State, labor, and the transition to a market economy : Egypt, Poland, Mexico, and the Czech Republic / Agnieszka Paczynska.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Paczyńska, Agnieszka, 1967- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Industrial relations--Cross-cultural studies.

Industrial relations.

Labor unions--Political activity--Cross-cultural studies.

Labor unions.

Privatization--Cross-cultural studies.

Privatization.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (294 p.)

Edition:

2nd ed.

Place of Publication:

University Park, Pennsylvania : The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In response to mounting debt crises and macroeconomic instability in the 1980s, many countries in the developing world adopted neoliberal policies promoting the unfettered play of market forces and deregulation of the economy and attempted large-scale structural adjustment, including the privatization of public-sector industries. How much influence did various societal groups have on this transition to a market economy, and what explains the variances in interest-group influence across countries? In this book, Agnieszka Paczyńska explores these questions by studying the role of organized labor in the transition process in four countries in different regions—the Czech Republic and Poland in eastern Europe, Egypt in the Middle East, and Mexico in Latin America. In Egypt and Poland, she shows, labor had substantial influence on the process, whereas in the Czech Republic and Mexico it did not. Her explanation highlights the complex relationship between institutional structures and the “critical junctures” provided by economic crises, revealing that the ability of groups like organized labor to wield influence on reform efforts depends to a great extent on not only their current resources (such as financial autonomy and legal prerogatives) but also the historical legacies of their past ties to the state.This new edition features an epilogue that analyzes the role of organized labor uprisings in 2011, the protests in Egypt, the overthrow of Mubarak, and the post-Mubarak regime.

Contents:

Intro

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

List of Tables

Acknowledgments

List of Acronyms

Introduction

1. Parties, Unions, and Economic Reforms

2. Ruling Parties, Organized Labor, and Transitions to Democracy: Poland and Czechoslovakia

3. Ruling Parties, Organized Labor, and Continued Authoritarianism: Egypt and Mexico

4. Labor and Privatization in Poland

5. Labor and Privatization in Egypt

6. Labor and Privatization in the Czech Republic and Mexico

Conclusion

Epilogue

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Back Cover

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [243]-263) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780271075662

027107566X

9780271069968

0271069961

9780271062693

027106269X

9780271061207

0271061200

OCLC:

1253313326