Sociology: work and labour Books

Book SynopsisThe Global South is the epicentre of workers’ struggles todayTrade Review'In these depressing times, when the neoliberal consensus has acquired an aura of inevitability akin to the Laws of Physics, it is a breath of fresh air to read serious scholarship that challenges this consensus' -- Norman Finkelstein'The rising anti-imperialist struggles in both the underdeveloped and developed countries are signalling the resurgence of the world proletarian-socialist revolution. Immanuel Ness makes a just call for forging a global workers' movement by reinvigorating and further developing the trade union movement, the workers' parties and political movements to fight for the rights and interests of the working class and the rest of the suffering people' -- Professor Jose Maria Sison, Chairperson Emeritus of the International League of Peoples' Struggle, Founding Chairman, Communist Party of the Philippines and Co-Founder of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines'Important' -- Richard Wolff, Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst'Timely and relevant. The theoretical framing around political organisation of the working class for social transformation is much-needed. Its energetic, provocative scholarship with insightful case studies from across the South makes it essential reading for academics and activists alike' -- Anita Hammer, Senior Lecturer of Organisational Studies and Human Resources, University of Essex'A valuable book that addresses the necessity of revolutionary organization in times of socialist ideological resurgence. Essential reading to anyone wishing to understand the proletarianization of the Global South. Its in-depth examination of modern forms of imperialist exploitation and revolts contribute to comprehending areas rarely covered by mainstream social science' -- Ali Kadri, National University of Singapore'A rich combination of theoretical insights and valuable case-studies from the Global South - a much-needed reminder that the agenda of social transformation requires a strong and sustained political intervention to turn protests into a powerful movement' -- Prabhat Patnaik, Jawaharlal Nehru University'Challenges the prevailing racializing perception of the Southern worker held in the North as powerless and without agency. 'Organizing Insurgency' is a must read for an understanding of imperialism, which has normalized a lack of awareness of the sustaining role of the southern agricultural and industrial workers in global capitalism' -- Himani Bannerji, York UniversityTable of ContentsList of Figures and Tables List of Abbreviations Series Preface Acknowledgements Introduction: Forging a New Global Workers’ Movement 1 PART I - THEORIES AND CONCEPTS OF LABOUR IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH 1. The Labour Atlas: The Southern Working Class Holding Up the World 2. Workers’ Movements in the South: Inequality, Poverty, and Enduring Relevance of Rural Proletariat and Informal Sector Workers PART II - CASE STUDIES: RURAL AND INFORMAL LABOUR STRUGGLES 3. Primitive Steel Manufacturing for the Global Consumer Market: Capital, Super-exploitation, and Surplus Value in Wazirpur, India 4. The Enduring System of Global Agricultural Commodity Production and First World Commodity Extraction: The Case of Mindanao, the Philippines 5. Global Capitalism: Corporate Restructuring, Labour Brokering, and Working-class Mobilization in South Africa 6. Conclusion: Labour Struggles and Political Organization Notes Index

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Book SynopsisAn authoritative overview of the question of power in trade union strategyTrade Review'Jane Holgate is a brilliant thinker. By centring her thesis on power, this book contributes to our understanding of what strategies and mechanisms enable workers to stand a chance at achieving justice' -- Jane McAlevey is an organiser, scholar and author of 'No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age' (Oxford University Press, 2018)'A must-read - by a top-class scholar, union educator and activist, and written with exceptional clarity. Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of the world and with the tools to change it' -- John Kelly, Emeritus Professor of Industrial Relations at Birkbeck College University of London'Part history text, part employment relations research; Jane Holgate's book critiques decades of union renewal strategies in the UK and questions assumptions from both the left and right over how to regain collective power rather than just recruit new members' -- Dave Smith is a blacklisted construction worker and co-author of 'Blacklisted: The Secret War Between Big Business and Union Activists' (New Internationalist, 2016)'A brilliant treatise on how to think about worker power in the context of sweeping structural change. It is well past time for labour scholars to return to this fundamental question and Jane Holgate has made an indispensable contribution to the canon' -- Janice Fine, Professor of Labour Studies and Employment Relations, Rutgers University and Director of Research and Strategy at the Centre on Innovation in Worker Organisation'An excellent review of the leaps forward and setbacks for workers and their unions, and an invaluable read for Jane Holgate's astute analyses. But that's not what the book is about. It is about power. Power for workers, which is the reason for organising, and which is too often forgotten in the daily struggle. We can continue on the current path to oblivion, with unions becoming little more than legacy politicians, or remember our roots and aggressively organise in new ways with workers in an evolving economy' -- Wade Rathke, founder and Chief Organiser of ACORN International'In examining the problems that we have to face to rebuild the movement, this analysis of power, who has it and how to build it, is a must-read for aspiring activists. An essential book for those who are committed to the idea that trade unionism is a vehicle through which we can organise to delivering transformative change for all workers' -- Wilf Sullivan, Race Equality Officer for the Trades Union Congress (TUC)'Jane Holgate's experience as an academic and a union activist has given her unique insights that make this book an important read for anyone who wants to understand where unions have been, where they are now and where they need to go' -- Arnie Graf, community organiser with the Industrial Areas Foundation and author of 'Lessons Learned. Stories from a Lifetime of Organizing' (ACTA Publications, 2020)'Arise brings together a range of material including working class history and powerful critiques of union attempts at rejuvenation to produce a useful contribution to the vital debates about the workers’ movement' -- ‘rs21’'An essential read for activists, labour leaders, union organisers and academics who seek to create a better world.' -- 'Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research'Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations Series Preface Acknowledgements 1. Looking to the Past to Understand the Present 2. Let’s Talk about Social Power 3. Harnessing Power in the Late Nineteenth-Century–Early Twentieth-Century ‘Gig Economy’ 4. Understanding and Using Levers of Power in the Latter Half of the Twentieth Century 5. Structural Change and the Weakening of the Power of Workers 6. Union Responses to Decline and Loss of Power 7. Organising in Theory: Recruitment in Practice? 8. Leadership, Strategic Choice and Union Power in the Turn to Organising 9. Winning Power is Possible Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAn authoritative overview of the question of power in trade union strategyTrade Review'Jane Holgate is a brilliant thinker. By centring her thesis on power, this book contributes to our understanding of what strategies and mechanisms enable workers to stand a chance at achieving justice' -- Jane McAlevey is an organiser, scholar and author of 'No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age' (Oxford University Press, 2018)'A must-read - by a top-class scholar, union educator and activist, and written with exceptional clarity. Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of the world and with the tools to change it' -- John Kelly, Emeritus Professor of Industrial Relations at Birkbeck College University of London'Part history text, part employment relations research; Jane Holgate's book critiques decades of union renewal strategies in the UK and questions assumptions from both the left and right over how to regain collective power rather than just recruit new members' -- Dave Smith is a blacklisted construction worker and co-author of 'Blacklisted: The Secret War Between Big Business and Union Activists' (New Internationalist, 2016)'A brilliant treatise on how to think about worker power in the context of sweeping structural change. It is well past time for labour scholars to return to this fundamental question and Jane Holgate has made an indispensable contribution to the canon' -- Janice Fine, Professor of Labour Studies and Employment Relations, Rutgers University and Director of Research and Strategy at the Centre on Innovation in Worker Organisation'An excellent review of the leaps forward and setbacks for workers and their unions, and an invaluable read for Jane Holgate's astute analyses. But that's not what the book is about. It is about power. Power for workers, which is the reason for organising, and which is too often forgotten in the daily struggle. We can continue on the current path to oblivion, with unions becoming little more than legacy politicians, or remember our roots and aggressively organise in new ways with workers in an evolving economy' -- Wade Rathke, founder and Chief Organiser of ACORN International'In examining the problems that we have to face to rebuild the movement, this analysis of power, who has it and how to build it, is a must-read for aspiring activists. An essential book for those who are committed to the idea that trade unionism is a vehicle through which we can organise to delivering transformative change for all workers' -- Wilf Sullivan, Race Equality Officer for the Trades Union Congress (TUC)'Jane Holgate's experience as an academic and a union activist has given her unique insights that make this book an important read for anyone who wants to understand where unions have been, where they are now and where they need to go' -- Arnie Graf, community organiser with the Industrial Areas Foundation and author of 'Lessons Learned. Stories from a Lifetime of Organizing' (ACTA Publications, 2020)'Arise brings together a range of material including working class history and powerful critiques of union attempts at rejuvenation to produce a useful contribution to the vital debates about the workers’ movement' -- ‘rs21’'An essential read for activists, labour leaders, union organisers and academics who seek to create a better world.' -- 'Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research'Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations Series Preface Acknowledgements 1. Looking to the Past to Understand the Present 2. Let’s Talk about Social Power 3. Harnessing Power in the Late Nineteenth-Century–Early Twentieth-Century ‘Gig Economy’ 4. Understanding and Using Levers of Power in the Latter Half of the Twentieth Century 5. Structural Change and the Weakening of the Power of Workers 6. Union Responses to Decline and Loss of Power 7. Organising in Theory: Recruitment in Practice? 8. Leadership, Strategic Choice and Union Power in the Turn to Organising 9. Winning Power is Possible Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA Marxist investigation into the forms of resistance occurring in the UK call centre todayTrade Review'A sharp reminder of the difficulties faced by call-centre workers' -- Financial Times'Jamie Woodcock shows us what call centres can tell us about bleakness and resistance in the modern workplace' -- VICE'Jamie Woodcock's brilliant insider account of life in a British call-centre reveals the dirty realities of digital capitalism ... a book that is sure to become a classic' -- Peter Fleming, author of The Mythology of Work (Pluto, 2015)'In this urgent and incisive study, Woodcock identifies the imposing challenges to organising against exploitation in conditions of atomised precarity, while also giving us precious glimpses of what a counter-offensive against capital might look like. A masterful lesson in how sociology can serve both to interpret and change a world of labour under the pall of austerity' -- Alberto Toscano, Reader in Critical Theory, Department of Sociology, Goldsmiths, University of London'Woodcock knows not only his theory but his subject inside out. There's casualisation, cruelty and regimentation, but also subversion, and his focus on employee resistance offers a flicker of hope' -- Times Higher Education'Everyone should read Jamie Woodcock's book' -- Manchester Review of Books'A theoretically sophisticated and empiracally rich account of what it is like to work in a call centre' -- Red PepperTable of ContentsAcknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. Working in the Call Centre 3. Management 4. Moments of Resistance 5. Precarious Organisation 6. Conclusion Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisHow do childcare, healthcare, education, family life and the roles of gender, race and sexuality affect our lives under capitalism?Trade Review'Theoretically robust and empirically grounded chapters demonstrate the enduring value of a Marxist feminist approach. A welcome collection!' -- Rosemary Hennessy, L.H. Favrot Professor of Humanities and Professor of English, Rice University, and author of Profit and Pleasure: Sexual Identities in Late Capitalism'The varied and suggestive essays in this rich collection are of great value, not only to newcomers to the field, but also to those already grounded in this rich arena for inquiry and organising' -- Hester Eisenstein, author of Feminism Seduced: How Global Elites Use Women's Labour and Ideas to Exploit the World (2009)'A must read for those who want to go beyond the binaries and the 'social' conceived as an aggregation of intersecting systems or overlapping spheres. It is an ambitious project aiming for epistemologies of resistance' -- Himani Bannerji, author of The Dark Side of the Nation: Essays on Multiculturalism, Nationalism, and Gender (2000)'A marvellous new collection' -- Jordy Rosenberg, Los Angeles Review of Books'Every socialist needs to read it now' -- Socialist Action'Feminist thinking about questions of social reproduction offers a much-needed break with the impasse that mainstream feminism finds itself in - and this collection provides a fantastic weapon for that task' -- Red PepperTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Foreword by Lise Vogel 1. Introduction: Mapping Social Reproduction Theory - Tithi Bhattacharya 2. Crisis of Care? On the Social-Reproductive Contradictions of Contemporary Capitalism - Nancy Fraser 3. Without Reserves - Salar Mohandesi and Emma Teitelman 4. How Not to Skip Class: Social Reproduction of Labor and the Global Working Class - Tithi Bhattacharya 5. Intersections and Dialectics: Critical Reconstructions in Social Reproduction Theory - David McNally 6. Children, Childhood and Capitalism: A Social Reproduction Perspective - Susan Ferguson 7. Mostly Work, Little Play: Social Reproduction, Migration and Paid Domestic Work in Montreal - Carmen Teeple Hopkins 8. Pensions and Social Reproduction - Serap Saritas Oran 9. Body Politics: The Social Reproduction of Sexualities - Alan Sears 10. From Social Reproduction Feminism to the Women's Strike - Cinzia Arruzza Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a clear and concise introduction to the concept of consumption and to the wide--ranging debates about the nature and consequences of consumer society. Community and social class appear to be in irreversible decline.Trade Review"Written with unusual clarity and confidence, this small book packs a big intellectual punch. No one interested in new work in the sociology of consumption should be without it." Charles Lemert, Wesleyan University Table of ContentsAcknowledgements. 1. Consumption as a Key Concept. 2. Production and Consumption. 3. Consumer Society: Utopia or Dystopia?. 4. Living in Consumer Society. 5. McDonaldization and Disneyization. 6. Consumer Activism. References. Inndex.

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Book SynopsisIn this stimulating and highly original work, Kevin Doogan looks at contemporary social transformation through the lens of the labour market. Major themes of the day -- globalization, technological change and the new economy, the pension and demographic timebombs, flexibility and traditional employment -- are all subject to critical scrutiny.Trade Review"Highly recommended - particularly significant with regard to the current crisis of the financial markets." Journal of Contemporary European Studies "A really valuable book which will remind everyone that our side still has power - if we use it." International Socialism "A well structured and attractively written text that represents a fine contribution to the analysis of contemporary development in the world of work." Work, Employment and Society "Doogan's New Capitalism? presents a challenging new vision of current and future connections between employees and employers. New Capitalism? provides a theoretically insightful and empirically informed critique of visions focused on the increasing precariousness of employment. A must read for scholars and students of work, economy and polity." Randy Hodson, Ohio State University "Reality is more intelligent than the prophets of “New capitalism”, who ask for radically deregulated financial, product and labour markets. With the present collapse, public bailout and re-regulation of the financial system, Doogan’s findings, that long term jobs have continued to grow as a productive asset for the economy, are particular welcome." Peter Auer, Chief of the Employment Analysis and Research Unit, ILO, Geneva "Kevin Doogan annihilates conventional wisdom on labour markets. The extraordinary wealth and depth of data which he has amassed will make readers wonder why so many were misled for so long. But Doogan has an answer for this too. The arrival of this book is a seismic event which will send shockwaves in every political direction." Ralph Fevre, Cardiff University School of Social Sciences "An excellent book." Socialist ReviewTable of ContentsList of figures and tables viii Preface ix Acknowledgements xii Introduction 1 1 From Post-Industrial Society to New Capitalism: The Evolution of a Narrative of Social Change 16 2 Technological Change: Autonomization and Dematerialization 43 3 Globalization: Mobility, Transnationality and Employment 63 4 Theorizing the Labour Market 88 5 Globalization, Demographic Change and Social Welfare 114 6 The Flexible Labour Market and the Contingent Economy 143 7 Long-term Employment and the New Economy 169 8 Job Insecurity, Precarious Employment and Manufactured Uncertainty 194 9 Conclusion 207 References 215 Index 231

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Book Synopsis* Danny Miller is one of the leading anthropologists in the world today and is a key figure in the study of material culture. * This book is unique: it is the first attempt to analyse in detail the life of the au pair and the families for whom they work.Trade Review“A great read and an intriguing academic study … Rich in content not only for anyone who thinks about employing or becoming an au pair, but also for everyone scientifically interested in an ethnography of this specific institution.” Anthropos "Pick up this book when you want a guilt-free escape from your day-to-day academic work. This is a vivid and engaging account of the life of Slovak au pairs in London. Written for the specialist and non-specialist alike, it offers great insight into the problems of intercultural communication, structured by the fundamental contradictions of the institution of the au pair." Journal of Intercultural Studies "Miller and Burikova's criticisms are all too real" The Times "A highly engaging read, which begs the question: why is more scholarly work not written in this way?" Social & Cultural Geography "A useful resource for all interested in both migration and gender studies. It challenges steretypes on the one hand of the au pair as an uneducated, poor and sexualised object and of host parents as cold, uncaring and exploitative on the other. It provides a huge amount of rich ethnographic data that challenge readers to think differently about family life, domestic tasks and the migration of young women." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies "With its fine-grained ethnographic detail, skillfully presented in vivid prose, this book illuminates every aspect of the hopes, fantasies and frustrations that constitute the frequently troubled ties and misunderstandings between au pairs and their employers. A huge pleasure to read, Au Pair provides a definitive, indispensable text for addressing this increasingly prevalent facet of family life, with its own suggestions for improving the lives of both au pairs and the families in which they reside." Lynne Segal, Birkbeck College and author of Why Feminism? "A long overdue book that deals sensitively with the experiences of both au pairs and host families. It moves between individual stories and their social context to reveal the tensions and the potential of this unique relationship." Bridget Anderson, University of OxfordTable of ContentsAcknowledgements vii Prologue 1 1 Why Not? 5 2 An Embarrassing Presence 32 3 The Hard Work and the Soft Touch 60 4 Sort of English 87 5 Bored in Beddlingham 114 6 Men 137 7 Out of Time 156 8 Conclusion: Structure, Behaviour and Consequence 171 Appendix: Academic Studies of Domestic Labour 184 References 200 Index 204

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Book Synopsis* Danny Miller is one of the leading anthropologists in the world today and is a key figure in the study of material culture. * This book is unique: it is the first attempt to analyse in detail the life of the au pair and the families for whom they work.Trade Review“A great read and an intriguing academic study … Rich in content not only for anyone who thinks about employing or becoming an au pair, but also for everyone scientifically interested in an ethnography of this specific institution.” Anthropos "Pick up this book when you want a guilt-free escape from your day-to-day academic work. This is a vivid and engaging account of the life of Slovak au pairs in London. Written for the specialist and non-specialist alike, it offers great insight into the problems of intercultural communication, structured by the fundamental contradictions of the institution of the au pair." Journal of Intercultural Studies "Miller and Burikova's criticisms are all too real" The Times "A highly engaging read, which begs the question: why is more scholarly work not written in this way?" Social & Cultural Geography "A useful resource for all interested in both migration and gender studies. It challenges steretypes on the one hand of the au pair as an uneducated, poor and sexualised object and of host parents as cold, uncaring and exploitative on the other. It provides a huge amount of rich ethnographic data that challenge readers to think differently about family life, domestic tasks and the migration of young women." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies "With its fine-grained ethnographic detail, skillfully presented in vivid prose, this book illuminates every aspect of the hopes, fantasies and frustrations that constitute the frequently troubled ties and misunderstandings between au pairs and their employers. A huge pleasure to read, Au Pair provides a definitive, indispensable text for addressing this increasingly prevalent facet of family life, with its own suggestions for improving the lives of both au pairs and the families in which they reside." Lynne Segal, Birkbeck College and author of Why Feminism? "A long overdue book that deals sensitively with the experiences of both au pairs and host families. It moves between individual stories and their social context to reveal the tensions and the potential of this unique relationship." Bridget Anderson, University of OxfordTable of ContentsAcknowledgements vii Prologue 1 1 Why Not? 5 2 An Embarrassing Presence 32 3 The Hard Work and the Soft Touch 60 4 Sort of English 87 5 Bored in Beddlingham 114 6 Men 137 7 Out of Time 156 8 Conclusion: Structure, Behaviour and Consequence 171 Appendix: Academic Studies of Domestic Labour 184 References 200 Index 204

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Book SynopsisThis leading, authoritative textbook has been carefully and substantially revised to provide the indispensable foundational resource for the sociology of work. The fourth edition has been transformed to combine unrivalled explanations of classic theories with the most cutting-edge research, data and debates.Trade Review"This new text provides a remarkably comprehensive overview of the world of work, rich in its coverage of diverse disciplinary perspectives, and offering historical, contemporary and future-oriented accounts of working patterns and controversies. And it does what many texts claim and few deliver – that is, it pays detailed attention to issues of gender and race as well as class."Jill Rubery, Manchester Business School "A magnificent new edition that manages to combine key theories, analysis of contemporary changes in the service economy and speculation about the future of work – all in an admirably accessible style. An indispensable text for students of labour geography as well as for sociologists of work and employment."Linda McDowell, University of OxfordTable of ContentsIntroduction1. What is Work?2. Work in Historical Perspective3. Classical Approaches to Work: Marx, Durkheim and Weber4. Contemporary Theories of Work Organization5. Class, Industrial Conflict and the Labour Process6. Gender, Patriarchy and Trade Unions7. Race, Ethnicity and Labour Markets: Recruitment and the Politics of Exclusion8. Working Technology9. Contemporary Work: The Service Sector and the Knowledge Economy10. The Meaning of Work in the Contemporary Economy11. Work in the Global EconomyGlossary

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a reasoned, unflinching analysis of how race and paid work are linked in U.S. society. It offers readers the rich conceptual and empirical foundation needed to understand key issues surrounding both race and work.Trade Review“Race and Work offers an engaging and thought-provoking analysis of the connections between race, ethnicity, and work opportunities and experiences. The book counteracts color-blind myths by situating persistent work-related race inequities in structures as well as interactions, invisible as well as visible racist practices. Loscocco invites readers to the discussion by skilfully creating a narrative based in logic and evidence. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in how and why race inequality persists.” Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Duke University and 2018 President of the American Sociological Association “Loscocco brings much-needed attention to the complex relationship between race and work. Not only does she bring historical evidence to bear on current-day workplace racial inequalities, but she goes beyond the usual conversation about black–white differences, discussing the work experiences of Native American tribe members and emphasizing differences among Asian and Hispanic subgroups.” Julie Kmec, Washington State UniversityTable of Contents Introduction 1. Race and Work: Laying the Conceptual Groundwork 2. The Roots of Race-Based Work Inequalities 3 Activism and Entrepreneurship 4. The Past is in the Present: Persistent Work Inequalities 5. Explaining Race Differences in Work Outcomes 6. Trending Race and Work Issues 7. Reducing Racial Inequities at Work

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a reasoned, unflinching analysis of how race and paid work are linked in U.S. society. It offers readers the rich conceptual and empirical foundation needed to understand key issues surrounding both race and work.Trade Review“Race and Work offers an engaging and thought-provoking analysis of the connections between race, ethnicity, and work opportunities and experiences. The book counteracts color-blind myths by situating persistent work-related race inequities in structures as well as interactions, invisible as well as visible racist practices. Loscocco invites readers to the discussion by skilfully creating a narrative based in logic and evidence. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in how and why race inequality persists.” Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Duke University and 2018 President of the American Sociological Association “Loscocco brings much-needed attention to the complex relationship between race and work. Not only does she bring historical evidence to bear on current-day workplace racial inequalities, but she goes beyond the usual conversation about black–white differences, discussing the work experiences of Native American tribe members and emphasizing differences among Asian and Hispanic subgroups.” Julie Kmec, Washington State UniversityTable of Contents Introduction 1. Race and Work: Laying the Conceptual Groundwork 2. The Roots of Race-Based Work Inequalities 3 Activism and Entrepreneurship 4. The Past is in the Present: Persistent Work Inequalities 5. Explaining Race Differences in Work Outcomes 6. Trending Race and Work Issues 7. Reducing Racial Inequities at Work

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Book SynopsisUnderstanding why low-skilled workers in developing countries migrated to Iraq to support the US War on Terror.Trade Review"This book will no doubt stimulate further sociological research in many ways. It is elegantly composed, informatively written, and carefully argued. Moreover, Thomas cautiously and courageously addresses both urgent social issues and the previous research used in the analysis." American Journal of Sociology“Through a meticulous and cohesive mixture of migrants’ perspectives, empirical evidence, theoretical grounding, and policy recommendations, Contract Workers, Risk, and the War in Iraq presents a thoughtful discussion on labor migration that adds tremendously to the fields of public policy, political science, international relations, and African studies.” Abdul Karim Bangura, American University"Throughout his text, Thomas skillfully weaves together a myriad of methodologies and ideologies from disparate disciplines to critically analyze the contemporary phenomenon of Sierra Leonean labor migration to a conflict zone. Perhaps most significantly, Thomas's study bears the question of the role and responsibility of the American military in developing and enforcing policies for the fair recruitment, treatment, and protection of laborers, particularly in high-risk situations, where it is increasingly employing migratory contract workers. The contemporary cost of waging war needs to better account for the assumption of risk by migrant laborers, who increasingly find themselves employed in places where few others dare to go." H-War"Contract Workers, Risk, and the War in Iraq is a significant contribution to scholarship on military contracting and raises important questions about high-risk migration into warzones." International Migration Review"Thomas's exploration of race, in particular in looking at dynamics between African migrants and African-American soldiers, is rich and could be a study in and of itself. The processes and products of return migration that Thomas interrogates, specificall"Thomas' account of contract workers in Iraq provides detailed and first-hand insights from contract workers on military bases that will help to inform wider sociological work investigating the nature of contract work in the 21st century in all its forms.

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Book SynopsisSince the turn of the twenty-first century, Canadian unions have scored a number of important Supreme Court victories, securing constitutional rights to picket, bargain collectively, and strike. But how did the labour movement, historically hostile to judicial intervention in labour relations, come to embrace legal activism as a first line of defense as opposed to a last resort? Unions in Court documents the evolution of the Canadian labour movement's engagement with the Charter, demonstrating how and why labour has adopted a controversial, Charter-based legal strategy to challenge and change legislation that restricts union rights. This book's in-depth examination of constitutional labour rights will have critical implications for labour movements as well as activists in other fields. Trade Review"Larry Savage and Charles Smith in Unions in Court: Organized Labour and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms provide a lively and illuminating account of the evolution of Canadian labour law[…]" -- Braham Dabscheck * Industrial Relations / Relations industrielles *Unions in Court is a key account of a vital piece of Canadian history and is a must-read for anyone involved in labour law. It should find its way into public, academic, courthouse, and government libraries, and, of course, the collection of any private firm with a labour department. -- Ken Fox, Reference Librarian, Law Society of Saskatchewan Library * Canadian Law Library Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Law, Workers, and Courts1 Labour Rights in the Pre-Charter Era2 Disorganized Labour and the Charter of Rights3 Canadian Labour and the First Era of Charter Challenges4 A Legal Response to Neoliberalism5 The Possibilities and Limitations of Constitutional Labour Rights6 A New Era of Constitutional Labour RightsConclusion: Which Way Forward?Notes; References; Index

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Book SynopsisSince the turn of the twenty-first century, Canadian unions have scored a number of important Supreme Court victories, securing constitutional rights to picket, bargain collectively, and strike. But how did the labour movement, historically hostile to judicial intervention in labour relations, come to embrace legal activism as a first line of defense as opposed to a last resort? Unions in Court documents the evolution of the Canadian labour movement's engagement with the Charter, demonstrating how and why labour has adopted a controversial, Charter-based legal strategy to challenge and change legislation that restricts union rights. This book's in-depth examination of constitutional labour rights will have critical implications for labour movements as well as activists in other fields. Trade Review"Larry Savage and Charles Smith in Unions in Court: Organized Labour and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms provide a lively and illuminating account of the evolution of Canadian labour law[…]" -- Braham Dabscheck * Industrial Relations / Relations industrielles *Unions in Court is a key account of a vital piece of Canadian history and is a must-read for anyone involved in labour law. It should find its way into public, academic, courthouse, and government libraries, and, of course, the collection of any private firm with a labour department. -- Ken Fox, Reference Librarian, Law Society of Saskatchewan Library * Canadian Law Library Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Law, Workers, and Courts1 Labour Rights in the Pre-Charter Era2 Disorganized Labour and the Charter of Rights3 Canadian Labour and the First Era of Charter Challenges4 A Legal Response to Neoliberalism5 The Possibilities and Limitations of Constitutional Labour Rights6 A New Era of Constitutional Labour RightsConclusion: Which Way Forward?Notes; References; Index

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Book SynopsisUsing research from an innovative, cross-national project, this book answers fundamental questions about the nature of work in modern life. An important contribution to the global study of human development across the lifespan, this book contains a wealth of information and valuable instruments.Trade Review"Destined to be a classic reference for every serious scholar ofcareer development theory and for practitioners of careercounseling around the world. Sets standards of scope, quality,integrity, and integration is cross-national comparisons that willnot soon be matched." --Edwin L. Herr, distinguished professor ofeducation, Pennsylvania State University "Offers a stimulating discussion around the questions of study.Professionals interested in career assessment, vocationalcounseling, personnel selection and program evaluation can benefitfrom the instrumentation yielded by this study."Table of ContentsPart One: Introduction 1. Studies of the Meaning of Work: Approaches, Models, and Some ofthe Findings(Branimir Sverko, Vlasta Vizek-Vidovic) 2. The Role Concept in Career Development(David J. Gouws) 3. Values: Their Nature, Assessment, and Practical Use(Donald E.Super) 4. Developing the Work Importance Study(J. Ferreira-Marques, M. J.Miranda) Part Two: The National Projects 5. Studies of Work Importance in Australia(Janice J. Lokan,Meredith Shears) 6. The Flemish Work Importance Study(Pol Coetsier, RitaClaes) 7. The Canadian Study of Life Roles and Values(Catherine Casserly,George Fitzsimmons, Donald Macnab) 8. Life Roles and Values in Croatia: Some Results of the WorkImportance Study(Branimir Sverko, Zeljko Jerneica, AlijaKulenovica, Vlasta Vizek-Vidovic) 9. The Israeli Work Importance Study(Edgar Krau) 10. Life Roles and Values in Italy: Some Results of the WorkImportance Study(Giancarlo Trentini) 11. Work Values and Role Salience in Japanese Culture(NubuoNakanishi, Toshiki Mikawa) 12. The Work Importance Study in Poland(Elzbieta M. Hornowska,Wladislaw J. Paluchowski) 13. The Portuguese Work Importance Study(J. Ferreira-Marques) 14. The South African Work Importance Study(Ronelle Langley) 15. The Work Importance Study in the United States(Dorothy D.Nevill) Part Three: Cross-National and Topical Studies 16. The Structure and Hierarchy of Values ViewedCross-Nationally(Branimir Sverko) 17. Values in a Cross-Cultural Perspective: A FurtherAnalysis(Giancarlo Trentini, Giovanni Battista Muzio) 18. The Five Major Life Roles Viewed Cross-Nationally(AlijaKulenovic, Donald E. Super) 19. Role Commitment and Values Among Adolescents from FourCountries(Janice J. Lokan) 20. Role Salience and Time Use in Canada(Catherine Casserly, AndrewHarvey) 21. The Importance of Work in Two Waves of Cuban Immigrants to theUnited States(Dorothy D. Nevill, Andres Nazario, Jr.) 22. Role Salience in Employment and Unemployment: A Cross-NationalComparison of Canada, Belgian Flanders, and Italy(Rita Claes,Massimo Bellotto, Catherine Casserly, Pol Coetsier, Donald Macnab,Marisa Sangiorgi) Tests of the Work Importance Study Model of Role Salience(Donald E.Super) Homemakers and Employed Women in Belgian Flanders and the SoutheastUnited States(Rita Claes, Grace Martin, Pol Coetsier, Donald E.Super) Perceptions and Expectations of the Worker and Homemaker Roles inAustralia, Portugal, and the United States(Dorothy D. Nevill) Part Four: Conclusion 26. The Findings of the Work Importance Study(Branimir Sverko,Donald E. Super) AppAndixes: Values Scale Data from Different Countries: Mean Scoresand Standard Deviations in Secondary Education, Higher Education,and Adult Samples; Values Structure: Totated Factor Matrix for a Global PooledSample; Similarity of Value Factors Across the Countries: Factor CongruenceSummary Table; Value Hierarchies of National Samples; Values Scale Mean Z Scores for Secondary Education, HigherEducation, and Adult Samples in Different Countries; Mean Value Factor Scores for Secondary Education, Higher Education,and Adult Samples in Different Countries; Role Salience Data from Different Countries: Mean Scores andStandard Deviations in Secondary Education, Higher Education, andAdult Samples; Rotated Factor Structure Matrix of the Salience Measures; Overall Means and Standard Deviations of Salience Variables forSecondary Education, Higher Education, and Adult Subjects; Role Salience Z Scores for Secondary Education, Higher Education,and Adult Samples in Different Countries; Mean Factor Scores (Hierarchies of Samples) for Role Salience

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Book SynopsisEach year, hundreds of academics begin new faculty appointments. Some are just launching new careers, while others are advancing to new campuses. As faculty members and their institutions struggle to ease the passage to a new environment, they are faced with critical questions. What are the challenges of the transition process? And how does that process differ for first-time faculty and seasoned faculty? Drawing on a study conducted by researchers at the National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment, Faculty in New Jobs shows how faculty and institutions can work together to ease the transition to a new job and facilitate the process of mastering academic work. Robert Menges and his associates offer practical, real-world advice covering all phases of the faculty career--from the difficult early process of settling in, to becoming socially and academically established, to ultimately building the institutional supports necessary for a successful career.Trade Review"Perhaps the single most important book a new educator seeking to succeed in his or her chosen profession could read. Faculty in New Jobs is a highly recommAnded addition to any personal, teacher college, or university library career reference collection for educators, especially those who seek tenure or administrative advance with their school." --Wisconsin BookwatchTable of Contents1. Becoming a Newcomer, Sarah M. Dinham Part I: Settling In 2. Dilemmas of Newly Hired Faculty, Robert J. Menges 3. New Faculty Talk about Stress, Sarah M. Dinham 4. Experiences of Women, Experiences of Men, Lois Calian Trautvetter 5. Perspectives on Faculty of Color, Mia Alexander-Snow, Barbara J. Johnson 6. Mentoring and Collegiality, Rita K. Bode Part II: Getting Established 7. Learning What Students Understand, Lisa Firing Lenze, Sarah M. Dinham 8. Seeking and Using Feedback, Robert J. Menges 9. Feeling in Control, Raymond P. Perry, Verena H. Menec, C. Ward Struthers 10. Faculty Well-Being and Vitality, Charles J. Walker, Natalie M. Hale Part III: Building Institutional Supports 11. How Disciplinary Consensus Affects Faculty, John M. Braxton, Joseph B. Berger 12. Establishing a Teaching Development Culture, Jennifer Woods Quinn 13. Learning from Leavers, Shoshanah Bechhofer, Brian T. Barnhart 14. Accountability for Faculty Welfare, Lisa Firing Lenze

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Book SynopsisEveryone who struggles to meet the demands of work and personal-life responsibilities knows how tough it is to do so. This bold new book shows that it is the deeply engrained separation of work and personal life that has limited our ability to deal effectively with the conflict between them. Beyond Work-Family Balance demonstrates why the image of balance is outmoded and why a new approach -- work-personal life integration -- offers greater promise for meaningful change. Providing many examples from action research projects in more than a dozen organizations of different kinds, the authors show how using their method of integrating rather than separating personal-life considerations from the workplace can achieve positive outcomes, not only for workers but also for the work. The method offers a way of looking deeply into the work culture to find inequitable and ineffective work practices that are so embedded and routine that no one thinks to question them -- they are jusTrade ReviewA welcome contribution to theory and practice, this volume describes aprogram developed by the authors (academics and professionals experienced in the work/family and organizational behavior fields) to create a more equitable and satisfying workplace. Their program is different in that it attempts to tie together two organizational goals usually tackled separately: improving the bottom line and improving employees' ability to manage their work and personal lives. The authors' underlying beliefs that work and family life should be integrated and that when it is, gender and diversity issues will be addressed and employees will be more effective contributors to their organizations. When it is not integrated, management often experiences costs without productivity gains, while employees often feel work/family initiatives have not been successful. The authors detail actions taken in several consulting assignments with various companies, sharing surveys and meeting agendas. They describe a process that includes many discussions, frequent feedback, and reevaluation. Problems andfailures as well as successes are reported. Clients are assisted inunderstanding assumptions associated with work needs, personal requirements, communication methods, outcome measurements, and rewards. The ideas presented in this volume are provocative and the suggestions realistically appraised. Recommended for graduate, research, and professional collections. -- F. Reitman, Pace UniversityTable of ContentsPreface. The Authors. Chapter 1. Introduction: The Equity Imperative. Part 1: Context and Concepts. Chapter 2. Pursuing Equity in Gendered Organizations. Chapter 3. Linking Equity and Organizational Effectiveness:The Dual Agenda. Part 2: Collaborative Interactive Action Research (CIAR). Chapter 4. Pursuing the Dual Agenda with CIAR. Chapter 5. Making Change. Chapter 6. Walking the Talk: Reflections from the CIARTeam. Part 3: Looking Ahead. Chapter 7. Sustaining and Diffusing Equitable Change. Chapter 8. Looking Ahead to an Equitable World. Appendix: The Book in Context. Notes. Published Reports of Dual Agenda Experimentsand Additional References. Index.

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Book SynopsisThe fourth edition of Career Choice and Development brings together the most current ideas of the recognized authorities in the field of career development. This classic best-seller has been thoroughly revised and expanded to include the most influential theories of career choice and development, and it contains up-to-date information regarding the application of these theories to counseling practice. This edition contains a wide range of career development theories that explore how people develop certain traits, personalities, self-precepts, and how these developments influence career decision making. This information will challenge teachers, researchers, and those involved in fostering career development to reexamine their assumptions and practices.Table of ContentsPreface. About the Authors. Part One: Introduction and Cases. * Introduction to Theories of Career Development and Choice: Origins, Evolution, and Current Efforts (Duane Brown). * Case Studies (Duane Brown). Part Two: Sociological Perspective. * Career Choice and Development from a Sociological Perspective (Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson, Jeylan T. Mortimer). Part Three: Developmental and Postmodern Theories. * Gottfredson's Theory of Circumscription, Compromise, and Self-Creation (Linda S. Gottfredson). * Career Construction: A Developmental Theory of Vocational Behavior (Mark L. Savickas). * A Contextualist Explanation of Career (Richard A. Young, Ladislav Valach, Audrey Collin). Part Four: Career Development Theories Anchored in Learning Theory. * Social Cognitive Career Theory (Robert W. Lent, Steven D. Brown, Gail Hackett). * A Cognitive Information Processing Approach to Career Problem Solving and Decision Making (Gary W. Peterson, James P. Sampson Jr., Janet G. Lenz, Robert C. Reardon). Part Five: Trait-Factor Theories and Summation * Holland's Theory of Personalities in Work Environments (Arnold R. Spokane, Erik J. Luchetta, Matthew H. Richwine). * Person-Environment-Correspondence Theory (Rene V. Dawis). * The Role of Work Values and Cultural Values in Occupational Choice, Satisfaction, and Success: A Theoretical Statement (Duane Brown). * Status of Theories of Career Choice and Development (Duane Brown). Name Index. Subject Index.

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Book SynopsisMuch of the hoopla surrounding quality circles, teams, and high-performance work systems has been based on anecdotes and very thin evidence. It has not been established that those employee involvement strategies amount to anything more than another...Trade ReviewThis small book packs a big punch. We've long sought evidence that innovative work practices, such as teams and employee participation in problem solving, are worth the effort that it takes to implement them. Anecdotal studies and manager self-reports have offered some support that overall firm performance improves, but we've had little empirical evidence for our skeptical colleagues. Manufacturing Advantage delivers. -- Wendy S. Becker, University at Albany * Personnel Psychology *

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Book SynopsisThe widespread migration of civil servants to high-profile positions in the private and public sectors is known in Japan as amakudari, or "descent from heaven." Recent media stories associate the practice with corruption as the former officials seek...Trade ReviewAmakudari, by putting together different data sources, presents a useful, bird's-eye view of the extensive practice and serves as a good introduction to the topic, especially for those to whom the sheer scope of amakudari in Japanese society would be news. -- Koichi Nakano, Sophia University * Journal of Japanese Studies *Colignon documents the networks and informal relationships that make Japanese capitalism less than a pure market-driven system... and that there is no clear line between acceptable corporatism and corruption. * Foreign Affairs *The current debate over the nature of 'welfare capitalisms' would be greatly enriched with more material on Asian nations such as that provided by Colignon and Usui. Japan scholars, however, will also find this book extremely useful, not because of new ideas about the Japanese political-economy, but because of a wealth of new data confirming much of what we had already suspected. In no industrial society today do we find a power elite as united and commanding as in present day Japan. -- Harold R. Kerbo, California Polytechnic State University * Comparative Sociology *This volume presents a study of a set of Japanese practices collectively known as amakudari, or 'descent from heaven,' where high-level bureaucrats move from government ministries to top positions in public and private corporations as well as national politics.... In the last ten years, amakudari has become the chief obstacle to reform in Japan, and its legitimacy has been undermined by glaring government corruption and the gross mismanagement of the economy. This extremely interesting work reveals important hidden networks of influence in the Japanese political economy and contributes to further revealing the cultural specificity of Japanese capitalism. * Choice *Table of ContentsAmakudari and the political economy of Japan; Amakudari as institution; Amakudari - movement to the private sector; Yokosuberi and public corporations; Wataridori and private and public corporations; Chii Riyo and the movement to political office; Amakudari as power structure.

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Book SynopsisIn Urban Flow, Jeffrey L. Kidder introduces readers to the fascinating subculture of bike messengers, exploring its appeal as well as its uncertainties and dangers.Trade ReviewUrban Flow is a view of the cool urban culture that messengers have grown on the barren soil of the service economy, and reverberates with cycling's visceral pleasure. * American Journal of Sociology *Urban Flow's principle contribution is a call to sociologists of culture to more thoroughly examine emotions, space, and the relationship between the two; emotions are emplaced, and physical structures significantly shape interaction. Through what Kidder calls the 'affective appropriation of space' messengers resist the conformist, rationalized world of the city, affording moments, however small, of creativity and liberation. -- Ross Haenfler * Qualitative Sociology *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Lure of Delivery 1. The Job 2. The Lifestyle 3. Men's Work and Dirty Work 4. Playing in Traffi 5. The Deep Play of Alleycats 6. The Aff ective Appropriation of Space 7. The Meaning of Messenger Style Conclusion: The Politics of Appropriation

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Book SynopsisAs the world's factory China exerts an enormous pressure on workers around the world. Many nations have had to adjust to a new global political and economic reality, and so has China. Its workers and its official trade union federation have had to contend with rapid changes in industrial relations. Anita Chan argues that Chinese labor is too often viewed from a prism of exceptionalism and too rarely examined comparatively, even though valuable insights can be derived by analyzing China's workforce and labor relations side by side with the systems of other nations. The contributors to Chinese Workers in Comparative Perspective compare labor issues in China with those in the United States, Australia, Japan, India, Pakistan, Germany, Russia, Vietnam, and Taiwan. They also draw contrasts among different types of workplaces within China. The chapters address labor regimes and standards, describe efforts to reshape industrial relations to improve the circumstances of workersTrade ReviewMost academic research about the working conditions of Chinese factory workers has been focused on China itself, with little or no reference and comparison to workers and working conditions in other countries. However, this new book edited by Chan (China Research Center, Univ. of Technology, Sydney, Australia) attempts to convince readers that China is not exceptional and that it is critical to use a comparative perspective as an analytical tool to explain Chinas labor conditions. -- R.M. Ramazani * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Fallacy of Chinese Exceptionalism by Anita ChanPart I. Historical and Structural Developments1. Exporting Corporatism? German and Japanese Transnationals' Regimes of Production in China by Boy Lüthje2. Globalization and Labor in China and the United States: Convergence and Divergence by Mingwei Liu, Frederick Scott Bentley, Mary Huong Thi Evans, and Susan J. SchurmanPart II. Labor Standards3. Recomposing Chinese Migrant and State-Sector Workers by Kevin Lin4. Industrial Upgrading and Work: The Impact of Industrial Transformation on Labor in Guangdong’s Garment and IT Industries by Florian Butollo5. The Working and Living Conditions of Garment Workers in China and Vietnam: A Comparative Study by Kaxton Siu6. Race to the Bottom: The Soccer Ball Industry in China, Pakistan, and India by Anita Chan, Hong Xue, Peter Lund-Thomsen, Khalid Nadvi, and Navjote KharaPart III. Trade Unions, Collective Bargaining, and the Right to Strike7. Labor NGOs under State Corporatism: Comparing China since the 1990s with Taiwan in the 1980s by Chris King-chi Chan and Yu-bin Chiu8. One Step Forward: Collective Bargaining Experiments in Vietnam and China by Katie Quan9. Creating a Right to Strike in China: Some Lessons from the Australian Experience by Thomas Nice and Sean Cooney10. Trade Union Reform in Russia and China: Harmony, Partnership, and Power from Below by Tim PringleNotes Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisIn Building China, Sarah Swider draws on her research in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai between 2004 and 2012, including living in an enclave, working on construction jobsites, and interviews with eighty-three migrants, managers, and labor contractors. Her ethnography focuses on the work, family, and social lives of construction workers in China.Trade ReviewThe contributions of Building China are vast. Swider's call for a new language for under- standing informal labor is important and refreshing: it points toward new directions of inquiry in a field of labor studies that has fallen out of academic vogue in a political moment when it is most needed. -- Julia Chuang, Boston College * Industrial Labor Relations Review *Table of Contents1. Building China and the Making of a New Working Class2. The Hukou System, Migration, and the Construction Industry3. Mediated Employment: A City of Walls4. Embedded Employment: A City of Villages5. Individual Employment: A City of Violence6. Protest and Organizing among Informal Workers under Restrictive Regimes7. Informal Precarious Workers, Protests, and Precarious AuthoritarianismAppendix A. Methods, Sampling, and Access Appendix B. List of Construction Sites Appendix C. List of InterviewsNotes References Index

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Book SynopsisEver wonder what it would be like to be a Parisian street magician? A fish farmer in Norway? A costume designer in Bollywood? This playful and accessible book looks at different types of work around the world.Trade Review"I read with real pleasure and enjoyment this imaginative collection of essays produced mostly by established anthropologists, and a few others who are practitioners of their crafts, on a quirky diversity of jobs. Charmingly, Ilana Gershon offers this collection as 'a graduation gift to my students, a bouquet of possibilities so that you can start thinking in concrete detail about what you need to know to do many different kinds of unusual jobs.' A very valuable gift indeed for the sorts of job markets that a highly cosmopolitan and ethnically diverse college student body faces today. I was charmed by its imaginative and readable format, and A World of Work is also quite a deep collection on the nature of work in a number of specializations. It is for anyone who enjoys the drama, humor, and achievement of applying learned skills in everyday life." -- George E. Marcus, Director of the Center for Ethnography, University of California, Irvine, co,-author of Designs for an Anthropology of the Contemporary"This delightful book takes the reader into the everyday work lives of people all over the world. What is it like to be doctor in Malawi, a magician in Paris, a crime scene investigator in Sweden? Each chapter is unexpected and engaging. You'll discover your own work and cultural underpinnings by experiencing how different life is for others. This is the most interesting and entertaining job-oriented book I’ve read in a long time." -- Nicholas Lore, best-selling author of The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and SuccessTable of ContentsIntroduction by Ilana Gershon1. Letter to a Young Malawian Doctor by Claire Wendland and Chiwoza Bandawe2. What You Need to Know to Be a Fish Farmer in West Norway by Marianne Elisabeth Lien and John Law3. How to Be a Magician in Paris by Graham M. Jones with Loïc Marquet4. Being a Village Court Magistrate in Papua New Guinea by Melissa Demian5. The Chaplain: Being a Physician of the Soul in a Secular Age by Winnifred Fallers Sullivan and Christopher Swift6. Being a Crime Scene Technician in Sweden by Corinna Kruse7. Playing Piano without a Piano in Bolivia by Michelle Bigenho8. Making Do in Perpetual Crisis: How to Be a Journalist in Buryatia by Kathryn E. Graber9. How to Be a Professional Organizer in the United States by Carrie M. Lane10. The Character in Question: How to Design Film Costumes in India by Lovleen Bains and Clare Wilkinson11. Reflections from a Life on the Line: How to Be a Factory Worker by Caitrin Lynch and Warren Chamberlain12. How to Be a Cell Phone Repair Technician by Amanda Kemble, Briel Kobak, Joshua A. Bell, and Joel Kuipers13. Becoming a Professional Wrestler in Mexico City by Heather Levi14. The Pains and Peaks of Being a Ballerina in London by Helena WulffAfterword by Jean LaveList of Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisJohn W. Budd contends that the turbulence of the current workplace and the importance of work for individuals and society make it vitally important that employment be given "a human face." Contradicting the traditional view of the employment...Trade ReviewIn this book, John W. Budd articulates a stimulating (re)conceptualization of the employment relationship in modern society.... He brings together a rich treatment of industrial relations and human resource management perspectives under the eclectic rubric of HRIR. Budd concludes by making a valuable call for a renaissance in the subject area through stronger multidisciplinary linkages. The challenge is for those who study and research HRIR to make this a reality by taking forward the agenda with research and debate. -- Tony Dundon * Comparative Labor and Policy Journal Vol 24 No 3 *This is a very good book.... Budd's scholarship is impressive, and he marshals his material in a clear, systematic fashion, which both affords a worthwhile taxonomy and also supports his theoretical position.... Budd takes an unfashionable direction by aiming to articulate explicit ethical points as the foundation for detailed analysis of industrial relations arrangements, but he does so deliberately and carefully is an attempt to show that popular economic models are not the only systematic basis that can be set out as a foundation for critical appraisal of work arrangements. It is difficult to imagine how he might have done better. -- Chris Provis, University of South Australia * The Journal of Industrial Relations *Budd presents a powerful case for reform of American employment relations. He focuses primarily on three dimensions of work: efficiency, equity, and voice.... This book is a well-researched and thoughtful analysis of an important subject. * Choice *Employment with a Human Face is essentially an argument in favor of equally balancing the needs of efficient production, labor market equity, and employee voice. According to Budd, this triad of employment concepts is often out of balance, and results in inefficient production, underemployment, or poor worker satisfaction. Balancing that triad, in Budd's view will provide the best of all possible outcomes for the employment relationship and for the economy at large.... The strength of the book comes in Budd's ability to line up different schools of thought about the employment relationship, such as industrial relations, human relations, or critical industrial relations, with their ethical underpinnings. -- Joel Schoening, University of Oregon * Newsletter of Organizations, Occupations, and Work *It's a tall order to bring together the past century of labour relations research into a cohesive picture, especially if the system in question operates at various levels, from grievances on the shop floor to the globalization of labour standards. But Budd gives it the best shot in recent memory. Employment with a Human Face is really a book out of the blue.... Budd is an engaging writer with a talent for describing arcane IR topics in a way that is accessible not only to university students, but to anyone with even a passing interest in labour relations.... Employment with a Human Face offers much that is new. It is a work of original scholarship whose explanations of complex ideas are as clear as they are relevant. -- Rafael Gomez, London School of Economics * Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations *

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Book SynopsisThis book brings together research in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand to answer a series of key questions...Trade ReviewWhat Workers Say examines the voice that employees have, and want, in the workplace and the role played by unions, employers, and governments in expanding, or restricting, that voice. The authors are interested in assessing and comparing what forms of employee voice are able to meet the needs and wants of workers in six nations: Australia, Britain, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States. * Work and Occupations *Freeman, Boxall, and Haynes provide the results of comprehensive on employee voice and the implications of their findings for labor unions in six countries.... Of the countries studied, the US has the most rigid, outmoded form of employee voice. Highly recommended. -- G. E. Kaupins * Choice *

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Book SynopsisRoland Erne''s view of transnational trade union networks challenges the assertion that no realistic prospect exists for remedying the European Union''s democratic deficitthat is, its domination by corporate interests and lack of a cohesive European people. His book describes the emergence of a European trade union movement that crosses national boundaries. Erne assesses national and EU-level trade union politics in two core areas: wage bargaining in the European Monetary Union and job protection during transnational corporate mergers and restructuring. The wage coordination policies of the European metal and construction workers'' unions and the unions'' responses in the ABB-Alstom Power and Alcan-Pechiney-Algroup merger cases, Erne finds, show that the activities of labor are not confined to the national level: labor''s policies have undergone Europeanization. This cross-national borrowing of tactics is itself proof of the increasing integration of European states and societies.Trade ReviewEuropean Unions is a very useful, well-constructed, and welcome contribution to a growing literature on the coordination of unions at the European level and is particularly valuable for its case studies. Erne handles the complexities of his subject well, applies his theoretical framework in a convincing way, and provides enough well-marshaled detail to persuade the reader of at least parts of his case. * Industrial Relations *Erne provides strong empirical evidence that unions not only are affected by European integration but also affect future EU developments through their actions. Erne provides readers with a timely and useful analysis of the ways that economic integration is changing the power resources of organized labor in Europe, the types of strategies unions have developed in response, and the role that labor may play in shaping the political development of the EU down the road. * Industrial and Labor Relations Review *Erne's pertinent study of European trade unionism is a sophisticated, nuanced examination of organized labor's attempt to create a transnational democracy in the EU. * Choice *Though European Unions is several years old, the book's discussion and analytic considerations relating to citizenry, democracy, collective action and bargaining, and governance remain topical. Indeed, the book's central claims are worth revisiting considering the trade union and labor resistance to austerity measures being implemented throughout Europe today. * Critical Sociology *Table of Contents1. IntroductionPart I. Analytical Framework2. Approaching Euro-Democracy and Its Alternatives3. Do Unions Have an Interest in Euro-Democratization?Part II. European Labor Wage-Bargaining Strategies4. Wage Policy and the European Monetary Union5. The Rise of National Competitive Corporatism6. European Wage-Bargaining Coordination Networks: Insights from the Manufacturing and the Construction Industry7. Beyond Competitive Corporatism?: Insights from Germany, France, and ItalyPart III. Responses by Labor to Transnational Company Mergers8. The European Regulation of Transnational Company Mergers9. A Euro-Democratization Union Strategy: The ABB Alstom Power Case10. A Euro-Technocratization Union Strategy: The Alcan-Pechiney-Algroup Case11. ConclusionNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisTemporary agencies place approximately two and a half million people in jobs each day in the United States. Every year, about twelve million people use these placement agencies to find temporary work. Many Americans, even those who desire permanent...Trade ReviewIn The Good Temp, Vicki Smith and Esther Neuwirth examine the process of market-making in the segment of the temporary help industry in which agencies place workers with relatively limited skills into temporary, entry-level clerical, administrative, and light manufacturing positions. The strength of this book is that it does not conclude with the content analysis, as a typical journal might. Rather, it uses data from participant observation to show how temporary help agencies attempt to make the promise of 'the good temp' a reality. The book argues that the temporary help industry did not simply argue that it was possible for firms to employ good temps; rather, they implemented operating practices that created 'good temps.'. * Administrative Science Quarterly *The argument made throughout the book is that the increased use of temporary employment over time was not simply a result of an increase in demand for that kind of work, but rather was the result of the wide-spread adoption of attitudes and beliefs within the corporate world regarding the supposed benefits of temporary labor; attitudes and beliefs which had been carefully constructed by the THS industry itself.... Smith and Neuwirth's book is an extremely balanced account of temp agencies and temporary employment.... It will make compelling reading for anyone interested in this particular subject matter, and it provides is a fascinating window into the world of temporary employment and the THS industry. -- James Skinner * Qualitative Sociology Review *This clearly argued, readable, and perceptive book is laudable for its refusal to accept the functionalist logic that temporary work and workers arise unproblematically out of market 'necessity,' and for its corresponding analysis of how particular employment relations are culturally legitimated and organizationally embedded. I especially appreciate the innovative use of ethnography to study practices and connections among individual and institutional actors in a labor market, rather than the internal workings of a single organization. * American Journal of Sociology *Table of Contents1. The Temporary Advantage: Introduction2. The Social Construction of New Markets and Products3. "We're Not Body Pushers": Constructing a Pool of Good Temps4. Softening “Rough and Tough Managers”: Creating “Good Enough” Jobs for Temps5. Shaping and Stabilizing the Personnel Policy Environment6. Do Good Enough Temporary Jobs Make Good Enough Temporary Employment? The Case for Transitional MobilityAppendix I: Analyzing the Management MediaAppendix II: Frequently Asked Questions about the Economic and Legal Dimensions of Temporary EmploymentNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisAs the world's factory China exerts an enormous pressure on workers around the world. Many nations have had to adjust to a new global political and economic reality, and so has China. Its workers and its official trade union federation have had to contend with rapid changes in industrial relations. Anita Chan argues that Chinese labor is too often viewed from a prism of exceptionalism and too rarely examined comparatively, even though valuable insights can be derived by analyzing China's workforce and labor relations side by side with the systems of other nations. The contributors to Chinese Workers in Comparative Perspective compare labor issues in China with those in the United States, Australia, Japan, India, Pakistan, Germany, Russia, Vietnam, and Taiwan. They also draw contrasts among different types of workplaces within China. The chapters address labor regimes and standards, describe efforts to reshape industrial relations to improve the circumstances of workersTrade ReviewMost academic research about the working conditions of Chinese factory workers has been focused on China itself, with little or no reference and comparison to workers and working conditions in other countries. However, this new book edited by Chan (China Research Center, Univ. of Technology, Sydney, Australia) attempts to convince readers that China is not exceptional and that it is critical to use a comparative perspective as an analytical tool to explain Chinas labor conditions. -- R.M. Ramazani * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Fallacy of Chinese Exceptionalism by Anita ChanPart I. Historical and Structural Developments1. Exporting Corporatism? German and Japanese Transnationals' Regimes of Production in China by Boy Lüthje2. Globalization and Labor in China and the United States: Convergence and Divergence by Mingwei Liu, Frederick Scott Bentley, Mary Huong Thi Evans, and Susan J. SchurmanPart II. Labor Standards3. Recomposing Chinese Migrant and State-Sector Workers by Kevin Lin4. Industrial Upgrading and Work: The Impact of Industrial Transformation on Labor in Guangdong’s Garment and IT Industries by Florian Butollo5. The Working and Living Conditions of Garment Workers in China and Vietnam: A Comparative Study by Kaxton Siu6. Race to the Bottom: The Soccer Ball Industry in China, Pakistan, and India by Anita Chan, Hong Xue, Peter Lund-Thomsen, Khalid Nadvi, and Navjote KharaPart III. Trade Unions, Collective Bargaining, and the Right to Strike7. Labor NGOs under State Corporatism: Comparing China since the 1990s with Taiwan in the 1980s by Chris King-chi Chan and Yu-bin Chiu8. One Step Forward: Collective Bargaining Experiments in Vietnam and China by Katie Quan9. Creating a Right to Strike in China: Some Lessons from the Australian Experience by Thomas Nice and Sean Cooney10. Trade Union Reform in Russia and China: Harmony, Partnership, and Power from Below by Tim PringleNotes Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisThis study of CAMI Automotive, a unionized joint venture between General Motors and Suzuki, is the most comprehensive ever undertaken of a lean production plant. James Rinehart, Christopher Huxley, and David Robertson address a topic that has inspired...Trade ReviewFor purposes of teaching comparative industrial relations of teams in organization theory, this is a useful primer. * New Technology, Work, and Employment *Just Another Car Factory? is, without a doubt, one of the most important publications to appear in the literature on Japanese work organization. It is a study of working conditions at CAMI, a joint GM/Suzuki venture located in Ingersoll, Canada, and organized according to Suzuki's version of Japanese or 'lean' production.... The book unequivocally demonstrates that work, working conditions, and work life in this plant do not correspond, in any way, to the idealized picture painted by advocates of the Japanese system. * Choice *The systematic and longitudinal surveying of employee attitudes... is a welcome feature of this book. * Industrial Relations Journal *This excellent work presents not only high-quality research linked to an overall research question, but also surprisingly rich data. Findings are displayed comprehensively, concisely, and with either avoidance or skillful explication of typical 'lean production' jargon. * Industrial and Labor Relations Review *This text provides a solid introduction to lean production as practiced in manufacturing today, and would be an excellent supplement to upper-division undergraduate as well as graduate courses focused on the labor process, labor-management relations, and/or studies of the manufacturing industries. * Contemporary Sociology *

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Book SynopsisIndustrial relations experts from eleven countries consider the state of the automobile industry worldwide.Trade ReviewAn informative book that provides an excellent overview of developments in the global auto industry. * American Journal of Sociology *For anyone interested in international trends in human resource management practices, reviews of lean production in practice, or detailed comparisons of manufacturing operations by nation in the car industry, After Lean Production is a valuable resource.... After Lean Production is a rich collection of case studies, offering detailed pictures of the manufacturing practices and employment policies of a number of plants. The case studies are... well written and informative. This volume... can be recommended for the scholar or practitioner who wants to learn more about how international trends in human resources practices are shaped and molded by the national institutions, laws, and traditions. * Personnel Psychology *The essays are useful because they analyze recent changes in the organization of work in various national automobile industries, connect these changes, in almost all cases, to some type of 'crisis,' and demonstrate that these changes are inspired by Japanese methods of so-called 'lean production.'... The relevance and timeliness of the essays make this book a worthy addition to any collection on the world auto industry. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisWhy do Americans work so hard? Are the long hours spent at work really necessary to increase organizational productivity? Leslie A. Perlow documents the worklife of employees who assume that for their own success and the success of their organization they must put in extended hours on the job. Perlow doesn''t buy it. She challenges the basic assumption that the more employees work, the better the corporation will do.For nine months, Perlow studied the work practices of a product development team of software engineers at a Fortune 500 corporation. She reports her findings in detailed stories about individual employees and in more analytic chapters. Perlow first describes the individual heroics necessary to succeed in the existing work culture. She then explains how the system of rewards perpetuates crises and continuous interruptions,while discouraging cooperation. Finally, she shows how the resulting work practices damage both organizational productivity and the quality of individuaTrade Review"In her brilliant, qualitative study of the high pressure work culture of engineers, Leslie Perlow gives us a picture of workers in a chronic sense of crisis, pelted by interruptions and too busy to help colleagues. This work culture sucks time out of workers' home lives, and—here's the surprise—it also hurts the bottom line. This is must reading for anyone who manages workers, and for any worker who's managed." -- Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work"It's not how hard you work, it's how you work—this is the idea of Finding Time... As long as 'efficiency and effectiveness are simply not valued to the same degree as physical presence and sacrifices in life outside of work,' Perlow suggest, both corporation and employees will suffer." -- Judith Newman, New York Times Book Review"Perlow is an excellent storyteller. She captivates her readers through vivid and poignant accounts of the lives of the engineers, at times letting the anguished voices of the spouses be heard.... This well-written book addresses an important issue in today's workplace where people are being asked to work both harder and smarter.... Finding Time is worthwhile reading for a number of audiences. For researchers, it provides an excellent example of qualitative research. In addition, this book reminds individuals who are involved in implementing flexible work policies that, to be effective, such policies should be consistent with the organization's reward structure and cultural norms. It suggests to managers that they may wish to rethink their notions of productivity and what makes for a productive employee. For individuals whose work requires both individual effort and interaction with others, this book offers an innovative and practical solution for combating constant interruptions. Finally, to all of us,... this book presents an interesting opportunity to reconsider our personal definitions of success and what (or who) we are willing to sacrifice in the process of achieving success. Why win the (rat) race if there is no one at the finish line with you?""Perlow's book goes beyond the usual 'solutions' to work/family conflicts to offer innovative and practical solutions that benefit both men and women at work and at home." -- Joanne Martin, Stanford University (Business)"Perlow's evidence from her extensive fieldwork for this book is reason enough to read it.... Finding Time will give the reader a close look at engineering work inside a large corporation and much to think about. The book is accessible to a broad range of readers, and it would be useful in graduate and undergraduate courses on work-related matters." -- Clifford L. Staples, Review of Radical Political Economics, September 1999"There is often a negative effect on family life when professionals work long hours. Perlow sets out to determine if, in spite of the personal consequences, the corporation benefits when professionals work long hours.... The book tells the sad tale of a workforce that suffers the consequences of long hours under the assumption that accommodation to work demands will bring both personal and corporate success.... The author concludes that with long work hours there is so much wasted time through interruptions, time taken to help others or to be helped, and a constant crisis mentality that no one benefits. Perlow gives advice for improving the situation, including a shift from individual to team achievement.""This book is an elegant and readable argument for consideration of a real and contemporary social problem.""This study makes explicit a set of time dynamics that have been tough to grasp. The result is a vivid portrait of the vicious circles that often undermine our naive belief that time is something we can manage." -- Karl Weick, University of Michigan"Using single men, working mothers and working fathers as examples, Perlow presents employees' chronicles in which they detail everything they do from when they get up to arrival at the office to lunchtime to going to bed.... While there are real difficulties—working mothers, rather than fathers, still have more responsibilities at home and will stay home with a sick child—there are also issues of perception. Driven, successful people are perceived to work long hours, to expand their workdays to include formal and impromptu discussions. So, while some employees requested flexible schedules, flextime seemed to hinder an employee's chances for promotion.... As a portrait of what is an all-too-common situation—employees finding there aren't enough hours in the day to meet their work and family demands—this is an interesting portrait."

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Book SynopsisThe importance of customer service is widely emphasized in business today. This book offers the first comprehensive analysis of the organization and dynamics of front-line work. The volume is based on a four-year study of over a thousand employees and...Trade ReviewA detailed and rigorously executed study of the nature of front-line work.... On the Front Line will be essential reading for anyone interested in research on work. In a very positive way it raises as many questions as it answers. -- Jim Kitay, University of Sydney * The Journal of Industrial Relations *Given the paucity of well-planned and capably executed research on the topic, this book makes a very important contribution to our understanding of factors that shape emerging 'front-line' work and workers.... Frenkel et al.'s five-year cross-national comparative study is the most comprehensive study of these workers to date. -- Motohiro Morishima, Hitotsubashi University * Industrial and Labor Relations Review *The aim of these rich chapters is to show that the world of work is more complex than has been captured in traditional studies.... Aside from being a great example of the virtues of organizational research, this book also demonstrates how difficult it is to make sense of the current transitions in the workplace. -- Kevin Ward, University of Manchester * Journal of Economic Geography *On the Front Line offers scholars of work organization and the new economy much food for thought. Its close, systematic attention to front-line jobs is especially valuable and needed. -- Amy S. Wharton, Washington State University * Contemporary Sociology *As the authors show, customer-service representatives must walk the delicate line between sincerity and disingenuousness: They must be friendly and helpful to demanding customers while watching out for their employers' interests.... A strong customer-service organization often makes the difference between a successful company and an unsuccessful one. On the Front Line shows us why. -- Matthew Price * Lingua Franca *The shift from manufacturing to services has important implications for human resource management.... This study is a sophisticated, rigorous exploration of trends in employment. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisOver the years, Edward Fowler, an American academic, became a familiar presence in San''ya, a run-down neighborhood in northeastern Tokyo. The city''s largest day-labor market, notorious for its population of casual laborers, drunks, gamblers, and vagrants, has been home for more than half a century to anywhere from five to fifteen thousand men who cluster in the mornings at a crossroads called Namidabashi (Bridge of Tears) in hopes of getting work. The day-labor market, along with gambling and prostitution, is run by Japan''s organized crime syndicates, the yakuza. Working as a day laborer himself, Fowler kept a diary of his experiences. He also talked with day laborers and local merchants, union leaders and bureaucrats, gangsters and missionaries. The resulting oral histories, juxtaposed with Fowler''s narrative and diary entries, bring to life a community on the margins of contemporary Japan.Located near a former outcaste neighborhood, on what was once a public execution gTrade ReviewA fascinating glossary.... Haunting photographs.... All readers must agree that San'ya Blues does indeed give a sense of the 'price paid by a great many' for Japan's economic success, as the author intends, and does so with a respect for historic and social differences.... What this highly personalized fieldwork offers us is crucial glimpses into the relationships incorporating the labor of unwanted men into the nationalized political economy of post high economic growth Japan. -- Miriam Silverberg * Journal of Asian Studies *A fascinating book.... Fowler has brought San'ya to life by describing the men he met not as titillating images of despair, but as individual human beings, each with a personal story to tell. -- Ian Buruma * New York Review of Books *A remarkable insight into... Japan.... Fowler's highly descriptive account is vividly personal and a fascinating read. -- Meir Ronnen * The Jerusalem Post Magazine *Accepted by the day-laborers, Fowler was able to gain a confidence that... allows him to present life-stories in ways both informative and surprising.... Fowler's unabashedly personal approach guarantees not only that the book's subject come refreshingly alive, but that its author does as well. * Times Literary Supplement *Anyone who believes that Japanese society is a homogeneous, well-oiled machine—a stereotype often sounded in American media—would do well to read this gritty, firsthand account of life for day-laborers in Tokyo's shunned ghetto district, San'ya.... Fowler's descriptive powers and cultural understanding offer a vivid context for the oral accounts of San'ya inhabitants describing their personal histories and daily lives.... A vivid, if depressing, account of an urban Japanese underclass that bears a surprising resemblance to America's own inner-city population. * Publishers Weekly *This book offers a vivid personal tour of the San'ya district and its denizens, culled from many repeated visits by Fowler which culminated in a six-week stint as a day laborer.... He came to realize that... 'San'ya's inhabitants collectively give the lie to so much of what is being said and written about Japan.' * Japan Quarterly *

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Book SynopsisExploring recent changes in employment practices in seven industrialized countries (Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the United States) and in two essential industries (automobile and telecommunications), Harry C. Katz and Owen...Trade ReviewConverging Divergences is an important addition to the growing literature on comparative industrial relations.... Katz and Darbishire are to be congratulated on their meticulous and wide-ranging study.... This is a carefully researched and well-argued book. * Industrial and Labor Relations Review *Examines the increasing diversity of employment systems... with a special focus on the automobile and the telecommunications industries. * Future Survey *Katz and Darbishire write about convergence with a decided twist. Not only has the monistic version of convergence towards the 'one best way' been replaced with 'four best ways', but the authors also discover three other kinds of variation.... In sum... this study will be a valuable addition to the comparativist's bookshelf. It successfully charts a number of key common trends that are evident across most advanced capitalist societies and it provides us with much insight into developments within two key industries.... Its larger message about patterns of commonality intersecting with national and local institutions and strategies deserves a wide audience. -- Anthony Giles, Universite Laval * The Journal of Industrial Relations *This important book examines changing employment relations in a global context. The dominant theme is the erosion of collective bargaining as a means of managing employment. Recommended for labor studies collections, upper-division undergraduate through faculty. * Choice *This comparative study will be of use to educators and activists alike. The prior claims of convergence-thesis advocates, of societies characterized by strong trade-union representation and institutionalization, did not envisage the deregulated product and labor markets and the declining union representation of the present global economy. For activists, the book clearly outlines the challenges presented to unions by the decentralization of collective bargaining and global economic integration. * Labor Studies Journal *

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Book SynopsisThe 1990s were years of turmoil and transformation in American work experiences and employment relationships. Trends including the growth of contingent labor, the erosion of the stable employment contract, the restructuring of jobs and companies, and...Trade ReviewCrossing the Great Divide is an expos' of the downside of the risk in the new economy. Vicki Smith argues that 'temporariness and risk' have become intertwined with workers' expectations of opportunity and advancement, which were understood in the days of the old economy as the rewards for hard work or even dedication. -- Gina Neff, Columbia University * Dissent *Providing a welcome change of direction... Vicki Smith's book argues convincingly that we should not take a romantic view of work in the age of mass production.... Her research has thrown up a plausible conclusion that today's booming US employment market with its 'turbulence, decentral-isation, variation, and unpredictability' offers many workers what they see as an opportunity... 'to invest themselves in their work.'. -- Robert Taylor * Financial Times *There is a growing literature on globalization, employment restructuring, and the postindustrial workplace. Much of that work may already be obsolete, however, as recent evidence suggests that both the cynics and the optimists are wrong—or, at least, only partly right. Crossing the Great Divide is among the first books that tackle this complexity head on and, in the process, provides students and researchers with new ways to think about employment in the 21st century. -- Amy S. Wharton, Washington State University * American Journal of Sociology *Each of the participants in Smith's four studies must cope with the contradictions faced by those whose jobs may be at risk but who also face new opportunities at the same time, and she explores how workers attempt to cross 'the great divide' and take advantage of the 'new economy.'. -- David Rouse * Booklist *Smith examines how different groups of workers acquire the skills, know-how, cultural and human capital, and mental aptitudes that might help them reap the benefits of the new economy. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisHow do two-career couples manage in a one-career world? It's about Time examines this mismatch between outdated scripts and the experiences of dual-earner couples. It broadens our understanding of occupational and family career strategies couples...Trade ReviewChapters cover such topics as work-hour strategies..., competing clocks, timing parenthood, journey to work, managing households, turning points in work careers, factors that predict success, prioritizing careers, the new technology climate and the rise of telecommuting, alternative employment arrangements, moving toward retirement..., the case of same-sex couples, work-life integration, and family-friendly policies. * Future Policy *Moen and other authors in the volume assert that families have changed extensively while work settings have changed little, resulting in a 'cultural lag' or 'mismatch' between what working families need to meet their care-giving responsibilities and what work organizations demand of workers.... A strength of the volume is its comprehensive set of topics. The chapters cover not only standard topics in the field, such as work hours, work preferences, and parenting, but also commuting, technology, and the 'spillover' of work to family life and vice versa, topics much less often included in work and family volumes. -- Suzanne M. Bianchi * Industrial and Labor Relations Review *This volume presents findings from the Cornell Couples and Careers Study, a study of dual career, middle class couples in upstate New York, directed by Phyllis Moen. The book stands out in the work-family research field for several reasons. These include the comprehensive look at couples' linked work and family careers and the inclusions of understudied topics such as same-sex couples, spouses' relocation decisions, and religious participation. The book contributes to the areas of careers, labor markets, organizations, gender, family, the life course, and work-family policy. -- Mary Blair-Loy * Contemporary Sociology *This impressive and well-edited volume presents findings and implications of a major study on work-family interface by the Cornell University Careers Institute. The study, which was supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, focuses on middle-class, dual earner households and how they manage their two work lives and their combined family life.... Summing Up: Highly recommended. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisWorked Over is a book about large-scale social change seen at close range, through the lives of generations of working people in a small manufacturing center along New York State's old Erie Canal. Their compelling stories add a new dimension to...Trade ReviewDoukas argues that the culture of the villagers of central New York is based on the gospel of work and the egalitarianism, mutual aid, and respect for labor that it entails. That culture is directly opposed to leaders' gospel of wealth and the political and institutional structures it demands. How can there be such massive contradictions' Doukas documents how corporations imposed the cultural revolution with threats and the practices of economic violence and created local, regional, state, and national political structures to aid them. The author tells how a corporate conspiracy rewrote the American dream to create our current nightmare of unemployment, job insecurity, undercompensation, unavailability of health care, lack of control of our governments, death of democracy, and lack of space to even grow our own food and livestock.... She shows just how far we can go using our American language without making up words. That's one reason this is a good book. Consciousness of her use of the language, experience, and data are others. This is a book all of our students need to read and understand in order to know about their own lives and about the power of ethnography as well as the power of corporations. This is a book we all need to understand and discuss. -- Paul Durrenberger, Penn State University * Journal of Anthropological Research *Doukas tells the fascinating history of the Remingtons and their enterprises and how they were taken over by corporate trusts around 1886. That takeover, she argues, began an era of social distress and declining political autonomy that continues to the present day. -- Mat Rapacz * Evening Times *Dimitra Doukas's Worked Over is a good example of the innovative work from the emerging field called New Working-Class Studies.... The book begins by viewing the Mohawk Valley as, in a sense, a geographic stronghold for a social class. Valley residents disassociate themselves from nearby communities by rejecting values based on consumption and hierarchy.... Worked Over uses ethnography, history, and geography to study working-class life and culture. -- John Russo, Youngstown State University * Industrial and Labor Relations Review *Doukas's depiction of an economic worldview opposed to unrestrained, aggressive corporate capitalism is familiar to many sociologists and labor historians, but her effort to document it today and draw links to the past is instructive and meaningful.... Worked Over is eloquently written and cogently argued, and Doukas's measured passion and sprinkling of sardonic humor in the historical chapters bring a refreshing tone to her insightful book. * Contemporary Sociology *Global capitalism being what it is, there is no research topic more important to humankind than the study of the relationship between corporations and the communities that sustain them and are sustained by them. -- James P. Walsh, University of Michigan * Administrative Science Quarterly *Too often the social implications of the transformation from proprietary to managerial capitalism are overlooked, despite the dramatic impact that this development can have on the structure and well-being of a community.... Doukas draws on ethnographic and historical sources to paint her picture of the plight of the people in the Mohawk River Valley. Her book provides an excellent historical account of the development of the Remington works from its founding until the time of its sale to Hartley and Graham in 1886. -- Daniel Friel, New York University * Enterprise and Society *

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Book SynopsisThe living wage movement is considered by many to be the most interesting grassroots enterprise to emerge since the civil rights movement. Ten years after the first ordinance was passed in Baltimore, there are more than one hundred living wage...Trade ReviewDespite surprising successes in the passage of living-wage ordinances around the country, implementation often has been lackadaisical. The experiences of the living wage movement described in this work will interest those concerned with promoting or analyzing social movements. Individuals interested in studying administrative practices also will profit from this book. Clear, jargon-free writing makes it accessible to undergraduates while still offering important lessons to advanced scholars. Highly recommended. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisResorts have become important to American society and its economy; one in eight Americans is now employed by the tourism industry. Yet despite the ubiquity of hotels, little has been written about those who labor there. Drawing on eight years of...Trade ReviewAdler and Adler's genuine skill as storytellers... really elevates this book to an engaging and compelling read, bringing to life this fascinating milieu. Too often research in the hospitality sector has tended to rely on the managerial voice alone and this book clearly avoids such a trap. Indeed, it takes its place alongside several other crucial works emanating from the United States, where ethnographic study has allowed us a real insight into the working lives of those employed in the hospitality sector. * British Journal of Industrial Relations *The Adlers, highly published... sociologists, examine the work and lifestyle experiences of staff at five luxury resort hotels along a Hawaiian beach. They interviewed staff from four employee categories: new immigrants and locals, labeled trapped workers; and managers and self-supporting 'seekers' driven by leisure interests, labeled transient workers.... The Adlers... view resorts as postmodern global communities that focus on commercialization.... Recommended. Resort industry practitioners; students and researchers of labor, sociology, and ethnography. * Choice *For seven years, ethnographers Patricia and Peter Adler made twice-yearly sojourns to a group of resort hotels located in one of Hawaii's popular tourist destinations, intent on mixing business with pleasure. The product of their effort is Paradise Laborers, an insightful and delightfully readable account of the occupational cultures, worker lifestyles, and career patterns featured in these resorts.... Throughout the book, the authors maintain that resort hotels are distinctly postmodern workplaces whose unconventional nature shapes workers' experiences and identities.... Paradise Laborers is a well-written and wonderfully grounded study rich in descriptive detail. The authors' close, long-standing relationships with informants lend the book a degree of intimacy that is often lacking in ethnographic accounts of work and occupations, while its quasi-longitudinal approach allows the reader to follow the experiences of specific informants over time. Although this book will be most useful to readers with an interest in translent labor, service work, and occupational dynamics in the travel and tourism industry, those with a general interest in work and occupations will also find it to be an engaging read. * Administrative Science Quarterly *The book is a result of a participant/ethnographic study and the research experience unfolds before the reader making the book an appealing read.... The authors were involved in participant observation in five luxury resorts, with over 500 resort workers and they interviewed 90 workers in-depth. The data provides a rich tapestry to draw inferences from and reveals much about workers' experiences and understanding about their working lives behind the glamorous façade of palm trees and golden beaches. * The Journal of Industrial Relations *Paradise Laborers... makes a fine contribution to organizations, occupations, and work studies in this first ethnographic study of work culture among resort employees in Hawaii, where tourism is the leading industry. * Work in Progress *Table of Contents1. Entering Paradise 2. Researching Resorts 3. Trapped Laborers: New Immigrants and Locals 4. Transient Laborers: Seekers and Management 5. Transient Lifestyles 6. Seasonal Laborers 7. Temporal Laborers 8. Stratified Laborers 9. Careers in Paradise: Short-Term and Intermediate 10. Careers in Paradise: Long-Term 11. Understanding Paradise LaborAppendix: The Participants Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisThe new rural economy involves a fundamental shift in the stability and security of people's lives and ultimately causes wrenching change and an arduous struggle as rural dwellers struggle to rebuild their lives in the new economic terrain.

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Book SynopsisContingent Work, Disrupted Lives examines the repercussions of economic globalization on several manufacturing-dependent rural communities in Canada. Foregrounding a distinct interest in the ''grassroots'' effects of such contemporary corporate strategies as plant closures and downsizing, authors Anthony Winson and Belinda Leach consider the impact of this restructuring on the residents of various communities. The authors argue that the new rural economy involves a fundamental shift in the stability and security of people''s lives and, ultimately, it causes wrenching change and an arduous struggle as rural dwellers struggle to rebuild their lives in the new economic terrain. Beginning with broader theoretical and empirical literature on global changes in the economy and the effects of these changes on labour, the text then focuses exploration on manufacturing in Ontario with an analysis of five community case studies. Winson and Leach give considerable attention to th

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Book SynopsisThis book provides the most thorough empirical assessment to date of the impact of international regulation on labor standards and conditions, and critically analyzes the common race-to-the-bottom view that globalization and international competition can only further degrade labor standards.Trade Review"[Flanagan's] essay will become the gold standard in research on labour and trade."—Canadian Journal of Sociology Online"This book deals with a continuing national and global controversy: whether and what kinds of labor ground rules are required for the global economy. It provides a superb roadmap for tackling the workers' rights issues." —Anthony G. Freeman, Director of the International Labor Organization, Washington Office

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Book SynopsisThrough a detailed analysis of macroeconomic changes and individuals' lifetime employment trajectories, this book explains why Japan and Taiwan have experienced different levels of improvement in women's economic status over the last half century.Trade Review"Wei-hsin Yu's Gendered Trajectories: Women, Work, and Social Change in Japan and Taiwan, compares two countries with intertwined political histories, similar religious traditions, and shared patriarchal cultures. . . Yu takes a long-term view. Women in Taiwan, she argues, are likely to benefit from the country's increased economic growth, in contrast to Japan, where hierarchical work structures likely will continue to exclude women from 'good jobs.' She predicts that Taiwan's pattern—which is repeated in a number of formerly socialist countries—will have a long-term positive impact on gender equality in employment." -- Christine L. Williams * Contemporary Society *"Yu's rigorous, engaging, and thought-provoking analysis will make an important contribution to the study of gender, work, and the life course will be welcome addition to the required reading lists for graduate courses in these areas." -- Deborah Carr * American Journal of Sociology. *"Yu addresses puzzling differences between Japan and Taiwan clearly and thoroughly. Her reasoned consideration of the many factors behind observed cross-national differences makes an important contribution to the study of employment, gender, and the life course in these two societies." -- James Raymo * University of Wisconsin-Madison *"Gendered Trajectories presents an extraordinarily complete picture of women's employment patterns in Japan and Taiwan. Yu succeeds in providing a convincing explanation of why women's employment histories are so different in the two societies." -- Annemette Sorensen * Stanford University *"Gendered Trajectories is a valuable contribution to our understanding of gender and social change. Combining quantitative and qualitative analyses, the author links institutions to individuals' experiences to explain why there is greater gender inequality in Japan than Taiwan, despite their similarities in patterns of industrialization." -- Arne L. Kalleberg, President * American Sociological Association (2008) *Table of ContentsCONTENTS List of Tables and Figures xxx Acknowledgments xxxs Chapter One Gender Inequality and Social Change in Japan and Taiwan 1 Chapter Two The Development of Women's Labor Market Experiences 000 Chapter Three Comparing Labor Market Structures and Workplace Dynamics 000 Chapter Four Patterns of Labor Exits among Women 000 Chapter Five Challenges from the Home Front 000 Chapter Six Returning to the Labor Force 000 Chapter Seven Higher Education and Gender Inequality 000 Chapter Eight Conclusion 000 Appendix A Description of the Data Sources 000 Appendix B Supplementary Tables 000 Notes 000 Bibliography 000 Index 000 [[starts on page vii]] TABLES AND FIGURES Tables 1.1. Comparison of Japan and Taiwan 000 2.1. Average number of jobs experienced throughout men's and women's employment careers 000 2.2. Distributions of current labor market locations by gender and frequency of employer changes 3.1. Occupational Distributions of the Female Labor Force in Japan and Taiwan 6.1. Description of Work Trajectories of Homemaking Women, Ages 25-60 B.1. Descriptive Statistics of the SSM and TSC Samples by Gender B.2. Ordinary Least Squares Regression Analysis of Log Annual Earnings B.3. Discrete-Time Event History Models Predicting Labor Force Exits at Any Point of Time B.4. Discrete-Time Event History Models Predicting Labor Force Exit upon Marriage B.5. Discrete-Time Event History Models Predicting Labor Force Exit around First Childbirth B.6. Discrete-Time Event History Models Predicting Labor Force Reentry B.7. Multinomial Logit Models Predicting Married Women's Current Work Status in Japan B.8. Multinomial Logit Models Predicting Women's Current Occupational Status B.9. Multinomial Logit Models Predicting Women's Current Organizational Locations B.10. Multinomial Logit Models Predicting Women's Current Employment Status Figures Annual economic growth rates in Japan and Taiwan, 1956-2005 000 Women's Labor Force Participation and Number of Children by Age Group Age Distributions of Brides and Mothers Giving Live Birth in 2004/2005 Attitudes Regarding Gender Roles in Japan and Taiwan Trends in Female Labor Force Participation During the Life Course Distributions of Women's Careers in Japan and Taiwan Proportion of Ever-Married Women Returning to the Labor Force by Various Ages Percentage of Workers with Experience of Within-Organizational Job Shifting by Current Occupation Job Mobility and Percent Changes in Annual Earnings Predicted Annual Earnings by Gender, Country, and Employment Status 3.1. Distribution of the Labor Force by Industry, 1951-2000 3.2. Unemployment and Nonfarm Labor Force Growth Rates, 1950-2000 3.3. Annual Increases in the Male Population of Working Age, 1950-2000 3.4. Comparisons of the Labor Force by Firm Size in Japan and Taiwan 4.1. Explanatory Framework 4.2. Occupational Effects on Ever-Married Women's Labor Force Exits at Various Times 4.3. Effects of Firm Size on Ever-Married Women's Labor Force Exits at Various Times 4.4. Relative Odds of Labor Force Exit of Public- to Private-Sector Employees 4.5. Effects of Individual Characteristics on the Likelihood of Exiting the Labor Force 4.6. Predicted Probabilities for Labor Force Exit in the Marriage Year 5.1. Percentage of Japanese Men at Home by Eight O'Clock on Weekdays 5.2. Percent Approval of Working Mothers with Young Children among Taiwanese Women, by Education 5.3. Trends of Male-Wage-to-Household-Spending Ratio and Family Size, 1965-2000 6.1. Labor Force Participation Rates of Seven Birth Cohorts at Various Ages 6.2. Estimated Probability of Labor Force Reentry, Hypothetical Cases 6.3. Comparison of Occupations before and after a Work Interruption 6.4. Comparison of Firm Size between the Female Labor Force and Women Reentrants 6.5. Comparison of Employment Status between the Female Labor Force and Women Reentrants 6.6. Effects of Postmarital Entry on Women's Current Work Status in Japan 7.1. School Systems in Japan and Taiwan 7.2. Estimated Advancement Rates to Various Educational Institutions among Taiwanese Middle- School Graduates, 1950-1998 7.3. Trends in Percent Female among Students in Tertiary Institutions 7.4. Trends in Percent Female Students Admitted to the University of Tokyo and National Taiwan University 7.5. Percentage of Students in Applied Science Programs by Educational Level in Taiwan 7.6. Percent Female Students in Four-Year Universities by University Ownership 8.1. Likelihood of Job Locations of Married versus Single Women 8.2. Comparisons of Japanese Women's Occupational Distributions 8.3. Percentage of Ever-Married, Working-Age Taiwanese Women in the Labor Force by Their First Occupation 8.4. Job Growth Rates by Gender and Employment Status in Japan, 1996-2007

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