The rat race and working time regulation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7354282 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Malte Jauch (0000-0003-3599-6293, University of Essex, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 293-314 |
| Publication date | 2020-05-27 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Politics Philosophy & Economics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1470-594X • E-ISSN: 1741-3060 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1470594x20927894 |
| OpenAlex | W3031107366 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 22 |
To what extent, if at all, should a just society adopt public policies that regulate and limit the amount of time people work? Attempts to answer this question face a dilemma: Either, we can adopt a laissez-faire view, according to which governments must refrain from imposing working time policies on the labour market. But this view generates a situation in which many citizens experience deep regret about the balance between work and leisure in their lives. Or, we can endorse an interventionist view that advocates government imposition of working time policies. However, such a view appears to be objectionably perfectionist insofar as it imposes on citizens a particular conception of the ideal balance between work and leisure. This article proposes a way out of this dilemma. It shows that the interventionist view can be defended on the anti-perfectionist grounds that this helps address a collective action problem in the labour market – the working time rat race. Employers often use working time as a proxy for their employees’ productivity and commitment. Those who work particularly long hours are often awarded benefits such as raises or promotions or are spared from dismissals. This makes it individually rational for each worker to work extra hours in an attempt to outcompete colleagues. However, if many workers pursue this strategy, it loses its effectiveness. Workers with preferences for more leisure have a claim to state intervention to remove the rat race when this doesn’t impose disproportionate harm on third parties
Balance (ability · Dilemma · Economics · Harm · Law and economics · Political science · Regret · Sociology · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Employment and Welfare Studies · Law · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies
Beyond the Box
In Cash We Trust
The Socialization Costs and Benefits of Work
Work Emails at the Breakfast Table
The Welfare Argument for Free Time Protection
Circadian Justice
Meaningful work, nonperfectionism, and reciprocity
Free Time Across the Life Course
The Future of Work? The Political Theory of Work and Leisure
The Impact of Reduced Working Hours and Furlough Policies on Workers' Mental Health at the Onset of Covid-19 Pandemic
Diminishing Returns at Work
Free Time and Economic Class
Free Time
Karl Marx's Theory of History
What We Owe to Each Other
Money Does Not Guarantee Time
In the Face of Austerity
Mill, Rawls and Cohen on Incentives and Occupational Freedom
When Too Much Is Not Enough
The Part‐Time Pay Penalty for Women in Britain
Private education, positional goods, and the arms race problem
Always Aggregate
The Problem with Work
A shorter working week for everyone
Pursuing Preferences
Is Work Special? Justice and the Distribution of Employment
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Highly cited | No |