Work and Pay in 20th Century Britain

by Nicholas Crafts, Ian Gazeley, Andrew Newell

Overview

From assembly line to call centre, this volume charts the immense transformation of work and pay across the 20th century and provides the first labour focused history of Britain. Written by leading British historians and economists, each chapter stands as a self-contained reading for those who need an overview of the topic, as well as an introduction to and analysis of the controversies among scholars for readers entering or refreshing deeper study.

The 20th century was a period of unrivalled change in the British labour market. Technology, social movements, and political action all contributed to an increased standard of living, while also revolutionizing what workers do and how they do it. Covering a range of topics from lifetime work patterns and education to unemployment and the welfare state, this book provides a practical introduction to the evolution of work and pay in 20th century Britain.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199280582
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/29/2007
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 6.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Nicholas Crafts, Professor of Economic History at the University of Warwick, is one of the leading international experts on productivity and the causes of economic growth, and especially the role of new technologies. This expertise about technologies of the past has made him one of the most interesting thinkers on the new technologies of today, and he is currently co-directing a major research project on large-scale technological change. Ian Gazeley is Senior Lecturer in Economic History at the University of Sussex. Ian works on living standards and poverty in Britain 1880-1950. His research has been primarily concerned with quantitative measures of working class living standards. Andrew Newell is Head of the Department of Economics and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sussex. He is a labour economist with research interests in wage determination and unemployment, with a special interest on the impact of structural economic change.

Table of Contents

Introduction, Ian Gazeley and Andrew Newell1. Living standards, Nicholas Crafts2. Structural change, Andrew Newell3. Manual Work and Pay, 1900-1970, Ian Gazeley4. Wages and wage inequality 1970-2000, Florence Kondylis and Jonathan Wadsworth5. Work over the life course, Paul Johnson and Asghar Zaidi6. The household and the labour market, Sara Horrell7. Women and work 1970-2000, Sara Connolly and Mary Gregory8. The 'Welfare State' and the labour market, Pat Thane9. Industrial relations, Christopher Wrigley10. Unemployment, Ian Gazeley and Andrew Newell11. Education and the labour market, Michael Sanderson12. Britain's twentieth century productivity performance in international perspective, Stephen Broadberry and Mary O'Mahony13. Immigration and the labour market, Dudley Baines

Editorial Reviews

"This is an important and interesting book. The chapters of this book, each written by appropriate experts, dig down and uncover the forces at work and the complex interactions between them. The rise and fall of trade unions, the rise of the service sector, the decline in fertility, the fall and rise of earnings dispersion are some of the dramatic changes which are analysed and explained. Overall, the book builds a picture of the workings of the 20th century British labour market which will fascinate anyone interested in how the world works."—Stephen Nickell, Warden of Nuffield College, Oxford University

"The British labor market experienced a series of dramatic transformations in the course of the 20th century. Is the current regime of high employment and wage flexibility here to stay, or is it just another passing phase? Do Britain's arrangements reflect a distinctive historical experience, or might they be emulated by Continental Europe? This important book by Crafts, Gazeley and Newell provides the perspective needed to contemplate these questions."—Barry Eichengreen, University of California, Berkeley

From the Publisher