Towards full and decent employment / edited by José Antonio Ocampo and Jomo K.S.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Ocampo, José Antonio.

Jomo K. S. (Jomo Kwame Sundaram)

United Nations

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Job creation.

Economic development projects.

Physical Description:

xx, 391 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

London : Zed Books, published in association with the United Nations, 2007.

Summary:

While the international community has made a commitment to achieving full employment and decent work for all, this goal seems ever more distant in view of recent trends such as growing unemployment and underemployment, the phenomenon of 'jobless growth', the growing 'casualization' of employment relations, the promotion of labour flexibility at the expense of welfare security, de-industrialization and the continued decline of peasant agriculture.

While revisiting some familiar terrain with new lenses, this book also breaks new ground in seeking fresh solutions. Employment creation is the key link in ensuring that economic growth contributes to poverty reduction, with management of technological change playing a crucial role. While the recent trend towards greater labour flexibility seems irresistible, recent experience suggests some options for also ensuring decent work and economic security. Although recent financial liberalization has exacerbated employment problems, alternative macroeconomic policy priorities can make a difference. New approaches to social security, the informal economy, the welfare state and rural employment in Africa are explored.

Contents:

1 Towards Full Employment and Decent Work: An Introduction / Jomo K. S. 1

2 Financial Openness and Employment: The Need for Coherent International and National Policies / Rolph van der Hoeven, Malte Lubker 22

3 Technology and Employment in an Open Underdeveloped Economy / Prabhat Patnaik 54

4 Macroeconomic Policy, Employment, Unemployment and Gender Equality / Diane Elson 70

5 Central Banks as Agents of Employment Creation / Gerald Epstein 92

6 Growth, Employment and Poverty / Azizur Rahman Khan 123

7 Generating Rural Employment in Africa to Fight Poverty / Janvier D. Nkurunziza 158

8 Labour Market Flexibility and Decent Work / Gerry Rodgers 191

9 How Employment and Workers Rights can be Made Complementary / Robert Boyer 207

10 Rethinking the Informal Economy: Linkages with the Formal Economy and the Formal Regulatory Environment / Martha Alter Chen 234

11 Modernizing the Informal Sector / Victor E. Tokman 255

12 Changing the Paradigm in Social Security: From Fiscal Burden to Investing in People / Michael Cichon, Krzysztof Hagemejer, John Woodall 277

13 Transformative Social Policy / Thandika Mkandawire 305

14 Protecting Workers, Creating Jobs: Rethinking Social Protection in Developing Countries / Carmen Pages 317

15 Transforming the Developmental Welfare States in East Asia / Huck-Ju Kwon 330

16 Labour Inspection for Decent Work and Economic Development / Michael J. Piore, Andrew Schrank 356.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781842778821

184277882X

1842778838

9781842778838

OCLC:

124976683