Suchergebnisse

Describes an institutional approach to the labor market that focuses on the historical impact of owner-worker conflict on the institutions that shape the wage structure. It is argued that, because labor markets are highly differentiated institutional settings, there are wide differences in how employment relationships are institutionally centralized or decentralized. An examination of research on the effect of the centralization of industrial relations in contemporary capitalist labor markets indicated that centralization has aggregate-level consequences for income distribution & social welfare, & institutions filter the effect of external economic conditions & influence processes of collective action. Further, where class is highly institutionalized, labor markets are more likely to realize high employment levels, equality, & security from external economic shocks. Implications of these institutional effects are discussed, suggesting further research on the institutional conditions under which specific labor market processes function. 2 Tables, 1 Figure, 91 References. J. Lindroth

Discusses how the adoption of new information & communication technologies (ICTs) is creating a need for changes in labor market policies in the global information society, focusing on the countries of the European Union & the role of the public employment service (PES). It is argued that traditional measures designed to combat chronic unemployment are too passive; more active strategies are needed in light of new forms of industrial organization. Such active labor market policies must emphasize training & retraining the workforce to meet the demands of ICTs; data from several such policy-based training programs are reviewed, highlighting the importance of job search assistance. The costs of such policies & strategies for their implementation are outlined, identifying the critical role of the PES; suggestions for change are made based on the experience of private-sector enterprises with practices such as on-line recruitment of job candidates. 2 Tables. K. Hyatt Stewart

Discusses the evolution of occupational opportunities in the postmodern US, & suggests that the labor process, & the associated realms of society & culture, have been transformed by the dominance of technoscience. Based on case studies of US workers, it is argued that technological advances in production methods are destroying jobs. Further, this trend seems likely to continue as more workers become redundant within the context of the global market of fewer opportunities; workers of all levels will be forced to seek income outside their primary jobs. It is suggested that technoscience has displaced manual labor & marginalized skilled & managerial positions, & that unions have been forced to reorganize the labor force in terms of the new demands for knowledge work. These circumstances have catalyzed two major problems: the erosion of the work ethic as a guiding social principle, & the lowering of wages. It is concluded that resolution of these problems demands creation of a new form of public morality & the decommodification of medicine, education, housing, & food. T. Sevier

Uses a macroscopic approach to examine the mechanisms through which students move from school to work in Japan, focusing on the importance of ties between schools & firms referred to as institutional embeddedness. Cohort data were drawn from the 1981 Survey on Occupational Mobility & History for 3,244 Japanese males, ages 25-69, who reported successful job-search methods when entering the workplace. Job finding avenues were defined as institutional embeddedness, social embeddedness (family/friends), & nonembedded/atomistic (advertisement or employment agency). Atomistic avenues were significantly low across all age cohorts. Social embeddedness, which accounted for over 72% of the jobs among the oldest cohort, became less important over time, while institutional embeddedness became more prevalent, accounting for 49% of the jobs of the youngest cohort. Institutional embeddedness has been maintained for high school graduates through the postwar period, & even longer for college graduates, but has decreased in recent years, possibly reflecting criticisms of particularism. Implications of the analysis are discussed. 3 Tables, 4 Figures, 54 References. J. Lindroth

Examines how unions & internal labor markets jointly affect formal training for core production employees, drawing on data from the 1991 National Organizations Study. Contrary to the conclusions of the extant literature, it is found that organizations in which core employees are blue-collar are as likely to provide formal training as companies composed of white-collar workers; some differences in the content of this training is noted. However, it is argued that the logic of providing training is the same for both types of organizations: the more extensive the occupational structure of an establishment, the more likely job training programs will be used as a method of allowing workers to advance. The presence of labor unions is positively correlated with greater training efforts & is also found to offset the absence of internal labor markets. Future research ought to investigate the dynamic evolution of job training programs, paying special attention to the role of labor unions. 2 Tables, 6 Figures. D. M. Smith

Der Beitrag stellt unter dem Etikett "homo despoticus" ein Modell menschlichen Verhaltens vor, mit dem die spezifischen Unterschiede von markt- und machtbasierten Formen menschlicher Interaktionen besser darstellbar werden sollen. Zunächst werden der Begriff von Macht und die Natur von Machtinteraktionen auf der Mikroebene menschlicher Interaktionen definiert. Der "homo despoticus" ist bereit, zu eigenen Kosten den Besitzstand eines anderen Menschen auch gegen dessen Willen zu reduzieren. Anhand von Ergebnissen der experimentellen Ökonomie wird gezeigt, in welcher Form machtbasierte Interaktionen wirtschaftliche Interaktionen positiv oder negativ beeinträchtigen können. Rückschlüsse aus den auf der Verhaltensebene erzielten Ergebnissen auf das Funktionieren von Gesellschaften auf der Makroebene werden diskutiert. Es zeigt sich, dass es zu einem nicht unerheblichen Verlust an sozialer Effizienz kommt, wenn Bestrafung für andere Zwecke als die Implementierung von Fairness verwendet wird. (ICE2)

The issue of whether US-born minority workers' employment in occupational niches generally dominated by minorities augments these workers' labor-market prospects is addressed, along with the effects of immigrant workers' succession into certain occupational niches on native-born minority workers' employment in these sectors. Data from the 1980 & 1990 Public Use Microdata Samples are used to create employment-sector measures for 32 major industry & 7 major occupational categories; the extent of Asian American, Latino American, African American, & white American workers' employment in these various sectors is analyzed. Findings show that high unemployment rates, low occupational status, & low wages were associated with US-born minority & immigrant workers' employment in occupational niches dominated by minority populations. The need to perform comparative research that studies how disparate minority groups use different attributes (eg, English proficiency) in realizing labor-market gains is expressed. 10 Tables, 1 Appendix, 23 References. J. W. Parker

The high degree of focus given to labor in production by the rise of global sweatshops has resulted in much less focus given to labor in distribution. The author argues that, assuming that organized labor has a critical role to play in countering the power of global capital, the motto "Think global, act local" can be implemented through a focus on the local distribution of globally produced commodities as explored in the case of containerized imports moving from Asia to the ports of Los Angeles & Long Beach into the US market. Two meanings of distribution are distinguished as sales that are the final circuit of capital, & the transportation & warehousing of goods. The changes required by the logistics revolution are described in the case of the complex Southern California logistics network, & the post 9/11 hysteria over security. The impacts of declining logistics costs on the state of wages, working conditions, & unionization are related to race & gender issues, & the degree of flexibilization for seafarers, longshore workers, railroads, port truckers & warehouse workers. The challenges resulting from the rise of contracting, outsourcing, & contingent systems of employment are argued to make labor organizing much more difficult, but also offer the opportunities for inter-union cooperation & using ports as a strategic location were contributing to progressive struggles against corporate dominated globalization. References. J. Harwell

Prospects for solidarity in constructing a global civil society are explored after the low union turnout at the first World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2001, & related to Amory Starr's (2000) theoretical study of the anti-corporate movement. The International Roundtable of Unions, Social Movements, & Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs)in 2001 included union officials, most notably from the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, NGOs, & women leaders from North & South. This Roundtable focused on labor problems under globalization, but moved little beyond the corporate form to reorganize work & the social contract. Differences between the traditional unionist internationalists & the global justice movement are discussed. Such differences need to be expressed to the relevant constituency for these movements so that the members are no longer passive. Given the increased ambiguity toward globalization & increased opposition to neoliberal globalization, the time is tight for the possibility of a new social movement of labor internationalism that includes global justice & solidarity forces. Strategy to that end is offered. References. M. Pflum

Gegenstand des Beitrags ist soziale Kontrolle im Umfeld des kommerziellen Fußballs in Großbritannien. Der Verfasser betrachtet das weltweite Fußball-Business aus politökonomischer Perspektive als "neo-merkantiles Projekt", in dem staatliche Institutionen, quasi-staatliche Institutionen im Bereich Populärkultur und die Zivilgesellschaft sowie weitere Akteure wie beispielsweise transnationale Medienunternehmen zusammenwirken. Zunächst werden Kernelemente der Fußballkultur wie Teilhabe und Gemeinschaftsgefühl dargestellt. Sodann werden grundlegende Elemente des Hooliganismus in Großbritannien dargestellt sowie die Versuche der Behörden, das Spiel in einen befriedeten und regulierten Raum von Freizeit und Konsum zu verwandeln. Dieser Prozess wird aus der Sicht des Foucaultschen Ansatzes und des Neomarxismus analysiert und es wird gezeigt, wie Fußball durch neomerkantilistische und neoliberale Kräfte geprägt und verändert wird, wie Befriedung, Disziplinierung und Re-Subjektivierung von Fußballfans mit der ökonomischen Globalisierung zusammenhängen. (ICE2)

"For determining the manner and extent to which migration assists or hinders economic development in a labor-exporting country, the case of Turkey is studied as a model of a developing economy with a large labor surplus. The adoption of a migration policy by the Turkish government is viewed as an effort to simultaneously relieve unemployment pressures and build up foreign exchange reserves. Due to the unavailability of sufficiently detailed data with which to carry out a formal cost-benefit analysis of the effects of migration upon Turkish economic development, an assessment is made of the actual or anticipated impact of migration upon (1) gross national product and gross domestic product, (2) capital formation, (3) employment, (4) labor productivity, and (5) per capita income. Each of these five indices of economic development is treated first with regard to theoretical considerations followed by empirical investigations. The variable movements of the indicators imply that, at the very least, migration policy has not had adverse effects on Turkish economic development." ((en))

The prospects for labor rights in light of globalization of production & increasing privatization of regulation that represents a third of the world's productive assets is examined to question how labor can fight back against oppressive & exploitation conditions. The explosion in the globalization of industry over the last 20 years has resulted in a system of retail dominance that places contractors as powerless price-takers rather than partners, & results in a race to the bottom forcing prices & wages down & anti-unionization drives. The gains for labor that can be achieved through consumer pressure are related to the challenge to retail dominance by the rise of global contractors in the cases of Korea & Taiwan. Three approaches to advancing the interests of workers are examined in weakened if not dismantled state centric enforcement, non-existent internationally binding labor laws, & privatized mechanisms that are replacing & weakening enforcement. Although buyers clearly have an important role to play in the commodity chains at the global production system, consumer driven efforts can only be absent of workers organizing that is combined with legislative & regulatory remedies. It is between consumer action & unionization that the state must create bilateral trade agreements containing social causes mandating labor standards, practices & accountability, & global institutions are needed to implement universal standards. References. J. Harwell

Die Verfasserin legt eine Fallstudie zur Arbeitsmarktsituation junger Menschen in Frankreich vor. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf der kritischen Situation von Jugendlichen mit Migrationshintergrund, die im Zuge der Berichterstattung über die Jugendunruhen in vielen französischen Vorstädten ("banlieus") von den Medien breit thematisiert worden ist. Die Verfasserin zeichnet ein differenziertes Bild dieser Jugendlichen. Im Durchschnitt scheinen junge Migranten im Vergleich zu gebürtigen Franzosen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt benachteiligt zu sein, was Berufseinmündung, Qualität des Arbeitsplatzes und das Risiko der Arbeitslosigkeit angeht. Ein beträchtlicher Teil dieser Benachteiligung lässt sich jedoch durch regionale Segregation und der unterschiedlichen Repräsentation ethnischer Gruppen im französischen Bildungssystem erklären. Maßnahmen zu einer besseren Integration von Migrantenjugendlichen in das französische Schulsystem können ein möglicher Weg sein, die hartnäckigen ethischen Ungleichheiten am französischen Arbeitsmarkt auszurotten. (ICE).

In the early 1990s, a defensive US union movement raised issues of child labor in factories in Bangladesh that made garments for major transnational companies like Wal-mart. The US-led call for a boycott of countries exporting goods made with child labor & the memorandum of understanding between the US labor union, UNICEF, & the International Labor Organization about schooling for child workers were both praised as models for other industries & criticized as US protectionism. Based on fieldwork in Bangladesh, it appears that when the child workers were initially laid off, the schools were not ready for them & even later provided only for children to continue as garment workers, not to attend mainstream schools. While laudable in its anti-child labor efforts, the campaign does not seem to have solved any problem in Bangladesh or child labor, & the women & children of the factories remain voiceless. References. M. Pflum