Capital, The State and Labour - A Global Perspective

Abstract

A global transformation of labour relations and production systems began to occur in the 1980s with new industrial and occupational patterns, technological progress and the end of the Welfare State. From the OECD to the Eastern block, to the newly-developing countries of Latin America and Asia, old practices and approaches were found wanting.

Capital, the State and Labour explores these transformations in eight countries or regions – the OECD, Eastern Europe, Brazil, South Korea, China, India, Malaysia and Japan – to examine the causes of this change and the likely prospects for the future. Throughout this volume, the emphasis is on production systems and their relationship to macroeconomic dynamics such as wage formation and the use of productivity gains. The authors examine the demise of Taylorized systems and Fordist macroeconomic regimes. In addition to the eight case studies, this volume features an introductory chapter by the editors and a concluding chapter by Alain Lipietz.

Featuring original work by a distinguished group of economists, this major volume is based on a UNU/WIDER project to develop an alternative macroeconomic view of the development processes. It will be welcomed by students and scholars in the areas of labour economics, macroeconomics and international political economy.