Login
Create Account
Canadian Store (CAD)
You are currently shopping in our Canadian store. For orders outside of Canada, please switch to our international store. International and US orders are billed in US dollars.
 |
Regulating FlexibilityThe Political Economy of Employment Standards |
eBook Available
A timely analysis of employment standards legislation that calls for a new approach to labour market regulation.
In a contemporary labour market that includes growing levels of precarious employment, the regulation of minimum employment standards is intricately connected to conditions of economic security. With a focus on the role of neoliberal labour market policies in promoting "flexible" employment standards legislation - particularly in the areas of minimum wages and working time - Mark Thomas argues that shifts toward "flexible" legislation have played a central role in producing patterns of labour market inequality.
Using an analytic framework that situates employment standards within the context of the broader social relations that shape processes of labour market regulation, Thomas constructs a case study of employment standards legislation in Ontario from 1884 to 2004. Drawing from political economy scholarship, and using a qualitative research methodology, he analyses class, race, and gender dimensions of legislative developments, highlighting the ways in which shifts towards "flexible" employment standards have exacerbated longstanding racialized and gendered inequities. Regulating Flexibility argues that in order to counter current trends towards increased insecurity, employment standards should not be treated as a secondary form of labour protection but as a cornerstone in a progressive project of labour market re-regulation.
Using an analytic framework that situates employment standards within the context of the broader social relations that shape processes of labour market regulation, Thomas constructs a case study of employment standards legislation in Ontario from 1884 to 2004. Drawing from political economy scholarship, and using a qualitative research methodology, he analyses class, race, and gender dimensions of legislative developments, highlighting the ways in which shifts towards "flexible" employment standards have exacerbated longstanding racialized and gendered inequities. Regulating Flexibility argues that in order to counter current trends towards increased insecurity, employment standards should not be treated as a secondary form of labour protection but as a cornerstone in a progressive project of labour market re-regulation.
Details
320 Pages, 6 x 9
6 tables
ISBN 9780773535282
April 2009
Formats: Paperback, Cloth, eBook
"Thomas has made a significant contribution with Regulating Flexibility. It is a must read for any one interested in the neoliberalization of labour policy. Equally important is the skilful way Thomas weaves together how the various social and political forces, and the imbalance of power between them, is understood and acted upon by the state. What Thomas has done is introduce a radical analysis of public policy and public administration that calls for some greater application to other areas of labour policy but also other policy fields." Socialist Studies
"This is a thoughtful piece of research that should appeal to academics, students, and policy-makers." Joseph B Rose, McMaster University
"...researchers who are looking for a cogent take on the path of labour market reform in Ontario will find this book a useful reference resource." Travis William Fast, Recensions
"This is a thoughtful piece of research that should appeal to academics, students, and policy-makers." Joseph B Rose, McMaster University
"...researchers who are looking for a cogent take on the path of labour market reform in Ontario will find this book a useful reference resource." Travis William Fast, Recensions
Mark P. Thomas is assistant professor of sociology, York University.
Regulating Flexibility
Mark P. Thomas
Table of Contents
vi
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 3
1 “Labour Flexibility” and the Political Economy of Employment Standards 12
2 The Origins of Flexible Employment Standards 30
3 Recessions, Reforms, and Labour Market Transformation,1970s-1990s 72
4 Back to the Sixty-Hour Work Week: Flexible Employment Standards for the “New Economy” 109
5 Working for Better Standards? Labour Market Regulation in a Global Economy 138
Conclusion 157
Appendices 171
Notes 181
Bibliography 211
Index 235
Mark P. Thomas
Table of Contents
vi
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 3
1 “Labour Flexibility” and the Political Economy of Employment Standards 12
2 The Origins of Flexible Employment Standards 30
3 Recessions, Reforms, and Labour Market Transformation,1970s-1990s 72
4 Back to the Sixty-Hour Work Week: Flexible Employment Standards for the “New Economy” 109
5 Working for Better Standards? Labour Market Regulation in a Global Economy 138
Conclusion 157
Appendices 171
Notes 181
Bibliography 211
Index 235
