TY - JOUR
T1 - Employment relations and growing income inequality
T2 - Causes and potential options for its reversal
AU - Kochan, Thomas A.
AU - Riordan, Christine A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, © Australian Labour and Employment Relations Association (ALERA), SAGE Publications Ltd, Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC.
PY - 2016/1/1
Y1 - 2016/1/1
N2 - The growth of income inequality is now recognized to be one of the most important developments in employment relations of our time. While inequality has increased in many parts of the world, it has been most pronounced in the United States. We review the factors that have been suggested to cause the growth in inequality and, given these multiple causes, suggest a set of actions that might begin to reverse this trend. We give special attention to the changes in the employment relationship related to labor market institutions – including unions and other forms of worker representation, wage regulations and enforcement, and safety net policy – while also accounting for explanations and proposals that focus on technology, skills and education, and globalization. Additionally, we argue that emerging forms of organizational restructuring are becoming increasingly important to the study of inequality and its remedies.
AB - The growth of income inequality is now recognized to be one of the most important developments in employment relations of our time. While inequality has increased in many parts of the world, it has been most pronounced in the United States. We review the factors that have been suggested to cause the growth in inequality and, given these multiple causes, suggest a set of actions that might begin to reverse this trend. We give special attention to the changes in the employment relationship related to labor market institutions – including unions and other forms of worker representation, wage regulations and enforcement, and safety net policy – while also accounting for explanations and proposals that focus on technology, skills and education, and globalization. Additionally, we argue that emerging forms of organizational restructuring are becoming increasingly important to the study of inequality and its remedies.
KW - Globalization
KW - income inequality
KW - labor market institutions
KW - organizations
KW - skills and education
KW - wage policies
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U2 - 10.1177/0022185616634337
DO - 10.1177/0022185616634337
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:84964878722
SN - 0022-1856
VL - 58
SP - 419
EP - 440
JO - Journal of Industrial Relations
JF - Journal of Industrial Relations
IS - 3
ER -