Governing work and welfare in a new economy. European and American experiments

Book abstract:

This work arises from workshops organised by the European Union Center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison held in April 2000 and May 2001.

The book is organised in three parts. The first part concentrates on the work-welfare nexus in the European Union. The contributions in this section address reform experiments, policy innovations, and new approaches to governance of work and welfare in the European Union at all levels from the Union through the national to the regional and local. Part two focuses on experimentation with the work-welfare nexus in the United States with specific attention given to the changed nature of welfare programmes under the 'welfare-to-work' banner which, in the opinion of contributors, has led to the increase in 'working poor' but has done little to relieve poverty. Others examine the changing structure of the US labour market and comment upon the various innovative local responses to those challenges. The third part explores the emergent trends and considers future possibilities for the governance of work and welfare in a new economy. Chapters feature such topics as welfare systems across the OECD, new concepts of 'capabilities' aimed at promoting each person's positive freedom to act and choose and the challenges posed by the new approach to work on established categories and practices of labour law and social regulation.

The work will interest students, scholars, researchers, policy makers and practitioners in the fields of labour market and welfare studies.

Jonathan Zeitlin is Professor of History, Sociology and Industrial Relations, and co-director of the European Union Center, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

David M. Trubek is Voss-Bascom Professor of Law, Director of the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy, and co-director of the European Union Center, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.