Labour / income economics Books

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewSpectacular and terrifyingly true. David Graeber's theory of the broken capitalist workforce is right - work has become an end in itself. A timely book from the most provocative anthropologist and thinker of our time. -- Owen JonesEqually explosive, my anarchist friend, David Graeber, yet again has thrown a hand grenade into the political economy debate with his Bullshit Jobs (Allen Lane), a call to strike out for freedom from meaningless work. -- John McDonnell * New Statesman, Books of the Year *Here's a gift for a friend working in PR or HR. David Graeber's thesis is that they are working in"bullshit jobs". A bullshit job, he says, is one that its holder knows to be pointless or pernicious even though they must pretend otherwise. There are five sorts: flunkies (commissionaires, receptionists), goons (lobbyists, lawyers), duct tapers (who sort out problems others have created), box tickers, and taskmasters (management). It's a provocative case ... but you get the feeling he is on to something; there do seem to be a lot of pointless jobs in the modern economy -- Robbie Millen * The Times, Books of the Year *Anthropologist David Graeber embarks on a provocative quest to find and explain the existence of countless mindless and pointless roles. He divides them into "flunkies", "goons", "duct-tapers", "box-tickers", and "taskmasters". It is an entertaining, if subjective study of a problem and an examination of potential answers, including a universal basic income. -- Andrew Hill * Financial Times, Business Book of the Year *Anthropology professor and colourful anarchist David Graeber has opened a Pandora's box of the modern era by questioning the relevance of the swollen ranks of middle management and bullshit jobs that have cropped up across a variety of industries. A controversial but thought-provoking endeavour * City AM Book of the Year *An LSE anthropologist with a track record of countering economic myths through a mix of anecdote, erudition, and political radicalism, Graeber is as good an analyst of the increasingly cowpatted field of modern employment as one could wish. And entertaining and thoroughly depressing read... it is extremely thought-provoking -- Tim Smith-Laing * Telegraph *A provocative, funny and engaging book... that captures the imagination and deserves our attention * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisMillions of Americans work full time, year round, for poverty-level wages. In 1998, Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. Leaving her home, she took the cheapest lodgings she could find, and accepted whatever jobs she was offered. Nickel and Dimed reveals low-rent America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generosity? exposing the darker side of American prosperity and the true cost of the American dream.Trade Review'An extraordinary achievement...surely one of the most gripping political books ever written' - Observer'A valuable and illuminating book...Barbara Ehrenreich is now our premier reporter of the underside of capitalism' - New York Times

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Book SynopsisMuch of our life involves working, preparing for work, searching for work, or thinking and worrying about work. Whether paid or unpaid, free or coerced, full-time, part-time, or zero-hours, work defines us and helps shape our behavior both on and off the job. In this accessible book, leading labor economist Bruce Pietrykowski offers a highly engaging exploration of the history and contemporary organization of work under capitalism. His clear presentation of the theoretical debates is illustrated by real-world examples from across the globe and a skillful account of alternatives that point toward a post-capitalist future. Employing a progressive, worker-centered vision that goes beyond mainstream economics, he examines themes ranging from inequality, care work, and the gig economy to technological change and a universal basic income. His analysis emphasizes power, conflict, solidarity, and cooperation, interpreted through the lenses of class, race, gender, and place. This comprehensive and highly readable book will be of interest to students of economics, sociology, labor studies, and politics seeking to learn more about work and workers in the global economy, as well as interested general readers.Trade Review�This bright, readable, and radical overview of labor economics points a smart finger at the work that goes on behind and beyond capitalist employment.�Nancy Folbre, University of Massachusetts �This book provides a lucid and readable introduction to the political economy of work for students and non-economists. Drawing on Marxist, feminist, and Post-Keynesian schools of thought, and a wealth of historical examples, Pietrykowski provides a toolkit to break the intellectual fetters of mainstream economics. Starting with the question of what is special about labor, Pietrykowski's discussion covers labor-market inequality, work in the household, employer behavior, worker ownership, technological change, and much more.�Ian Greer, Cornell University�Bruce Pietrykowski has written a sharp and nuanced critique of mainstream perspectives in labor economics that will broaden readers' understanding of what constitutes �work� in the modern economy.�Journal of Labor and Society�Very insightful...the book functions as Cliff Notes...for the classics and gives interested readers a wealth of citations and material on contemporary debates.�Daniel James Joseph, Labour

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Book SynopsisEPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. This book provides an accessible analysis of what gender equality means and how we can achieve it by adapting best practices in childcare and long term care policies from other countries.Table of Contents1. Why Does Gender Equality and Care Policy Matter? 2. Making Care Policy in the UK: Understanding the Role of Gender Equality 3. Applying the Nordic model: What Works in Sweden, Denmark and Iceland? 4. Applying the Market and Family Model: What Works in Germany and the Netherlands? 5. Developing Policy in a Context of Devolution: The Role of the Third Sector and Activists 6. Implementing Policy: What Could Work in the UK and the Devolved Administrations? 7. Conclusions and Policy Recommendation

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Book SynopsisA sweeping history of the full range of human labor Few authors are able to write cogently in both the scientific and the economic spheres. Even fewer possess the intellectual scope needed to address science and economics at a macro as well as a micro level. But Paul Cockshott, using the dual lenses of Marxist economics and technological advance, has managed to pull off a stunningly acute critical perspective of human history, from pre-agricultural societies to the present. In How the World Works, Cockshott connects scientific, economic, and societal strands to produce a sweeping and detailed work of historical analysis. This book will astound readers of all backgrounds and ages; it will also will engage scholars of history, science, and economics for years to come.

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Book SynopsisEconomics has the capacity to offer us deep insights into some of the most formidable problems of life, and offer solutions to them too. Combining a global approach with examples from everyday life, Partha Dasgupta reveals the connections between economics, politics, and development, and shows how these interactions create the world we live in today.Trade ReviewAn excellent introduction... presents mathematical and statistical findings in straightforward prose. * Financial Times *I wish more people would read Dasgupta's book, and I wish more economists would write variations on its theme. It is a model specimen. * www.economicprincipals.com *The text is direct, rigorous and thought-provoking. It provides an intelligent, rigorous and readable introduction to economics. * London Book Review.com *Table of ContentsPreface ; Prologue ; 1. Macroeconomic History ; 2. Trust ; 3. Communities ; 4. Markets ; 5. Science and Technology as Institutions ; 6. Households and Firms ; 7. Sustainable Economic Development ; 8. Social Well-Being and Democratic Government ; Epilogue ; Further Reading

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for the Orwell Prize, 2019 ____________The Times Round-up of the Best Non-fiction Paperbacks, 2019The Times Best Current Affairs and Big Ideas Book of the Year, 2018For many in modern Britain, careers are low-paid and high-risk, a series of short-term jobs with no security and little future. In this essential exposé, James Bloodworth goes undercover to investigate how working life has become a waking nightmare. From the Orwellian reach of an Amazon warehouse to the trials of a care worker, Hired is a clear-eyed analysis of a divided nation and a riveting dispatch from the very frontline of low-wage Britain.'An extraordinary and unsettling journey into the way modern Britons work. It is George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London for the gig-economy age' MATTHEW D'ANCONA, author of Post-TruthTrade ReviewPotent, disturbing and revelatory... [Bloodworth] sets out to see something we should know more about than we do, and he tells the story of what he found well. * Evening Standard *A very discomforting book, no matter what your politics might be... very good * Sunday Times *Grim but necessary reading... Theresa May should horrify [Bloodworth] by picking up a copy of Hired and learning from it. * Spectator *An extraordinary and unsettling journey into the way modern Britons work. It is Down and Out In Paris and London for the gig economy age. * Matthew d'Ancona, Guardian columnist and bestselling author of Post-Truth *Exceptional... Bloodworth is the best young left wing writer Britain has produced in years. * Observer *Powerful and important... [Hired] reveals the true reality of the low-pay economy in Britain today. * Guardian *Elegant and frequently shocking. * Daily Mail *Unflinching... a refreshing antidote to the fashionable post-work these written from steel-and-ivory towers. * Prospect *A wake-up call to us all. A very graphic and authentic journey exposing the hard and miserable working life faced by too many people living in Britain today. * Margaret Hodge, MP, former Chair, Public Accounts Committee *Whatever you think of the political assertions in this book - and I disagree with many of them - this is an important investigation into the reality of low-wage Britain. Whether you are on the Right, Left or Centre, anybody who believes in solidarity and social justice should read this book. * Nick Timothy, former Chief of Staff to Theresa May *I emerged from James Bloodworth's quietly devastating and deeply disturbing book convinced that the 'gig economy' is simply another way in which the powerful are enabled to oppress the disadvantaged * D. J. Taylor, author of Orwell: The Biography *A truly devastating examination of the vulnerable human underbelly of Britain's labour market, shining a bright light on the unjust and exploitative practices that erode the morale and living standards of working-class communities. * Frank Field, MP *James Bloodworth pulls back the carpet and exposes the rotten floorboards of Britain's low wage, insecure and exploitative economy, describing living and working conditions that Dickens would recognise. A wake-up call to our political elites to genuinely tackle the gross inequality at the heart of our society. * Wes Streeting, MP *Hired is a refreshing antidote to the fashionable post-work theses written from steel-and-ivory towers * The Big Questions (BBC TV) *James Bloodworth's unflinching account of life and work in the towns we have come to know as being "left behind" exposes the mercilessness of the low-wage economy and modern capitalism * Prospect *

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Book SynopsisAlongside debates over rising inequalities, the stubbornness of urban poverty, globally, has emerged as a major academic and policy concern. Urban poverty policy positions are typically framed by paradigms of basic services and welfare. In the backdrop of Bangalore''s evolution into India''s silicon valley, the book presents research spanning old, inner city slums, new migrant settlements in urban peripheries, slum development projects, and garment export and construction workers, highlighting that intergenerationally, the urban poor remain tied to traditional low paying occupations, or, get incorporated into new urban growth channels (export industries, low end services) under highly unfavourable terms and conditions. Using the concepts of the old and the new poor, to explore channels of inclusion and exclusion, the book underscores that the poor''s vulnerabilities are defined by different regimes of informality. Debates on the urban poor''s political agency are used to problematize iTable of ContentsAcknowledgements; List of Tables; 1. Introduction; 2. Welfare and work: State autonomy revisited; 3. Urban poverty and informal work; 4. A political economy overview: Karnataka and Bangalore; 5. New slums: Migration, livelihoods and living; 6. Old slums; 7. Impact of slum housing policies: Bangalore's new ghettoes; 8. Women workers in Bangalore's garment export companies; 9. Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThis short, accessible book seeks to explore the future of work through the views and opinions of a range of expertise, encompassing economic, historical, technological, ethical and anthropological aspects of the debate. The transition to an automated society brings with it new challenges and a consideration for what has happened in the past; the editors of this book carefully steer the reader through future possibilities and policy outcomes, all the while recognising that whilst such a shift to a robotised society will be a gradual process, it is one that requires significant thought and consideration.Table of Contents1. Introduction- Robert Skidelsky and Nan Craig2. The Future of Work - Robert SkidelskyPart I: Work in the Past3. Patterns and Types of Work in the Past: Part 1 - Richard Donkin4. Patterns and Types of Work in the Past: Part 2 - Richard Sennett5. Patterns and Types of Work in the Past: Wageworker and Housewife from a Global Perspective: Birth, Variations and Limits of the Modern Couple- Andrea KomlosyPart II: Attitudes to Work6. Attitudes to Work and the Future of Work: the view from economics - David A. Spencer7. Attitudes to Work – Pierre-Michel Menger8. Work as an Obligation - Nan CraigPart III: Attitudes to Technology9. Attitudes to Technology: Part 1 - Jim Bessen10. Attitudes to Technology: Part 2 - Carl Benedikt FreyPart IV: Possibilities and Limitations for AI: What can’t machines do?11. What Computers Will Never Be Able To Do - Thomas Tozer12. Possibilities and Limitations for AI: what can’t machines do? - Simon ColtonPart V: Work in the Digital Economy13. Work in the Digital Economy - Daniel Susskind14.Two Myths about the Future of the Economy - Nick SrnicekPart VI: AI, Work and Ethics15. AI, Ethics, and the Law - Cathy O'NeilPart VII: Policy16. Policy for the Future of Work - David Graeber17. Automation and Working Time in the UK - Rachel Kay18. Shaping the Work of the Future: Policy Implications - Irmgard Nubler

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Book SynopsisOver 5 million Syrian refugees entered Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon due to the civil war. This report examines the labor market for refugees in these countries. In Turkey, a barrier was speaking Turkish; in Jordan and Lebanon, the refugees'' arrival exacerbated existing economic slowdowns. Working legally was a challenge for all. Recommendations are tailored to each country in order to improve the socioeconomic environment for all.

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Book SynopsisA leading urban economist's hopeful study of how shifts to remote work can change all of our lives for the better. As COVID-19 descended upon the country in 2020, millions of American office workers transitioned to working from home to reduce risk of infection and prevent spread of the virus. In the aftermath of this shift, a significant number of workers remain at least partially remote. It is clear that this massive experiment we were forced to run will have long-term consequences, changing the shape of our personal and work lives, as well as the urban landscape around us. How will the rise of telecommuting affect workers' quality of life, the profitability of firms, and the economic geography of our cities and suburbs? Going Remote addresses the uncertainties and possibilities of this moment. In Going Remote, urban economist Matthew E. Kahn takes readers on a journey through the new remote-work economy, revealing how people will configure their lives when they have more freedTrade Review"Going Remote is more than a book; it’s a roadmap to a new way of working and living. It challenges our preconceived notions about work, passion, and place. In a world where remote work is becoming the norm, Kahn’s insights provide hope and practical solutions for a brighter future." * Comstock’s Magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction: No Going Back I · Workers 1 Short-Run Gains for Workers 2 Medium-Term Gains for Workers II · Firms 3 How Will Firms Adapt? III · Locations 4 The Rise of Remote Work and Superstar Cities 5 New Opportunities for Other Areas Conclusion: The New Geography of Jobs Acknowledgments Notes Recommended Reading Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The accomplished historian Jennifer Delton has written an extremely important book on one of the United States’ leading business organizations, the National Association of Manufacturers . . . . [A] meticulously researched study." * Business History Review *

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Book SynopsisOffers an introduction to the latest research on political inequality and its relationship to economic inequalities in North America and Western Europe. Explores why economic inequality has risen in all affluent democracies, yet governments have done little to compensate low- and middle-income citizens.Trade Review'Why have advanced democracies so broadly failed to address the growth of economic inequality? This rich volume brings together a wide range of leading scholars to explore the roles of citizens, elites, government policymakers, and the mass media. This is a vital contribution at a time when many citizens are disillusioned with their governments and, perhaps, with democracy itself.' Martin Gilens, University of California, Los Angeles'Based on cutting-edge research by the leading experts in the field, this book tackles the important political puzzle: why did the redistributive efforts of many governments decline over recent decades even as income inequality increased? Its wide-ranging and illuminating essays will be of interest to everyone concerned about issues of inequality.' Peter A. Hall, Harvard University'Why don't democratic governments respond to what their citizens want? Unequal Democracies fills a massive lacuna in the literature with nuanced answers and sophisticated analyses of cross-national evidence. By distinguishing opinions, preferences, and interests and then considering how they are formed and represented by institutions, the authors transform our understanding of how to promote more equitable policies and polities.' Margaret Levi, Stanford University'This volume offers a set of crucial contributions to our understanding of the political consequences of rising inequality. The editors have put together a truly impressive group of scholars who provide state-of-the-art analysis of the political puzzles linking unequal economies to unequal democracies. A must-read for students of comparative politics.' David Rueda, University of OxfordTable of Contents1. The political puzzle of rising inequality Noam Lupu and Jonas Pontusson; Part I. Government Responsiveness: 2. Unequal responsiveness and government partisanship in Northwest Europe Ruben Berge Mathisen, Wouter Schakel, Svenja Hense, Lea Elsässer, Mikael Persson and Jonas Pontusson; 3. Democracy, class interests, and redistribution: what do the data say? Mads Andreas Elkjær and Torben Iversen; 4. Measuring political inequality Larry M. Bartels; 5. Why so little sectionalism in the contemporary United States? The under-representation of place-based economic interests Jacob S. Hacker, Paul Pierson and Sam Zacher; Part II. Political Inequality and Representation: 6. On the mechanisms behind unequal representation in legislatures Michael Becher and Daniel Stegmueller; 7. How do the educated govern? Evidence from Spanish mayors Marta Curto-Grau and Aina Gallego; 8. Working-class officeholding in the OECD Nicholas Carnes and Noam Lupu; 9. Political participation and unequal representation: Addressing the endogeneity problem Ruben Berge Mathisen and Yvette Peters; Part III. Voters and Demand for Redistribution: 10. Fairness reasoning and demand for redistribution Charlotte Cavaillé; 11. The news media and the politics of inequality in advanced democracies J Scott Matthews, Timothy Hicks and Alan M. Jacobs; 12. Deflecting from racism: local talk radio conversations about the murder of George Floyd Katherine J. Cramer; 13. Class and social policy representation Macarena Ares and Silja Häusermann; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisIn the countries of the global North, workplace democracy may be thought of as a thing of the past. Increasingly, working relations are regulated primarily by contract; workforces are fissured and fragmented. What are the consequences of this? How should we respond? Ruth Dukes and Wolfgang Streeck argue that the time is ripe to restate the principles of industrial democracy and citizenship for the post-industrial era. Considering developments within political economy, employment relations and labour law since the postwar decades, they trace the rise of globalization and the ‘dualization’ of labour markets – the emergence of a core and periphery of workers – and the progressive insulation of working relations from democratic governance. What these developments amount to, they argue, is an urgent need for political intervention to tame the new world of ‘gigging’ and other forms of highly precarious work. This, according to the authors, will require far-reaching institution-building designed to fill legal concepts such as ‘employment’ with political substance. This eloquent call for a reimagining and renewal of the institutional and material conditions of freedom of association and the reinvention of industrial democracy will be crucial reading for anyone interested in work in the twenty-first century.Trade Review"Advanced economies are faced with changing forms of work that depart more and more from the employment contract model. We have empirical evidence on all sorts of aspects and problems related to them but still lack the conceptual tools that can guide the analysis and enable a clearer public debate. This book by Dukes and Streeck is a timely rescue that lucidly updates the frameworks of labour law and of social theory to today's challenges around work."Guglielmo Meardi, Scuola Normale Superiore, Florence"Democracy at Work provides a compelling analysis of the past and future of employment relations and of the attempts to regulate them, building on classic thinkers of the past to analyse the consequences of digitalization, liberalization and globalization. Professors Dukes and Streeck have produced a work of outstanding depth and scope that will be essential reading for anyone interested in labour law, employment and the future of work."Alexandre Afonso, Leiden UniversityTable of ContentsPreface1. Introduction2. Justice, Productivity and Power at Work3. The Rise and Fall of Industrial Citizenship4. Liberalization as Emancipation?5. Post-Industrial Justice?References

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Book SynopsisTwo groundbreaking sociologists explore the way the American dream is built on the backs of working poor women Many Americans take comfort and convenience for granted. We eat at nice restaurants, order groceries online, and hire nannies to care for kids. Getting Me Cheap is a riveting portrait of the lives of the low-wage workers—primarily women—who make this lifestyle possible. Sociologists Lisa Dodson and Amanda Freeman follow women in the food, health care, home care, and other low-wage industries as they struggle to balance mothering with bad jobs and without public aid. While these women tend to the needs of well-off families, their own children frequently step into premature adult roles, providing care for siblings and aging family members. Based on years of in-depth field work and hundreds of eye-opening interviews, Getting Me Cheap explores how America traps millions of women and their children into lives of stunted opportunity and poverty in service of giving others of us the lives we seek. Destined to rank with works like Evicted and Nickle and Dimed for its revelatory glimpse into how our society functions behind the scenes, Getting Me Cheap also offers a way forward—with both policy solutions and a keen moral vision for organizing women across class lines.Trade ReviewPraise for Getting Me Cheap:“This empathetic and eye-opening study leaves a mark.”—Publishers Weekly“The stories shared in this volume speak for themselves, spotlighting the frustrations, needs, and hopes of the women featured.”—Library Journal“An insightful book that shines light on issues that should be better understood by any responsible citizen.”—Kirkus Reviews“An illuminating primer placing the obstacles facing women with low-wage jobs at the forefront of intersectional feminism.”—Booklist“An urgent exposé and exploration of one of our most pressing social problems—hidden in plain sight. A must-read for anyone concerned about how to make America a more just and equal nation.”—Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage and author of One Fair Wage“This formidable book insists we face the harm of wage poverty in women’s lives and see the real costs of relying on their cheap labor. The powerful stories of mothers’ determination to care for their children become a courageous call for solidarity and collective action.”—Ellen Bravo, activist and author of Standing Up: Tales of Struggle“The lives that so many of us lead depend on the invisible labor of others, whose own needs are cast aside by our society. This brilliant book moves those essential workers—so many of them mothers—into the light”—Michael Eric Dyson, New York Times bestselling author of Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America“The United States has the highest percentage of low-wage workers of any country in the OECD aside from Lithuania—a disproportionate number of them women who provide services to better-off families. Freeman and Dobson take us inside their lives to reveal the price they and their families pay for the cheap labor they provide to others.”—Stephanie Coontz, author of The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap

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Book SynopsisBanks have taken a backseat since the global financial crisis over a decade ago. Today, our new financial masters are asset managers, like Blackstone and BlackRock. And they don't just own financial assets.The roads we drive on; the pipes that supply our drinking water; the farmland that provides our food; energy systems for electricity and heat; hospitals, schools, and even the homes in which many of us live-all now swell asset managers' bulging investment portfolios.As the owners of more and more of the basic building blocks of everyday life, asset managers shape the lives of each and every one of us in profound and disturbing ways. In this eye-opening follow-up to Rentier Capitalism, Brett Christophers peels back the veil on ""asset manager society.""Asset managers, he shows, are unlike traditional owners of housing and other essential infrastructure. Buying and selling these life-supporting assets at a dizzying pace, the crux of their business model is not long-term investment and careful custodianship but making quick profits for themselves and the investors that back them.In asset manager society, the natural and built environments that sustain us become one more vehicle for siphoning money from the many to the few.Trade ReviewAt its best when [Christophers'] passion comes through, stripping away the spin of an industry that likes to portray itself as benefiting teachers, nurses and firefighters but which disproportionately enriches itself. -- Philip Augar * Financial Times *An illuminating interrogation of asset-manager society and its pathologies. -- John Cassidy, author of How Markets Fail: The Rise and Fall of Free Market EconomicsIf big banks were the villains of the 2008 financial crisis, big asset managers may well be at the heart of the next global economic trauma. In this must read book, Brett Christophers outlines how the world's top fund managers and private equity titans have taken over not only our portfolios, but the homes in which we live, the hospitals we go to when we are sick, the food we eat and the water we drink. Our very lives are now financialized - with disturbing consequences that have yet to be understood, or grappled with -- Rana Foroohar, Global Business Columnist and Associate Editor, Financial TimesThere are few financial topics as deserving of more thorough examination than asset management and its myriad modern manifestations. What insiders often blandly call "non-bank financial institutions" are in reality the new powerhouses of modern capitalism. Brett Christophers ably shows that their dominion has increasingly extended from financial assets to "real" assets - the roads we drive, the water we drink, the homes where we live, and sometimes even the hospitals where we die. As Christophers points out, the broader societal consequences are significant. -- Robin Wigglesworth, Editor, FT Alphaville, and author of Trillions: How a Band of Wall Street Renegades Invented the Index Fund and Changed Finance ForeverAn excellent book that sheds light on the grim reality of modern asset management unfolding at the heart of our society: the homes where we live and the energy infrastructures we depend on. The study of the asset-manager 'society' provides a sobering mapping of the relentless control exerted by asset managers - their portfolios establishing commercialised dependencies across our economy. Christophers successfully uncovers how such investment operations-often under a veil of non-transparent ownership-- put families and their livelihoods at the mercy of rent-seeking corporations. His book is a captivating take on a consequential multitrillion-dollar industry for everyone seeking to understand the configurations of an increasingly unequal and non-transparent economic system. -- Mariana Mazzucato, Professor at University College London and author of The Value of Everything: making and taking in the global economyWhen we shop, park, care for our loved ones, pay rent or our utilities bills, you and I are often little more than tiny trickles of income for companies whose names are not on our bills and that we may not even know. How did this happen and what does it say about where power lies? As ever, Brett Christophers makes a lucid, knowledgeable and impressively unimpressable guide to terrain usually fenced off from the public. -- Aditya Chakrabortty, Senior economics commentator, The GuardianChristophers lays out an essential guide to the many ways a poorly understood force in the global economy - asset management - structures our physical world, from housing to food to clean energy. As useful for curious academics as for organizers on the ground, Our Lives in Their Portfolios is a forensic account of an industry so ubiquitous as to go unnoticed. Christophers' engaging, easy to grasp account shines much-needed light on an industry that thrives in darkness, busting open the dangerous myths it tells about itself. -- Kate Aronoff, co-author of A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New DealIf you are interested in politics, but don't know much about asset managers like Brookfield and Blackstone, you need to read this book. What Brett Christophers reveals in Our Lives in Their Portfolios is the secret fight over who controls our social infrastructure, and whether it will be a small clique of financiers who live in gilded cities, or whether it will be the public. From the rent we pay on our housing to energy grids, sewer systems, and telecom networks, these firms are as important as they are opaque. Christophers shines a light into this secretive arena, and exposes how power works and what the real stakes of our political debates over finance really are. -- Matt Stoller, author of Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and DemocracyChristophers takes up the global money trail, highlighting how investors have been quietly buying up critical infrastructure in Europe and beyond. -- Joe Humphreys * Irish Times *An incisive overview of the outsized returns made on physical assets by a small class of global elites, and the price the rest of society may ultimately pay. * Spear's *Worth persevering for the good stuff. Christophers chronicles how Britain has become the focus for Macquarie and the like. -- John Arlidge * The Sunday Times *An impressive feat...Christophers does what few other economists are able to convincingly undertake in less than three hundred pages. He has written a book on the creeping financialization of our daily lives that an informed, generalist audience can understand, and told it through engaging and relatable case studies. -- Adam Almeida * Jacobin *Incisively dissects - and criticises - the landscape of this novel stage of capitalism. -- Chris Dorrell * City A.M. *[One] of the best analysts of contemporary global capitalism. -- Kojo Koram * Times Literary Supplement *Christophers' neat dissection of the industry ... reveals how, while purporting to work for our retirements, it disproportionately enriches itself. -- Moira O’Neill, Best summer books of 2023 * Financial Times *Necessary reading for anyone wanting to stay abreast of our dysfunctional economic times. -- Will Davies * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisBanks have taken a backseat since the global financial crisis over a decade ago. Today, our new financial masters are asset managers, like Blackstone and BlackRock. And they don't just own financial assets.The roads we drive on; the pipes that supply our drinking water; the farmland that provides our food; energy systems for electricity and heat; hospitals, schools, and even the homes in which many of us live-all now swell asset managers' bulging investment portfolios.As the owners of more and more of the basic building blocks of everyday life, asset managers shape the lives of each and every one of us in profound and disturbing ways. In this eye-opening follow-up to Rentier Capitalism, Brett Christophers peels back the veil on ''asset manager society.''Asset managers, he shows, are unlike traditional owners of housing and other essential infrastructure. Buying and selling these life-supporting assets at a dizzying pace, the crux of their business model

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"An Economist Book of the Year""A Behavioral Scientist's Notable Book""A Wall Street Journal Favorite Political Book of the Year""A FiveBooks Best Nonfiction Books of the Year""Winner of the Richard A. Lester Book Award, Industrial Relations Section Industrial Relations Section""Career and Family is a radical book. It is also brilliantly researched and argued."---Lily Meyer, New Republic"[Career and Family] looks at how women have struggled to balance work and home over the decades. Among its many takeaways is the notion that female participation in the workplace changes the very nature of work."---Rana Foroohar, Financial Times"Goldin weaves together complicated data sets that no one else thought to look at. . . . [She] brings such data to life."---Joan C. Williams, Times Literary Supplement"There are many reasons to read [Career and Family]. The main one being that [it is] excellent. . . . Goldin is a natural teacher, which comes across on the page. The book is also, in some ways, deeply personal."---Emily Oster, ParentData"Provocative and compelling." * The Economist *"[Career and Family] traces the history of work and family for college-educated women, and diagnoses what still troubles their careers today." * The Economist *"In this deeply researched, engagingly written, and surprisingly personal book, Goldin summarizes the history and current state of gender disparities in employment and pay, both in general and specifically for college-educated women."---Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs"This is no ordinary book. . . . Goldin has written a chatty, readable sequel to [Betty] Friedan’s [The Feminine Mystique], destined itself to become a paperback best-seller—all the more persuasive because it is rooted in the work of hundreds of other labor economists and economic historians over the years."---David Warsh, Economic Principals"Combining diligent research with acute observations, accessible case studies, and practical solutions, this is a refreshing take on a pernicious social problem." * Publishers Weekly *"A must-read for those who care about gender gaps. . . . Goldin does a compelling job of running through the historical data, providing the surrounding cultural context, and explaining how technological and legal changes affected women over the years. . . . In Career and Family, Goldin expertly lays out the history of college-grad women’s advances in the work force, and she carefully dissects where the remaining gender gap originates."---Robert VerBruggen, Institute for Family Studies"This book is a must-read."---Melissa Davies, Society of Professional Economists"Goldin’s research carries important implications for addressing gender equality within the economics profession."---Leonora Risse, The Conversation, Australia & New Zealand"Why do women still tend to earn less than men? There is nobody better placed to answer that question than economic historian Claudia Goldin, the winner of the 2023 Nobel memorial prize in economics. Her answer tells us how to fight unfairness, but also how to create saner and more productive working lives for everybody." * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisThis book captures a year's worth of learning about service automation based on a survey, in-depth client case studies, and interviews with service automation clients, providers, and advisors. It gives a balanced, informed and compelling view on gaining the many benefits, as well as managing the downsides, of present and future technologies.Table of ContentsCHAPTER 1: Service Automation: The Bigger Picture | CHAPTER 2: What Is Robotic Process Automation? | CHAPTER 3: Robotic Process Automation at Telefonica O2 | CHAPTER 4: Robotic Process Automation at Xchanging | CHAPTER 5: Mature RPA Capabilities in the Energy Sector | CHAPTER 6: The IT Function & Robotic Process Automation | CHAPTER 7: In Their Own Words: Client Responses | CHAPTER 8: In Their Own Words: Provider Responses | CHAPTER 9: In Their Own Words: Advisor Responses | CHAPTER 10: Lessons and the Future of Automation and Work

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book Synopsis''A well-researched, enjoyable and thoughtful book''. - Calum Chace, ForbesExtraordinary innovations in technology promise to transform the world, but how realistic is the claim that AI will change our lives? In this much needed book the acclaimed economist Roger Bootle responds to the fascinating economic questions posed by the age of the robot, steering a path away from tech jargon and alarmism towards a rational explanation of the ways in which the AI revolution will affect us all. Tackling the implications of Artificial Intelligence on growth, productivity, inflation and the distribution of wealth and power, THE AI ECONOMY also examines coming changes to the the way we educate, work and spend our leisure time.A fundamentally optimistic view which will help you plan for changing times, this book explains AI and leads you towards a more certain future.Trade ReviewIn his new and uplifting book The AI Economy, Roger Bootle provides tangible grounds for optimism. -- Mark Littlewood * The Times *a well-researched, enjoyable and thoughtful book. -- Calum Chace * Forbes *A very good read ... as an introduction to the debate as a whole, this book is invaluable. -- Charlie Paice * Adam Smith Blog *Bootle admits from the off that AI was a new topic to him when researching the book, which comes as a relief to the average reader and means we are not bogged down in technical jargon, with tricky concepts explained succinctly and clearly. ... [Bootle] does not shy away from the fact that AI will be a massively disruptive force on the economy, which will force some workers to find new employment, but The AI Economy is a somewhat reassuring read if you are spooked by the idea that robots will steal all the jobs, or wince at the idea of inserting a microchip under your skin. -- Jess Clarke * City AM *This book will probably annoy technophiles, not only because of its lack of technological detail but also because it is finely written by a polymath. It will be a long time before a computer can mesh the thoughts of Voltaire, Malthus, Keynes, Dawkins and Harari. -- Jane Fuller - co-director of the CFSI * Financial World *

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Book SynopsisA meticulous exposé of who profits from incarceration, culminating in a compelling case for abolitionBased on years of research by the criminal justice organization Worth Rises—best known for campaigns that have revolutionized prison telecom and made prison and jail communication free in cities and states around the country—The Prison Industry maps the range of ways in which private corporations, often with their government partners, make money off incarceration. It further details the gross extraction of wealth from incarcerated people and their families, who have been brutalized by overpolicing and mass criminalization.Chapters on labor, telecom, healthcare, community corrections, and more explore the origin story of privatization for the prison sector and how much money is at stake for the corporations involved. Stretching far beyond private prisons to look at all beneficiaries of incarceration, the authors illuminate the methods used to extract resources from public coffers and communities, which corporations are most active and how they partner with governments, and the harms these profit-based approaches to justice cause people, families, and communities.Ultimately, The Prison Industry makes a compelling case for dismantling the prison industry and prison abolition more broadly. It serves as a tool for the tearing down of our wholly oppressive carceral system—the ashes of which we can use to create a better world built on care, not cages.

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Book SynopsisThe convergence of Algorithms, Blockchain and Cryptocurrency has the potential to fundamentally disrupt the current world of work. This book investigates the effects of this on the worker, the organisation and the economy, by considering a future where the traditional power relationships between workers and firms no longer apply. Using the term “Bitwork” to define this future world of work, the book proposes the idea of the Bitworker who is highly flexible, holds multiple roles, and has multiple incomes. Chapters consider the potential winners and losers of this technological pivot by exploring implications such as: the expanding array of currencies; training and education; retirement and loyalty; profit and power within organizations; economic policy. The book’s comprehensive recommendations on how workers, organisations and nation states will need to adapt to prosper in this new world, provide a useful survival guide for researchers, practitioners and policy makers working on behavioural economics, economic policy and the future of work.Table of ContentsChapter 1. Now I Know My ABC (Algorithms, Blockchain and Cryptocurrency)Chapter 2. Internet Killed the Video Store: Lessons from History Repeated in the Blockchain World? Chapter 3. Job 1 / Job 2 / Job 3 ... Job n Chapter 4. The Future of Work: The Emergence of The Bitworker Chapter 5. Profit and Power in the Bitworker World Chapter 6. Managing the Bitworker Economy Chapter 7. Conclusion, Recommendations and Survival Guide

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Book Synopsis_______'Excellent' Martin Wolf, Financial Times Books of the Year'Essential' Daniel Pink, author of Drive'Wonderful' Martin Ford, author of The Rise of the Robots_______Profit. Innovation. Greed.Welcome to the gig economy.Between Uber drivers and Airbnb hosts, freelance jobs are becoming an increasingly prominent part of our economy.Gigged goes inside the Silicon Valley companies leading the way to this emerging 'gig economy'. It tells the stories of the workers - from computer programmers to online comment moderators - who are getting by in a new wave of precarious, short-term employment. And it sketches out what tomorrow's economy might look like: one where the fortunate get to work when they want, how they want, while the rest live lives of extraordinary hardship.It might just be the future of work for all of us.*Longlisted for the FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award*Praise for Gigged'Well researched and beautifully written . . . Essential reading for anyone who is interested in understanding the future of our economy and society.' Ha-Joon Chang, author of 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism'Well crafted . . . a multitude of anecdotes supported by data and extensive reporting.' Forbes'Kessler's timely book explores the personal, corporate and societal stories behind a massive tech-driven shift away from permanent office-based employment.' Books of the Month, Financial Times'Kessler illuminates a great divide: For people with desirable skills, the gig economy often permits a more engaging, entrepreneurial lifestyle; but for the unskilled who turn to such work out of necessity, it's merely "the best of bad options".' Harvard Business Review'Sarah Kessler writes like a dream. If you want to know how work is changing and how you too must change to keep up, you must read this book.' Dan Lyons, author of DisruptedTrade ReviewWhat does working in the new “gig economy” of flexibility combined with insecurity feel like? This excellent book by the journalist Sarah Kessler will help those who have no experience of this way of earning a living appreciate the answer. This new labour market offers a measure of freedom and opportunity. But it also does not allow people to make the plans they need if they are to lead a fulfilled life. Reform must come. -- Martin Wolf, Books of the Year * Financial Times *Sarah Kessler’s wonderful book offers unprecedented illumination of the promise, and the peril, of the gig economy by taking a deep and intimate dive into the day-to-day lives of the workers who rely on it. The resulting insights are important and often troubling. -- Martin Ford, author of RISE OF THE ROBOTSWith deep reporting and graceful storytelling, Sarah Kessler reveals the ground truth of a key part of the American workforce. Her analysis is both astute and nuanced, making Gigged essential reading for anyone interested in the future of work. -- Daniel H. Pink, author of WHEN and DRIVEIn this well-researched and beautifully written book, Sarah Kessler provides a very accessible but sophisticated analysis of the “gig economy”. While vividly telling moving stories about individual hardships and achievements, it provides a broad perspective that helps us see the gig economy as the latest manifestation of the long-running historical struggle over power, security and risk between different classes. It is essential reading for anyone who is interested in understanding the future of our economy and society. -- Ha-Joon Chang, author of 23 THINGS THEY DON’T TELL YOU ABOUT CAPITALISMKessler illuminates a great divide: For people with desirable skills, the gig economy often permits a more engaging, entrepreneurial lifestyle; but for the unskilled who turn to such work out of necessity, it’s merely ‘the best of bad options.’ * Harvard Business Review *

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Book SynopsisCreating a Workforce for Today and TomorrowA business lives, dies, and thrives on its talent. Whether it's W-2 employees, freelancers, gig workers, AI bots, or a mix of all of the above, every business has to get its workforce right if it wants to remain at the top of its industry. Any company with the right people with the right skills in the right place at the right time will have the ultimate edge over its competitors. And that means few areas deserve as much priority as workforce planning and talent management.In Talent Prophecy, Russell Klosk has broken down all the components behind a successful workforce planning model, as well as all the additional considerations behind implementation. Whether it's creating the conditions for the model's success within your company, building stakeholder support, or adjusting the model over time, Klosk has all the insights you need to see your company's predictive workforce powers improve.Using language and examples that everyone in HR, finance, operations, and the C-Suite can follow, Klosk relies on his decades of experience advising industry leaders across the Fortune 500 to bring clarity to the complexities of modeling and talent management.With Klosk's help, business leaders will not only be able to see the gaps in the skill sets of their current workforce but to prophecy their future needs for every strategy they might implement going forward.There's no reason to leave crucial decisions on talent to outdated systems or gut instinct. With Talent Prophecy, you can take your business to the top today and keep it there tomorrowin any industry and through any technological innovation.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Eeckhout documents an astonishing rise of market power across all sorts of industries since 1980. We're not just talking about the usual suspects here; Amazon, Google, Facebook, and so on. We're talking about everything from the makers of cat food to the sellers of caskets."---Greg Rosalsky, NPR Planet Money"A serious and significant effort to explain rising market power and its implications to decades of stagnant wages to a wider audience."---Simcha Barkai, ProMarket"A very good read. . . . Hooray for an economist who can write so engagingly."---Diane Coyle, Enlightened Economist"A sharply argued thesis that one effect of all-powerful corporations is the suppression of wages for working people across the board. . . . A provocative case, and one that those who feel undervalued in the present economy will surely appreciate." * Kirkus Reviews *"The book convincingly argues for some role of market power in workers’ woes. . . . At a time when antitrust frameworks are being reconsidered on both sides of the Atlantic, Eeckhout’s book is a powerful reminder that this rethink must go big."---Romain Duval, Finance and Development"The Profit Paradox is an easy read . . . and the tour d’horizon of issues is impressive."---Jane Fuller, Financial World"As economist Jan Eeckhout lays out in his new book The Profit Paradox, rapid technological change since the 1980s has improved business efficiency and dramatically increased corporate profitability. But it has also led to an increase in market power that is detrimental for people in work." * Financial Times *"The work combines an in-depth economic vision with examples from everyday life." * Eurakalert *"The book is important for several reasons. First. . . . this book takes a global view. Second, it pushes back against quite a widespread misconception that monopoly is largely an American problem and that Europeans in particular are protected by strong competition authorities. Third, it is one of those relatively rare books that combines an easy read with deep and rich scholarship from an expert in the field."---Nicholas Shaxson, The Counterbalance"[The Profit Paradox] successfully carries out the Herculean task of bridging the frontier of academic knowledge with the general public. . . .Not only does [Eeckhout] present novel results in economics in a friendly way without departing from academic rigour, but he also provides an agenda for policies to be implemented. Written in an engaging voice and full of concrete examples from everyday life, this book will certainly find a place in the bookshelves of economists, policymakers, and even the general public."---Joaquín Paseyro Mayol and Edoardo Peruzzi, Economics and Philosophy

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"An Economist Book of the Year""A Behavioral Scientist's Notable Book""A Wall Street Journal Favorite Political Book of the Year""A FiveBooks Best Nonfiction Books of the Year""Winner of the Richard A. Lester Book Award, Industrial Relations Section Industrial Relations Section""Career and Family is a radical book. It is also brilliantly researched and argued."---Lily Meyer, New Republic"[Career and Family] looks at how women have struggled to balance work and home over the decades. Among its many takeaways is the notion that female participation in the workplace changes the very nature of work."---Rana Foroohar, Financial Times"Goldin weaves together complicated data sets that no one else thought to look at. . . . [She] brings such data to life."---Joan C. Williams, Times Literary Supplement"There are many reasons to read [Career and Family]. The main one being that [it is] excellent. . . . Goldin is a natural teacher, which comes across on the page. The book is also, in some ways, deeply personal."---Emily Oster, ParentData"Provocative and compelling." * The Economist *"[Career and Family] traces the history of work and family for college-educated women, and diagnoses what still troubles their careers today." * The Economist *"In this deeply researched, engagingly written, and surprisingly personal book, Goldin summarizes the history and current state of gender disparities in employment and pay, both in general and specifically for college-educated women."---Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs"This is no ordinary book. . . . Goldin has written a chatty, readable sequel to [Betty] Friedan’s [The Feminine Mystique], destined itself to become a paperback best-seller—all the more persuasive because it is rooted in the work of hundreds of other labor economists and economic historians over the years."---David Warsh, Economic Principals"Combining diligent research with acute observations, accessible case studies, and practical solutions, this is a refreshing take on a pernicious social problem." * Publishers Weekly *"A must-read for those who care about gender gaps. . . . Goldin does a compelling job of running through the historical data, providing the surrounding cultural context, and explaining how technological and legal changes affected women over the years. . . . In Career and Family, Goldin expertly lays out the history of college-grad women’s advances in the work force, and she carefully dissects where the remaining gender gap originates."---Robert VerBruggen, Institute for Family Studies"This book is a must-read."---Melissa Davies, Society of Professional Economists"Goldin’s research carries important implications for addressing gender equality within the economics profession."---Leonora Risse, The Conversation, Australia & New Zealand"Why do women still tend to earn less than men? There is nobody better placed to answer that question than economic historian Claudia Goldin, the winner of the 2023 Nobel memorial prize in economics. Her answer tells us how to fight unfairness, but also how to create saner and more productive working lives for everybody." * Financial Times *"An Economist Book of the Year""A Behavioral Scientist's Notable Book""A Wall Street Journal Favorite Political Book of the Year""A FiveBooks Best Nonfiction Books of the Year""Winner of the Richard A. Lester Book Award, Industrial Relations Section Industrial Relations Section""Career and Family is a radical book. It is also brilliantly researched and argued."---Lily Meyer, New Republic"[Career and Family] looks at how women have struggled to balance work and home over the decades. Among its many takeaways is the notion that female participation in the workplace changes the very nature of work."---Rana Foroohar, Financial Times"Goldin weaves together complicated data sets that no one else thought to look at. . . . [She] brings such data to life."---Joan C. Williams, Times Literary Supplement"There are many reasons to read [Career and Family]. The main one being that [it is] excellent. . . . Goldin is a natural teacher, which comes across on the page. The book is also, in some ways, deeply personal."---Emily Oster, ParentData"Provocative and compelling." * The Economist *"[Career and Family] traces the history of work and family for college-educated women, and diagnoses what still troubles their careers today." * The Economist *"In this deeply researched, engagingly written, and surprisingly personal book, Goldin summarizes the history and current state of gender disparities in employment and pay, both in general and specifically for college-educated women."---Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs"This is no ordinary book. . . . Goldin has written a chatty, readable sequel to [Betty] Friedan’s [The Feminine Mystique], destined itself to become a paperback best-seller—all the more persuasive because it is rooted in the work of hundreds of other labor economists and economic historians over the years."---David Warsh, Economic Principals"Combining diligent research with acute observations, accessible case studies, and practical solutions, this is a refreshing take on a pernicious social problem." * Publishers Weekly *"A must-read for those who care about gender gaps. . . . Goldin does a compelling job of running through the historical data, providing the surrounding cultural context, and explaining how technological and legal changes affected women over the years. . . . In Career and Family, Goldin expertly lays out the history of college-grad women’s advances in the work force, and she carefully dissects where the remaining gender gap originates."---Robert VerBruggen, Institute for Family Studies"This book is a must-read."---Melissa Davies, Society of Professional Economists"Goldin’s research carries important implications for addressing gender equality within the economics profession."---Leonora Risse, The Conversation, Australia & New Zealand"Why do women still tend to earn less than men? There is nobody better placed to answer that question than economic historian Claudia Goldin, the winner of the 2023 Nobel memorial prize in economics. Her answer tells us how to fight unfairness, but also how to create saner and more productive working lives for everybody." * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisFintech Explained provides a rigorous, accessible introduction to the landscape of fintech. Michael R. King explains the customer focus, innovation strategy, business model, and valuation of leading fintechs in cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance (DeFi), crowdfunding and online lending, robo-advice and digital wealth management, payments and insurtech, digital banking, and bigtech. The book profiles the successes and failures of over thirty high-profile fintechs, combining insights from founders, early-stage investors, financial incumbents, and other stakeholders in this dynamic ecosystem. Combining clear descriptions and case studies with the latest findings from academic research, Fintech Explained provides a complete course for educating undergraduate and graduate students, executives, and interested professionals.Table of ContentsSection One: Fintech Toolbox 1. Foundations of Fintech 2. Fintech Economics, Strategies, and Business Models 3. Funding of Early-Stage Fintech Companies 4. The Valuation of Fintech Companies Section Two: Fintech Products and Services 5. Bitcoin, Blockchain, and Cryptocurrencies 6. Ethereum and Decentralized Finance 7. Alternative Finance, Online Lending, and Crowdfunding 8. Digital Banking and the Response of Incumbents 9. Robo-advisors and Digital Wealth Management 10. Payments and Insurtech 11. Techfins and Bigtechs in Financial Index

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Book SynopsisIn the past decade unions and community groups have come together around a wide range of campaigns for economic justice - from fighting for living wages, to electing progressive champions, to questioning market-oriented economic development, to promoting anti-sprawl/smart growth efforts. Partnering for Change brings together activists and intellectuals on the forefront of these organizing efforts. They discuss general patterns of labor-community coalitions in terms of alliances between unions and such community players as environmentalists, religious groups, low-income organizations, and local employers. The contributors also offer a wealth of case studies such as the successful campaign for corporate subsidy accountability in Minnesota, Vermont''s Livable Wage Campaign, The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, and the model regional power building projects of the South Bay AFL-CIO. The volume''s editor, David Reynolds, combines a broad overview of labor-community coalitions, practTable of ContentsPart I. Dynamics of Labor-Community Coalitions; 1. Labor-Environmental Coalitions, Fred Rose; 2. Religion-Labor Partnerships: Alive and Growing in the New Millennium, Kim Bobo; 3. ACORN and Community-Labor Partnerships, Steve Kest; 4. The Effectiveness and Limits of Labor-Community Coalitions: Evidence from South Florida, Bruce Nissen; Part II. Areas of Common Ground; 5. Labor and Living Wage Movement, David Reynolds and Jen Kern; 6. Coming Together: Promises and Pitfalls of Minnesota's Corporate-Accountability Campaigns, Erik Peterson; 7. Anatomy of Vermont Livable Wage Campaign, Ellen Kahler; 8. Smart Growth for Cities: It's a Union Thing, Greg LeRoy; 9. Building Political Action Coalitions in Connecticut, Louise Simmons; Part III. Institution Building; 10. Contemporary Community Unionism: Some Lessons from Baltimore and Stamford, Janice Fine; 11. Working Partnerships: A New Strategy for Advancing Economic Justice, Bob Brownstein; 12. Economic Development for Whom? Labor Gest Involved in Massachusetts' Economic Development, Mary Jo Connelly, Peter Knowlton, Pete Capano, and Harneen Chernow; Part IV. Working with Employers; 13. Taking the High Road in Milwaukee: The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, Annette Bernhardt, Laura Dresser, and Joel Rogers

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Book SynopsisThis new edition Workbook has been fully updated for 2019 and covers Theme 3 Business behaviour and the labour market A-level Paper 1 Markets and business behaviour, and A-level Paper 3 Microeconomics and Macroeconomics will both draw on topics from Theme 3.Up-to-date and focused to help students practice their skills and improve their subject knowledge both inside and outside the classroom, this Practice Workbook:- Covers specific aspects of the course, providing targeted support for complex and challenging topics- Reinforces students' understanding, with more new practice questions and exam-style questions to develop their skills and improve their confidence- Includes more sample answers with commentary to help students meet the demands of the specification- Adapts easily and flexibly to existing textbooks and schemes of work - Provides opportunities for self-directed learning and self-testing, helping students revise on their own terms

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Book SynopsisIn this singular firsthand account, a former migrant worker reveals a disturbing system of exploitation at the heart of Canada's farm labour system. When Gabriel Allahdua applied to the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program in Canada, he thought he would be leaving his home in St. Lucia to work in a country with a sterling human rights reputation and commitment to multiculturalism. Instead, breakneck quotas and a culture of fear dominated his four years in a mega-greenhouse in Ontario. This deeply personal memoir takes readers behind the scenes to see what life is really like for the people who produce Canada's food. Now, as a leading activist in the migrant justice movement in Canada, Gabriel is fighting back against the Canadian Government to demand rights and respect for temporary foreign labourers. Harvesting Freedom shows Canada's place in the long history of slavery, colonialism, and inequality that has linked the Caribbean to the wider world for half a millennium-but also the tireless determination of Caribbean people to fight for their freedom.Trade Review“This memoir disrupts a colossal silence in the history of Canadian food, labour, and agriculture. Through a mix of deft analysis and storytelling, Allahdua reveals the structures of power that have long suppressed the voices of migrant farm workers in Canada.” – Simon Vickers, archivist and historian // “Gabriel Allahdua has been a leading voice in migrant worker movements in Canada for decades. Now, he has gifted us this book, written with Edward Dunsworth, challenging the myth of Canadian benevolence, fairness, and multiculturalism in the immigration system. In this sweeping account, the authors expertly weave global histories of enslavement, indentureship, and racial capitalism with Allahdua’s own experience as a migrant worker and his key role in migrant worker movements resisting labour, racial, and social exploitation. One of the only books by and of migrant farm workers’ experiences and struggles in Canada, Harvesting Freedom is deeply inspiring, moving, eye-opening, and motivating. An essential read that will shake you to your core.” – Harsha Walia, author of Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism // “This well-crafted personal narrative takes us from St. Lucia in the eastern Caribbean to the vast commercial greenhouses of Ontario, all from the perspective of one migrant who defied the divide-and-conquer strategies of employers and the Canadian state. Through activist Gabriel Allahdua’s calm, clear, and concise account of the ‘roller coaster ride of being a migrant farm worker in Canada,’ we become acquainted not only with the coercion and cruelty built into the programs designed by the state and the corporations to feed labour-power into our food system, but also with the resourcefulness and intelligence of those fighting to change them. An indispensable and illuminating record from a very brave man.” – Ian McKay, McMaster University

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Book SynopsisThe deterioration of employment conditions for an increasing number of employees in late capitalism has prompted researchers to find ways to conceptualise, as well as measure, these observed new tendencies. This book examines precarious employment in Europe through the economic crisis, drawing on two main sources: theories of how the financial and debt crisis coupled with labour market reforms to exacerbate precarity in the workforce; and data from the European Labour Force Survey from 2005-12, capturing various aspects of precarious employment. It also includes a detailed discussion of policy developments in a series of EU countries, with the aim of demonstrating how precarity has been directly linked with certain labour market reforms implemented both before and after the crisis. The authors conclude that the crisis and the labour market reforms represent significant pillars of the strategy used by states and employers to respond to the crisis, as well as promote their competitiveness agenda. The reduction of labour costs and the promotion of higher flexibility are the ultimate goals of that strategy, but the side-effects include an inability to provide high quality jobs to a growing number of people, especially young people. The authors also capture the extent of precarious employment, providing comparable evidence across EU countries.Table of ContentsForewordIntroduction Chapter One: Theory, Concepts and EU Context Chapter Two: Definitions, Measurements and EU Empirical Analysis Discussion

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Book SynopsisAbetted by gangs of people smugglers, today human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world.

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Book SynopsisGoing beyond the how and why of burnout, a former tenured professor combines academic methods and first-person experience to propose new ways for resisting our cultural obsession with work and transforming our vision of human flourishing. Burnout has become our go-to term for talking about the pressure and dissatisfaction we experience at work. But in the absence of understanding what burnout means, the discourse often does little to help workers who suffer from exhaustion and despair. Jonathan Malesic was a burned out worker who escaped by quitting his job as a tenured professor. In The End of Burnout, he dives into the history and psychology of burnout, traces the origin of the high ideals we bring to our jobs, and profiles the individuals and communities who are already resisting our cultural commitment to constant work. In The End of Burnout, Malesic traces his own history as someone who burned out of a tenured job to frame this rigorous investigation of how and why so many of us feel worn out, alienated, and useless in our work. Through research on the science, culture, and philosophy of burnout, Malesic explores the gap between our vocation and our jobs, and between the ideals we have for work and the reality of what we have to do. He eschews the usual prevailing wisdom in confronting burnout (Learn to say no! Practice mindfulness!) to examine how our jobs have been constructed as a symbol of our value and our total identity. Beyond looking at what drives burnoutunfairness, a lack of autonomy, a breakdown of community, mismatches of valuesthis book spotlights groups that are addressing these failures of ethics. We can look to communities of monks, employees of a Dallas nonprofit, intense hobbyists, and artists with disabilities to see the possibilities for resisting a total work environment and the paths to recognizing the dignity of workers and nonworkers alike. In this critical yet deeply humane book, Malesic offers the vocabulary we need to recognize burnout, overcome burnout culture, and acknowledge the dignity of workers and nonworkers alike.Trade Review "A moving examination of a flawed approach to work that suggests a society-wide means of dismantling the problem." * ForeWord Reviews *"In mixing Thoreau with papal encyclicals, feminist thinkers with aristocratic philosophers, [Malesic] makes a persuasive case for the reorientation of our ideals surrounding work, and the proposition, catholic in every sense of the term, that acknowledgement of human dignity must precede any ability to demonstrate it." * The Bulwark *"His acutely felt investigation of work burnout as an ‘ailment of the soul’ makes his the more thought-provoking and substantial of these two books." * TLS *"Jonathan Malesic’s intelligent and careful study,The End of Burnout, brings clarity to a muddled discussion." * The Baffler *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction I   Burnout Culture 1. Everyone Is Burned Out, But No One Knows What That Means 2. Burnout: The First 2,000 Years 3. The Burnout Spectrum 4. How Jobs Have Gotten Worse in the Age of Burnout 5. Work Saints and Work Martyrs: The Problem with Our Ideals II   Counterculture 6. We Can Have It All: A New Vision of the Good Life 7. How Benedictines Tame the Demons of Work 8. Varieties of Anti-Burnout Experience Conclusion: Nonessential Work in a Post-Pandemic World Notes Index

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Book SynopsisFrom Finland to Kenya to Stockton, California, more and more governments and private philanthropic organizations are putting the idea of a Universal Basic Income to the test. But can the reality live up to the hype? The motivating idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) is radically simple: give people cash and let them do whatever they want with it. But does this simple idea have the potential to radically transform our society? Is a UBI the ultimate solution to the problem of poverty? Is it the solution to automation-induced unemployment? Can it help solve gender and racial inequality?This book provides the average citizen with all the information they need to understand current debates about the UBI. It recounts the history of the idea, from its origins in the writings of 18th century radical intellectuals to contemporary discussions centered on unemployment caused by technological advances such as artificial intelligence. It discusses current pilot programs in the United States and Trade ReviewIn this important book, Zwolinski and Fleischer provide a clear and comprehensive introduction to universal basic income in all its forms, including stakeholder grants, the earned income tax credit, and the child tax credit. As UBI spreads across the United States and the world, this new work is essential reading. * Anne Alstott, Yale Law School *A complete, thorough, and practical breakdown of UBI. Whether you're a supporter or a skeptic, Zwolinski and Fleischer's work is a must-read. * Andrew Yang, Entrepreneur and Former 2020 Presidential Candidate *This book provides a balanced, comprehensive exploration of Universal Basic Income, deftly tackling its many facets in an approachable manner. Without getting mired in excessive detail, it covers many frequently asked questions, serving as an essential primer for anyone wanting to participate in this crucial policy discussion. An accessible, bipartisan guide, it is an ideal starting point for better understanding this transformative idea that I personally believe is the most important policy discussion of all to be having this century. * Scott Santens, Senior Advisor for Humanity Forward *Universal Basic Income provides a fair and balanced explanation of an important topic...it would be good for our society. * Religion & Liberty *The book is quite simply a tour de force. It's clear, concise, and can easily be digested by anyone sufficiently curious: no academic background in economics, social science, or politics required. * David J. Herbert, Religion & Liberty Online *

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Book SynopsisGuardian's Best Non-Fiction, 2019The Tablet's Highlights of 2019Personality tests. Team-building exercises. Forced Fun. Desktop surveillance. Open-plan offices. Acronyms. Diminishing job security. Hot desking. Pointless perks. Hackathons.If any of the above sound familiar, welcome to the modern economy. In this hilarious, but deadly serious book, bestselling author Dan Lyons looks at how the world of work has slowly morphed from one of unions and steady career progression to a dystopia made of bean bags and unpaid internships. And that's the 'good' jobs...With the same wit that made Disrupted an international bestseller, Lyons shows how the hypocrisy of Silicon Valley has now been exported globally to a job near you. Even low-grade employees are now expected to view their jobs with a cult-like fervour, despite diminishing prospects of promotion. From the gig economy to the new digital oligarchs, Lyons deliciously roasts the new work climate, while asking what can be done to recoup some sanity and dignity for the expanding class of middle-class serfs.Trade ReviewFascinating, thought-provoking, hilarious and sometimes harrowing. * Gretchen Rubin, bestselling author of The Happiness Project *A lively and spirited takedown... Its core argument is surely irrefutable. * Guardian *Entertaining * The Economist *Lyons is very funny journalist... Much of his polemic rings true. * Financial Times *Lab Rats defies easy description. I sputtered laughing and choked crying (literally, not figuratively) as I read it. Yes, Lyons gives Silicon Valley the thrashing that it, alas, largely deserves. But in the final third of the book, he offers us an effectively illustrated way out - an approach to work and business that puts people first. * Tom Peters, bestselling author of In Search of Excellence *Entertaining... A worthwhile and disturbing read. * Sunday Business Post *Funny and frightening. * The Sunday Post *Skewering corporate jargon, management science and, worst of all, enforced fun, Lyons' waggish jeremiad lays out how the world of work has changed for the worse. * Tatler *Laugh-out-loud funny * Newsweek on DISRUPTED *Table of Contents1: Unhappy in Paradise 2: The New Oligarchs 3: A Very Brief History of Management Science (and Why You Shouldn't Trust It) 4: Who's Afraid of Silicon Valley? 5: Building the Workforce of the Future (or: Sorry, You're Old and We'd Like You to Leave) 6: Money: "Garbage at the Speed of Light" 7: Insecurity: "We're a Team, not a Family" 8: Change: "What Happens if You Live Inside a Hurricane that Never Ends?" 9: Dehumanization: "Think of Yourself as a Machine Within a Machine" 10: The Battle for the Soul of Work 11: Basecamp: Back to Basics 12: Managed by Q: "Everybody Cleans" 13: Kapor Capital: Conscious Capitalists 14: The Social Enterprise Movement Epilogue: Can Zebras Fix What Unicorns Have Broken?

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Book SynopsisA Literary Hub Most Anticipated Book Real-world solutions to America’s thorniest social problems—from housing to retirement to drug addiction—based on original reporting from around the world A new generation of Americans has declared that another world is possible. And yet, the stubborn problems of inequality, climate change, and declining health seem as intractable as ever. Where might different answers lie?Intrepid journalist Natasha Hakimi Zapata has traveled around the world, from Costa Rica to Uganda, and Estonia to Singapore, uncovering how different countries solve the problems that plague the United States. Through in-depth reporting, including interviews with senior government officials, activists, industry professionals, and the ordinary people affected by their policies, Another World Is Possible examines innovative programs that address public health, social services, climate change, housing, education, addiction, and more.In each instance Hakimi Zapata provides a clear-eyed assessment of the history, challenges, cost-effectiveness, and real-world impact of these programs. The result is a compelling, frame-shifting account of how we might live differently and create a safer, healthier, more sustainable future.A work of keen analysis as well as enormous heart and optimism, Another World Is Possible is destined to crack the mold of current debates, and to refresh our sense of what might be possible tomorrow.

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Book SynopsisAn accessible overview of the power of women in the economy and the obstacles they faceWomen are joining the workforce in increasing numbers, making inroads as entrepreneurs and leaders, acquiring more education, marrying later, and having fewer children - all trends consistent with spending a far greater fraction of their adult lives in the labor force. And yet, even as women break the glass ceiling and challenge gender and sexual norms, they are told they need to lean in and powerful movements like #TimesUP and #MeToo are still necessary to expose and overcome endemic discrimination, exploitation, harassment, and worse. Women in the Workforce: What Everyone Needs to Know provides an essential and accessible introduction to the significance of women in the economy and the obstacles they face in claiming equal status. Economists Laura M. Argys and Susan L. Averett tackle timely topics like the wage gap, women''s work, and gendered workplace interactions in an easy-to-read question andTrade ReviewA helpful and readable volume that provides research-based answers to basic questions ranging from the importance of women to the economy, to why and how pay gaps between men and women continue to exist and why the government cannot 'just fix' them.... its conversational approach to complex academic questions is part of its appeal. * CHOICE *

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Book SynopsisAn insightful, persuasive, and honest defense of immigration as central to the United States'' economic power and national security.America was built by immigrants, yet there has long been strong political opposition to immigration. In recent years, the hostility toward immigration has reached a tipping point. While partisan fighting and confusion over basic policy dominate a broken conversation, we often overlook a fundamental American truth: immigration makes America great.In The Immigrant Superpower, Tim Kane argues that immigration has been a source of American strength and American exceptionalism since the nation''s founding. This book explores how immigration is essential to the military strength, economic power, and innovation of the United States. By combining stories of immigrants who have contributed to the American experience, including in the military and business, with analysis of immigration''s effects on wages and unemployment, Kane presents a clear defense of greater immigration as a matter of national security. The only way to win the great power competition of the twenty-first century is to embrace America''s identity as a nation of immigrants. As politicians in Washington continue to negotiate with no intention to reach an agreement, Kane exposes the immigration consensus hiding in plain sight. Using original, in-depth surveys of American attitudes toward immigration reform he maps out a step-by-step process to achieve reform. Straight-talking and full of common sense, The Immigrant Superpower stands in sharp contrast to the wholly dysfunctional debate about immigration in the United States.Trade ReviewA well-informed analysis of a perennial problem. * Kirkus *

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