Recommending Books for Purchase (Bulletin 29 - Nov 2018) : Edward Elgar Publishing: Labour & Employment

Price : £45
Format : Print

Critical policy studies, as this volume illustrates, challenges conventional approaches to public policy inquiry with its focus on discursive politics, policy argumentation and deliberation, and interpretive modes of analysis. Assembling the voices of established and emerging scholars, the Handbook of Critical Policy Studies fills a major gap in the policy literature.Moving beyond the false neutrality of empiricism and positivism, this Handbook highlights the responsibility of inquirers to take account of social and political context - including present conditions, past trends and prevailing power relationships - to advance inquiry that relies not only on experts but also on citizens in a manner supporting and encouraging democracy. Not only does this call for a reconsideration of the interplay of qualitative and quantitative methods but also for robust attention to the role of values. Accessible to scholars, practitioners and students alike, the book offers a compilation of new critical work that both assesses past developments and appraises emerging issues.

Price : £90
Format : Print

This book is an exploration of arguments about the economic and social effects of the regulation of labour, and whether it is likely to be helpful or harmful to development. Authored by contributors from a variety of fields, primarily legal as well as development studies, economics and regulatory studies, the book presents both empirical and theoretical analyses of the issues. With authors from several continents, this collection is unique in that it focuses on labour regulation in poor and middle-income countries rather than industrialised ones, therefore making it a significant contribution to the field.In large part, the authors conclude that regulation of labour can play a positive role in promoting social and economic development, especially over time. Effective regulation has the potential to promote democratic engagement at work and beyond. However, its impact is dependent on how much its design grapples with the particular arrangements of work occurring within different industries, reflecting the nature of development and social relations within that country. Contributors emphasise that regulation needs to be adapted to the challenges presented by non-standard employment relations, changes in the structure of work and the rise of global value chains. This collection's exploration of labour regulation in developing countries will be of interest to labour law scholars and teachers, and to policy-makers in the field of labour regulation - especially in the global South - as well as to technical advisers and those engaged in the practice of industrial relations.

Price : £90
Format : Print

Focusing on the information economy, free trade exploitation, and confronting terrorist violence, Mark Findlay critiques law's regulatory commodification. Conventional legal regulatory modes such as theft and intellectual property are being challenged by waves of property access and use, which demand the rethinking of property 'rights' and their relationships with the law.Law's Regulatory Relevance? theorises how the law should reposition itself in order to help rather than hinder new pathways of market power, by confronting the dominant neo-liberal economic model that values property through scarcity. With in-depth analysis of empirical case studies, the author explores how law is returning to its communal utility in strengthening social ties, which will in turn restore property as social relations rather than market commodities. In a world of contested narratives about property valuing, law needs to ground its inherent regulatory relevance in the ordering of social change.This book is an essential read for students of law and regulation wanting to explore the contemporary dissent against neo-liberal market economies and the issues of communitarian governance and social resistance. It will also appeal to policy makers interested in law's failing regulatory capacity, particularly through criminalising attacks on conventional property rights, by offering insights into why law's regulatory relevance is at a cross-roads.

Price : £85
Format : Print

This book offers a critical reflection on the operation and effects of labour regulation. It articulates the broad goals and extensive potential for it to contribute to inclusive development, while also considering the limits of some areas of regulation and governance. Drawing on both field studies and innovative theoretical perspectives, the contributors reveal an emerging consensus that labour regulation is neither negative nor positive for economic and social outcomes. By comparing the concerns and methodologies of various disciplines, they argue that balanced regulation is essential. Following analysis of how the global financial crisis has increased labour market segmentation, the book addresses the needs of key groups often at the periphery, including young women, workers in the informal economy, migrants and home-care workers. The book argues that effective and efficient labour market regulation can contribute to achieving key policy goals of the formalization of employment and inclusive labour markets, while also pursuing equitable distribution. An important comparative work, academics and students - particularly those studying law, economics, political science, international relations and development studies - will find this book to be of exceptional value. Practitioners and policy-makers from both developed and developing countries will also benefit from the wide range of perspectives.