Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
the economic effects of oil crisis
impact of oil in economy
price of oil affect world economy
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: the economic effects of oil crisis
The issue of labour market organisation has probably gained momentum throughout the 1980s all the way into the current crisis and the constant levels of unemployment in Europe are fuelling this debate. With increasing inflation and the oil shocks of the 1970s it was proven that central institutions could no longer keep under their control such an interconnected world trade flow. Deregulation, championed in Europe by the British government of Thatcher, argued that state intervention and central organisation of the economy were inefficient and that it was preferable to leave market organisation to the ‘invisible hand’, market forces, which was considered to be more efficient. Nonetheless, this liberal conception of labour markets has yet to prove its theory whilst there are still specific cases of coordinated labour markets in Europe that have fared reasonably well in contrast to some extent. To deal with some of these issues, this essay will attempt in the first place to provide a general understanding of what should considered as a labour market, followed by what is usually understood as either a flexible or a rigid system of labour market. This shall be the foundation upon which the Swedish labour market will be re-examined to determine the extent of their rigidity, since it is considered as being the paradigm of a highly coordinated labour market, followed by an examination of general tendencies within a deregulated labour market. To conclude with, some remarks regarding economic performance such as unemployment levels will be briefly looked at to see whether there is an actual dichotomy between the style of labour market and economic performance in Europe. Note that some terms are used interchangeably in this essay, such as coo...
... middle of paper ...
...adopt a fully-fledged liberalisation of labour markets in the light of the social upheaval it may cause.
Works Cited
Comisiones Obreras, 2010: Valoración de la Ley 35/2010, de 17 de septiembre, de medidas urgentes para la reforma del mercado de trabajo, Madrid.
Michie, J. and Sheehan, M, 2003: Labour market deregulation, ‘flexibility’ and inno-vation, Cambridge Journal of Economics, Vol 23: 123 – 143.
Pontusson, J. and Swenson, P. 1996: Labour Markets, Production Strategies and Wage Bargaining Institutions: The Swedish Employer Offensice in Comparative Perspective, Comparative Political Studies, Vol 29: 223.
Teague, P. and Grahl, J. 1998: Institutions and Labour Market Performance in West-ern Europe, Political Studies Vol 46 No 1.
Vos, K. 2006, Europeanization and Convergence in Industrial Relations, European Journal of Industrial Relations Vol 12.
To conclude this analysis on the basis of the labor’s extensive history, Sloane & Witney (2010) propose, “it is entirely possible that labor’s remarkable staying power has been because of the simple fact that to many workers, from the nineteenth century to the present, there really has been no acceptable substitute for collective bargaining as a means of maintaining and improving employment conditions” (p.80). In the end, it is important to anticipate unions and employers presently work together to find solutions that will enhance collective bargaining strategies and practices to serve the interest of both parties.
Topic and Specific Case: The topic that I have chosen is the impact that the shift to neoliberal government policies has had on workers in Canada. I have chosen to explore this topic through looking at the restructuring of unemployment insurance in the 1990’s neoliberal era when it came to be called employment insurance (McBride, 2005, pg. 90).
[3] "Industrial Metamorphosis." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper Limited, 01 Oct. 2005. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. .
David Brody argues that the rise of contractual or collective bargaining relationships during the post WWII era formalized the relationship between employers and unions, but simultaneously began to put a break on shop floor activism. Explain Brody’s argument and, where relevant, incorporate Weber’s theory of bureaucracy.
Reynolds, Lloyd G. and Stanley H. Masters and Colletta H. Moser. Labor Economics and Labor Relations. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Simon & Schuster, 1998.
The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Role of Labor Unions in Labor Markets. In R. C. Free (Ed. 21st Century Reference Series.
Peterson, J. and Shackleton, M. 2002. The institutions of the European Union. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
OECD, & Visser, J. (2013). Trade Union Density: Institutional Characteristics of Trade Unions, Wage Setting, State Intervention and Social Pacts.
...here people abided by acceptable and fair practices in the market, these actions and oversight would not be necessary to ensure that we continue to live in a true democracy with political equality. Milton Friedman would have his pure market economy devoid of any government intervention while Lindblom’s concerns that the policy process will be endlessly trapped by arguments about the market would be eased. Democracy would truly mean political equality and allow all those that wished to participate to do so with all the information they require.
Rifkin, Jeremy. "Jeremy Rifkin on Europe's Uncertain Future: The End of Work - SPIEGEL ONLINE." SPIEGEL ONLINE. N.p., 3 Aug. 2005. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.
Thelen, K. (2001) ‘Varieties of Labour Politics in the Developed Democracies’, in Hall, Peter A.; Soskice, David (eds.) Varieties of Capitalism: the Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage, pp. 71–103. New York: Oxford University Press
Rinehart, James W. The Tyranny of Work: Alienation and The Labour Process, Third Edition. (Toronto: Harcourt Brace & Company, Canada.) 1996.
Traditional literature in the field of labor relations has focused immensely on its benefit towards the employer and in the process equating it to working rules. This has been so despite the field being expected to cover the process of, labor management, union formation, and collective bargain; all which are anticipated to create a positive employer-employee relationship. This relationship is said to be positive if there exist a balance between employment functions and the rights of the laborer. Also important to note, is that this relation is equally important to the public sector as it is to the private one. Therefore, to ensure a mutually conducive labor environment exists, effective labor management process and inclusive negotiation program should be adopted (Mulve 2006; Walton, 2008).
Thomas, P.,(1959, December 19), Towards a General Theory of Industrial Relations, The Economic Weekly, p1729
There are many different approaches and theories regarding industrial relations nowadays. In order to mount an opinion on which is the ‘best’ or most appropriate theory of industrial relations, each theory will have to be analyzed. The three most prevalent theories of industrial relations which exist are The Unitarist theory, The Pluralist theory and The Marxist theory. Each offers a particular perception of workplace relations and will therefore interpret such events as workplace conflict, the role of trade unions and job regulation very differently. I will examine each of these theories in turn and then formulate my own opinion regarding which is the ‘best’ or most appropriate theory.