exports to foreign direct investment to participating in global value chains have become easier as a result of globalization. The second impact of globalization has been to shift the source of competitiveness towards knowledge-based economic activity, which has led to an increased role for SMEs. The first section of this volume examines how globalization has affected the role of SMEs in the economy. The second section of the volume is devoted to global strategies by SMEs The third section focuses on an important type of global activity of SMEs, which involves foreign direct investment. The fourth section focuses on the role of clusters and networks in generating SME competitiveness in global markets. SME export strategies and performance is analyzed in Section Five. Section Six examines the impact that the international mobility of labour has had on SMEs. The seventh section focuses on the role that SMEs play in transnational technology transfer. Section Eight is devoted to SMEs in the context of developing countries. In the final section of the volume policy issues are raised. This includes identifying how policy needs to address barriers to internationalization confronting SMEs.