Permanent Labor Contracts in Agriculture

Flexibility and Subordination in a New Export Crop

Bibliographic Data

ID2109484
AuthorsJ L Collins (0000-0003-3565-8761, University of Wisconsin–Madison), Greta R Krippner, Greta Krippner (0000-0002-5303-1332, University of Wisconsin–Madison)
Year1999
Volume41
Issue3
Pages510-534
Publication date1999-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueComparative Studies in Society and History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0010-4175 • E-ISSN: 1475-2999
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0010417599002285
OpenAlexW2138233428
LanguageEN
Citations received19
References cited10

Accounts of late-twentieth-century capitalist restructuring have emphasized the decline of “permanent” work contracts and the growth of more “flexible” ways of employing labor. Most of these accounts have argued that, under conditions of global competition, firms seek to reduce the cost of wages and benefits by hiring more temporary workers. Such accounts assume permanent labor contracts to be a norm that is violated only when economic systems come under pressure. This essay adopts a different perspective, suggesting that, in fact, permanent labor contracts have been normative only in certain historical situations (such as the twentieth century United States). In a global and trans-historical context, these contracts have been introduced under specific conditions to solve particular kinds of problems. Thus, this study attempts to shift the question from “why is permanent work declining?” to “where and why do permanent work contracts emerge?”

Competition (biology) · Context (archaeology) · Economics · Flexibility (engineering) · Hegemony · Labor relations · Labour economics · Market economy · Norm (philosophy) · Normative · Political science · Restructuring · Subordination (linguistics) · Work (physics) · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Land Rights and Reforms · Law · Political Economy and Marxism

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub