'All in all, the chapters of the volume provide insightful material 'about how different forms of precarious work are linked to speci?c institutional changes in the labour market and laws governing it but also how they are linked to each other'. . . Situated in the ?eld of Global Labour Studies, the volume goes beyond one of the most central weaknesses of the discipline: its optimistic bias. By systematically including cases in which trade failed or chose not to engage in the organization of precarious workers, the contributions pave the way to a deeper understanding of the challenges within this ?eld.' - British Journal of Industrial Relations With the renaissance of market politics on a global scale, precarious work has become pervasive. This edited collection explores the spread across a number of economic sectors and countries worldwide of work that is invariably insecure, dirty, low-paid, and often temporary and/or part-time. The first part of this cross-disciplinary book analyses the different forms of precarious work that have arisen over the past thirty years in both the Global North and South. These transformations are captured in ethnographically orientated chapters on sweatshops, day labour, homework, Chinese construction workers unpaid contract work, the introduction of insecure contracting into the Korean automotive industry, and the insecurity of Brazilian sugarcane cutters. The case studies all shed light upon how the nature of work and the workplace are changing under the pressures of neoliberal capitalism and what this means for workers. In the second part the editors and contributors then detail some of the ways in which precarious workers are seeking to improve their own situations through their efforts to counter the growth of precarity under neoliberal capitalism, efforts that involve collectively exploring forms of resistance to work restructuring and the failures of traditional trade unions to fully engage with precarious work's growth. Illustrating the impacts of the expansion of precarious work, this book will appeal to students, academics and those generally interested in the issues of the global economy, the reworking of labour markets, the impacts of neoliberal capitalism and ethnographies of the working poor in various parts of the world. Contributors include: L.L.M. Aguiar, M.J. Barreto, S. Chauvin, J. Cock, B. Garvey, M. Gillan, D. Hattatoglu, A. Herod, L. Huilin, K. Joynt, R. Lambert, P. Ngai, J. Tate, M. Thomas, E. Webster, A. Yun

With digital automation becoming ubiquitous, the relationship between man and machine is being redefined. This book, through a focus on America, identifies the tension this relationship has produced, and how it has divided America socially, politically, and economically, ultimately breeding two fundamentally incompatible nations within one: the "forgotten America" and "elite America." This book enables the reader to visualize the changes brought by automation on our producer and buyer identities, and suggests policy changes that global leaders could adopt to deal with the increasing discord. The book is heavily dependent on a few fundamental concepts of both economics and sociology, such as globalization, labor economics, and cultural homogenization. The book is ideally suited to students and academics researching political economics and sociology, with focuses on globalization, unemployment, and the social impacts of technological advances.

This book pulls together papers presented at a conference in honour of the 1981 Nobel Prize Winner for Economic Science, the late James Tobin. Among the contributors are Olivier Blanchard, Edmund Phelps, Charles Goodhart and Marco Buti. One of the main aims of the conference was to discuss what potential role monetary policy has on economic activity and unemployment reduction in three key currency zones - the United States, European Union and Japan.

"Stop slacking off!" Your parents may have said this to you when you were deep into a video-gaming marathon. Or maybe your roommate said it to you when you were lounging on the couch scrolling through Instagram. You may have even said it to yourself on days you did nothing. But what is so bad about slacking? Could it be that there's nothing bad about not making yourself useful? Against our hyper-productivity culture, Alison Suen critically interrogates our disapproval of slackers-individuals who do the bare minimum just to get by. She offers a taxonomy of slackers, analyzes common objections to slacking, and argues that each of these objections either fails or carries problematic assumptions. But while this book defends slacking, it does not promote the slacker lifestyle as the key to something better (such as cultural advancement and self-actualization), as some pro-leisure scholars have argued. In fact, Suen argues that slacking is unique precisely because it serves no noble cause. Slacking is neither a deliberate protest to social ills nor is it a path to autonomy. Slackers just slack. By examining the culture of hyper-productivity, Suen argues that it is in fact OK to be a slacker. Key Features Demonstrates the uniqueness of slacking, via a critical examination of six distinct "pro-leisure" philosophical accounts. Articulates a taxonomy of slackers, as well as in-depth examinations of Hollywood slackers and slackers in academia. Examines common objections to slacking (like the freeloading problem), and offers a rebuttal to each of them. Offers an understanding of our productivity culture from an existential perspective.

This well-researched book analyzes the positioning of EU constitutional law towards economic and social integration by contrasting liberal and socially embedded constitutionalism. The book draws on a unique content and discourse analysis of all Grand Chamber decisions on substantive EU law since May 2004. It finds the EU's 'judicial constitution' to be more nuanced and more uniform than expected. While the Court of Justice enforces the constitution of integration, it favors economic freedoms under mainly liberal paradigms, but socially embeds constitutionalism in citizenship cases. The 'judicial constitution' contrasts with EU Treaties after the Treaty of Lisbon in that their new value base enhances European social integration. However, the Treaties too seem contradictory in that they do not expand the EU's competence regime accordingly. In the light of these contradictions, Dagmar Schiek proposes a 'constitution of social governance': the Court and EU institutions should encourage steps towards social integration at EU level to be taken by transnational societal actors, rather than condemn their relevant activity. Economic and Social Integration will appeal to academics and postgraduate students in EU law, EU politics, European sociology, international relations, international law, labor law, and welfare state theory. Undergraduate students in labor law, policy advisors on EU social policy and welfare state, government departments and EU Commission departments will also find much to interest them in this book.

Lupton's empirical study used real work groups rather than experimental groups working in post-war factories in Britain to arrive at a more sympathetic and informed appreciation of the reasoning behind the positions adopted by workers in their dealings with management, compared with the more management-oriented view of the American Hawthorne experiments.

America has recently rediscovered its sweatshops. High profile scandals-from Kathy Lee to Nike-have brought the shocking and substandard conditions of factories to light, causing more Americans to become aware of the relationship between the American consumer and foreign laborer. Focusing on sweatshops located in the United States as well as those abroad whose products are purchased by American consumers, these essays offer a historical perspective on sweatshops and on their role in global migration and economics. They also chronicle efforts to control and eradicate sweatshops and suggest how these campaigns were and remain both national and global.

What is a sustainable career? And how can individuals and organizations develop pathways that lead to them? With current levels of global unemployment and the need for life-long learning and employability enhancement, these questions assume a pressing significance. Offering twenty-eight chapters from leading scholars, the Handbook of Research on Sustainable Careers makes an important contribution to our understanding of sustainable careers and lays the foundation for the direction of future research. With the aim of advancing existing knowledge surrounding the meaning, antecedents and outcomes of sustainable careers, this book discusses the topic from several different angles combining both theoretical and empirical as well as practical insights. Topics include crafting sustainable careers in organizations, merits and challenges of career adaptability, psychological mobility during unemployment and the role of employee adaptability. Students and academics of varied disciplines looking for multidimensional perspectives on sustainable careers will find this to be a worthwhile read. HR professionals, career counsellors and public policy makers will find use in the practical guidance offered in this book. Contributors: T. Aalbers, M.B. Arthur, P.M. Bal, Y. Baruch, C. Bernhard-Oettel, T. Bipp, N. Bozionelos, J.P. Briscoe, M.B.W. Buyken, A. De Coen, N. De Cuyper, S. De Hauw, A.H. De Lange, P. De Prins, A. De Vos, H. De Witte, N. Dries, N. Egold, C. Fleisher, A. Forrier, F. Fraccaroli, A. Froidevaux, J.H. Greenhaus, D.E Guest, D.T. Hall, A. Hirschi, I.M. Jawahar, C. Kelliher, S.N. Khapova, U. Kinnunen, U.-C. Klehe, D. Kooij, M. Latzke, B.S. Lawrence, A. Makikangas, S. Mauno, W. Mayrhofer, A. Milissen, K. Naswall, K. Pernkopf, P.Peters, J. Rantanen, J. Richardson, R. Rodrigues, C. Rohr, R. Schalk, M.M. Schipper, T.M. Schneidhofer, J. Segers, L. Sels, J.H. Semeijn, T.H. Stone, D.M. Truxillo, M. Valcour, L. Van Beirendonck, K. Van Dam, A. Van den Broeck, B. Van der Heijden, R. Van Dick, M. van Engen, J. van Ruysseveldt, S. Vansteenkiste, A.E.M. Van Vianen, T. Van Vuuren, M. Verbruggen, C.J. Vinkenburg, S. Zaniboni, J. Zikic

Migration of workers within and across national boundaries is an important issue in an age of increasing levels of innovation and invention which economizes cost and helps large scale production.
This book analyzes the implications of migration for the levels of unemployment and distinguishes between unemployment which can be attrbuted to goverment policy and that which can be generated by a particular behavior of employers and workers. The discussion also includes the issue of foreign workers' effects on unemployment levels--a salient issue in today's climate.
With impressive clarity and a scholarly approach, Bharati Basu succeeds in explaining and analyzing an important yet complicated topic. This book will be of use to students, academics and professionals interested in labor economics, industrial studies and international business.

Part One of this book deals with the theory of how money is created and destroyed. Essential principles are illustrated by considering various models of banking systems. Part Two provides an account of the modern theory of income and employment. * Theory backed up with examples of the simplest to the most complicated models, for example: * The model of "a closed economy without a government" to one in which government expenditure and revenue affect the level of national income * The model in which the rate of interest and quantity of money have no effect and the model in which they are variables relevant to the determination of income

The connection between productive labour and effective demand has often been ignored and disputed in political economy, even by giants like Ricardo and Marx. This book traces the historical development of theories, concentrating in particularly on those of Malthus, Marx and Keynes. Particular attention is also paid to the Great Depression in the UK and USA.

Summarizing the facts about the prevailing sizes of industrial firms or plants and the patterns of industrial location in Britain and America, this text also interprets the facts in basic terms such as technical requirements and consumer habits. Examining investment and human resource management, the contrasts and (unexpected) similarities in the industrial structure and government of the two countries are analysed. The book includes new research into the real seat of power in the British joint stock company and compares the results with the realities of the American corporation.

"The Logic of Industrial Organization" discusses key themes in industrial relations, manufacturing, employment and investment and education for business administration. The book contains chapters on: the structure of industry; the efficiency of large-scale operation; planned and free consumption; forecasting and market research; competition; rationalization and nationalization; investment and employment; incentives to work and mobility; and stimulus to enterprise and administration.

Structured in three parts, Economics of Fatigue and Unrest is as relevant today for the study of industrial relations and human resource management as when it was first published. It contains chapters on the following: * The growth of technical efficiency * The theory of fatigue and unrest * The costs of industrial inefficiency * The loss by staff turnover * The loss by absence * The loss by industrial accidents and ill-health

Labour focuses on the issues and problems concerning the efficient full employment of labour in a free market economy. The discussion is largely about the conditions (including comparative wages) underlying industrial efficiency and maximum production from various labour resources at least cost. By estimating man-power, analysing the human factor and measuring labour efficiency, the book summarizes contemporary evidence on employment conditions for or against efficiency and the effect upon the incidence of unemployment.

Covering the role of trades unions and labour organizations in industrial relations, Industry's Democratic Revolution contains case studies from Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and USA. Each chapter is authored by a president or secretary general of one of the largest industrial unions from that particular country, which gives an unparalleled insight into the workings of unions and their participation in the key issues of industrial relations such as: productivity factors; guaranteed wages; union participation in management decision-making; de-centralization of industrial power; and policy research.

This book gives a comprehensive survey of the field of Industrial Relations, focusing on general principles and problems. Illustrations are drawn from the practices adopted in many parts of the world such as Australia, France, Germany and the USA.

Contents include chapters on the following:
* Personnel Management
* Training
* Methods of Wage Payment
* Job Evaluation
* Profit-Sharing and Co-partnership
* Trade Unionism
* Employers' Organizations
* Collective Bargaining
* Wage Bases
* Equal Opportunities
* Conciliation and Arbitration

Contents:
Tables, Figures, Introduction, 1. Labour supply 2. Labour demand and productivity 3. Wage determination and inequality 4. Personnel economics 5. Human capital 6. Labour market discrimination 7. Trade unions and labour markets 8. Labour market flexibility 9. Job search and vacancy analysis 10. Unemployment 11. Globalisation and labour markets, Notes, Bibliography, Index

As the controversies surrounding performance related pay have demonstrated, reward management is a key issue. Collecting the results of "fieldwork" investigations in factories and retail outlets, this book measures output before and after a change in methods of remuneration. The link between productivity and stress is explored and conclusions drawn. An introductory chapter, by the eminent economist P. Sargant Florence summarizes previously published productivity studies.

This highly topical study reflects on the current problems faced by social democratic parties in government when espousing policies of severe pragmatism and fiscal prudence, and provides an historical medium-term perspective to both parties' substantial changes in labour market policies. There is now a good deal of interest in the Third Way and the Neue Mitte, and this book provides much needed empirical detail, and solid analysis of the substance of these ideas. It will be of great interest to students and researchers in comparative politics, social democracy and economic policy.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203417542

This comparative study of industrial relations provides an analysis of a wide range of phenomena, with a view to uncovering the origins of national diversity. It takes into account the notion of strategic choice, set within a series of constraints of environment, organizational and institutional conditions and power relationships. The book: covers a wide range of examples from the UK, USA, France, Germany Italy, Sweden, Eastern Europe, Latin America, India and Japan; includes a comprehensive analysis of management and employers' associations, labour and trades unions; and examines the role of the state in comparative perspective.

This book explores the gender issues associated with international migration in dual career households. Adopting a feminist approach, the author links research in economics, sociology, management and business and human geography to explore post-industrial managerial and professional careers. Particular emphasis is placed on the way in which social mobility and spatial mobility are entwined.
The author explores the location and mobility decisions of dual career households, examining their personal and household biographies as well as published statistics.
The chapters examine the following aspects of the subject:
Of essential interest to scholars of human geography, sociology and gender studies, this book will also interest those working in organizational, migration and urban studies.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203470753

The voluntary sector is surprisingly understudied in economics. In order to fully understand economics, unpaid and voluntary work needs to be taken into account and afforded the same status as paid activities.
This book constitutes a rigorous economic analysis with special emphasis on gender issues and covers every conceivable angle of unpaid work and all its ramifications for the modern economy.
The unified vision that is offered by the leading array of contributors makes for a work of excellent quality. There is every chance that this book will become a seminal study on unpaid work and as such will provide a useful reference for students and academics involved in gender studies, econometrics, and consumption studies.

This timely book investigates the growth of the early retirement trend and its varying spread among different groups of older workers in fourteen modern societies. It argues for a differentiated political approach to reverse early retirement, which relies on both pension and employability policies for older workers.Examining the early retirement trend virtually all modern societies have been faced with since the onset of the globalization process in the 1970s and 1980s, this book provides a thorough analysis of older workers? late careers and their retirement transitions, as well as explaining why this trend has developed differently between nations. To promote an effective reversal of the early retirement trend, national policymakers are advised not to concentrate their efforts exclusively on reducing the financial incentives for an early exit still present in most national pension systems. In addition, it is also recommended that they invest in the employability of older workers, implying a thorough reconsideration of the design of education and labor market policies. Dirk Hofacker presents a unique and comprehensive synthesis of theories describing and explaining the trend towards early retirement, and critically discusses their comparative advantages and shortcomings. Researchers and students of sociology, economics, gerontology, demography and comparative welfare states should not be without this book and policymakers and practitioners dealing with labor market policies will find it invaluable.

Wage setting has historically been a deeply political and cultural as well as economic process. This informative and accessible book explores how US wage regulations in the twentieth century took gender, race-ethnicity and class into account. Focusing on social reform movements for living wages and equal wages, it offers an interdisciplinary account of how women's work and the remuneration for that work has changed along with the massive transformations in the economy and family structures.
The controversial issue of establishing living wages for all workers makes this book both a timely and indispensable contribution to this wide ranging debate, and it will surely become required reading for anyone with an interest in modern economic issues.