Labor in the Era of Globalization

Analyzes the causes of the decline in labor's global fortunes from 1975 to the 2000s.

Clair Brown (Edited by), Barry J. Eichengreen (Edited by), Michael Reich (Edited by)

9780521195416, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 November 2009

476 pages, 53 b/w illus. 57 tables
23.5 x 15.8 x 3.5 cm, 0.77 kg

'The uniqueness of this volume is that its research focus goes beyond the standard labor market approach of examining comparative advantages across countries as a key source of international differences of earnings, employment, and job security. In contrast, Labor in the Era of Globalization's emphasis on institutional arrangements provides a nuanced approach that allows for greater understanding of the differing labor market challenges that workers face in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Its topical coverage coupled with a dispassionate approach toward analysis suggests that this volume will generate great interest from practitioners in business, academia, labor, and government.' James Peoples, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

The third quarter of the twentieth century was a golden age for labor in the advanced industrial countries, characterized by rising incomes, relatively egalitarian wage structures, and reasonable levels of job security. The subsequent quarter-century has seen less positive performance along a number of these dimensions. This period has instead been marked by rapid globalization of economic activity that has brought increased insecurity to workers. The contributors to this volume distinguish four explanations for this historic shift. These include 1) rapid development of new technologies; 2) global competition for both business and labor; 3) deregulation of industry with more reliance on markets; and 4) increased immigration of workers, especially unskilled workers, from developing countries. In addition to analyzing the causes of these trends, the contributors also investigate important consequences, ranging from changes in collective bargaining and employment relations to family formation decisions and incarceration policy.

Introduction Clair Brown, Barry Eichengreen and Michael Reich
Part I. Political Economy and Labor Market Institutions: 1. Institutions and wages in post-World War II America Frank Levy and Peter Temin
2. American exceptionalism and comparative political economy David Soskice
3. Finance and labor: perspectives on risk, inequality, and democracy Sanford Jacoby
Part II. Institutions and Firm and Worker Behavior: 4. How good are U.S. jobs? Characteristics of job ladders across firms in five industries Clair Brown, Benjamin Campbell, Fredrik Andersson, Hyowook Chiang and Yooki Park
5. Increasing labor flexibility in Japan: the role of female workers in manufacturing Yoshi-Fumi Nakata and Satoru Miyazaki
6. Ties that matter: cultural norms and economic behavior in Western Europe Paola Giuliano
Part III. Contemporary Labor-Management Relations: 7. The new treaty of Detroit: are VEBAs labor's way forward? Teresa Ghilarducci
8. Symphony musicians and symphony orchestras Robert J. Flanagan
9. Wage effects of works councils and collective agreements in Germany Knut Gerlach and Wolfgang Meyer
10. Apprentice strikes, pay structure and training in twentieth-century UK metalworking industry Paul Ryan
Part IV. Public Policy and U.S. Labor Market Structure: 11. Minimum wages in the U.S.: politics, economics and econometrics Michael Reich
12. Understanding the causes and labor market consequences of the steep increase in U.S. incarceration rates Steven Raphael
13. Local labor market adaptation to increased immigration David Card.

Subject Areas: International business [KJK], Political economy [KCP], International economics [KCL], Economics of industrial organisation [KCD], Politics & government [JP]