published in association with the Cambridge Journal of Economics

Published on October 2000

Labour market deregulation is part of the neo-liberal economic experiment that has dominated the political agenda over the past two decades. This agenda has encouraged the growth of the ‘flexible’ labour market and placed at centre stage the concept of the management’s right to manage.
But has this agenda led to improvements in economic efficiency or social justice? According to this report the answer to both must be no. Productive inefficiency often results from managerial inadequacies, the results of which are often reflected in the intensification of work, reduced terms and conditions, redundancies and unemployment. Boosting management’s right to manage not only allows greater scope for these inadequacies but can also make things worse by reducing workplace co-operation and creating conflict.

According to this report, what is required is no less than a revolution in economic theory and policy. The collection of authors contributing to this authoritative work cover most areas of economic policy relevant to the labour market including welfare provision, workplace skills, welfare to work programmes, management techniques, workplace organisation and the implication of corporate restructuring.

Social Justice and Economic Efficiency; 248×176mm; 166pp; ISBN 1 873271 82 4; Price for trade unions and subscribers £8, others £30; October 2000