Continuity Despite Change

The Politics of Labor Regulation in Latin America

Nonfiction, History, Americas, Latin America
Cover of the book Continuity Despite Change by Matthew E. Carnes, Stanford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Matthew E. Carnes ISBN: 9780804792424
Publisher: Stanford University Press Publication: August 13, 2014
Imprint: Stanford University Press Language: English
Author: Matthew E. Carnes
ISBN: 9780804792424
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication: August 13, 2014
Imprint: Stanford University Press
Language: English

As the dust settles on nearly three decades of economic reform in Latin America, one of the most fundamental economic policy areas has changed far less than expected: labor regulation. To date, Latin America's labor laws remain both rigidly protective and remarkably diverse. Continuity Despite Change develops a new theoretical framework for understanding labor laws and their change through time, beginning by conceptualizing labor laws as comprehensive systems or "regimes." In this context, Matthew Carnes demonstrates that the reform measures introduced in the 1980s and 1990s have only marginally modified the labor laws from decades earlier. To explain this continuity, he argues that labor law development is constrained by long-term economic conditions and labor market institutions. He points specifically to two key factors—the distribution of worker skill levels and the organizational capacity of workers. Carnes presents cross-national statistical evidence from the eighteen major Latin American economies to show that the theory holds for the decades from the 1980s to the 2000s, a period in which many countries grappled with proposed changes to their labor laws. He then offers theoretically grounded narratives to explain the different labor law configurations and reform paths of Chile, Peru, and Argentina. His findings push for a rethinking of the impact of globalization on labor regulation, as economic and political institutions governing labor have proven to be more resilient than earlier studies have suggested.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

As the dust settles on nearly three decades of economic reform in Latin America, one of the most fundamental economic policy areas has changed far less than expected: labor regulation. To date, Latin America's labor laws remain both rigidly protective and remarkably diverse. Continuity Despite Change develops a new theoretical framework for understanding labor laws and their change through time, beginning by conceptualizing labor laws as comprehensive systems or "regimes." In this context, Matthew Carnes demonstrates that the reform measures introduced in the 1980s and 1990s have only marginally modified the labor laws from decades earlier. To explain this continuity, he argues that labor law development is constrained by long-term economic conditions and labor market institutions. He points specifically to two key factors—the distribution of worker skill levels and the organizational capacity of workers. Carnes presents cross-national statistical evidence from the eighteen major Latin American economies to show that the theory holds for the decades from the 1980s to the 2000s, a period in which many countries grappled with proposed changes to their labor laws. He then offers theoretically grounded narratives to explain the different labor law configurations and reform paths of Chile, Peru, and Argentina. His findings push for a rethinking of the impact of globalization on labor regulation, as economic and political institutions governing labor have proven to be more resilient than earlier studies have suggested.

More books from Stanford University Press

Cover of the book World and Life as One by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book Contested Embrace by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book Sephardi Lives by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book In the Wake of Neoliberalism by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book Reading Colonial Japan by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book Circles of Compensation by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book The Social Life of Politics by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book Growing an Entrepreneurial Business by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book Hive Mind by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book Atmosphere, Mood, Stimmung by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book Accepting Authoritarianism by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book Gendered Trajectories by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book Common Knowledge? by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book Guilt by Matthew E. Carnes
Cover of the book Building Family Business Champions by Matthew E. Carnes
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy