Labour Market Flexibility and Decent Work

This paper reviews evidence from both industrialized and developing countries on the re1ationship between labour market flexibility and employment. It is argued that the notion of flexibility and its impact is often oversimplified. The evidence, such as it is, does not provide much support for the view that greater flexibility results in higher employment. There is more evidence for an impact on the distribution of employment among different groups of the population, but also effects which vary widely between countries. Flexibility needs to be considered within a wider framework of policies and institutions to promote decent work.labour market flexibility, labour institutions, decent work, employment, unemployment

The International Labour Organization and the Quest for Social Justice, 1919-2009

[Excerpt] This book explores some of the main ideas which the ILO has seized, developed and applied, examines their history and tells how they were pursued in different geographical and historical settings. And, since the ILO revolves around ideas, that helps us understand why the ILO has sometimes thrived, sometimes suffered, but always survived and persisted to pursue its goals through the political and economic upheavals of the last 90 years

V.B. Singh Memorial Lecture, 57th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics, Srinagar

The V.B. Singh lecture presentation reviews results from this project which shed light on factors determining trends in inequality in India and Brazil, and in particular, trends in labour market inequality. The research was a collaboration which connected the academic traditions of both countries, and addresses the original concerns of Vir Bahadur Singh, that “wages constitute one of the most neglected categories for economic research,” and in particular wage differentials, and how “unchanging occupational mobility persists like the caste system.

Cebrap-IHD Research Project on Labour Market Inequality in Brazil and India

There are many sources of income inequality – production structures, the distribution of assets, the relative power of capital and labour, political forces and social hierarchy, as well as differences in education and capability. But among these, labour market structures and institutions are of central importance. This research aims to address these issues and their implications for development policies in both Brazil and India. Policy choices in the two countries intersect, but operate in different historical and social contexts, and have had differing degrees of success

IHD-Cebrap project on Labour Market Inequality in Brazil and India

The role played by minimum wage policy in Brazil and India is very different due to the contrasting nature, coverage, structure and implementation of the systems. For instance, while Brazil has an annually adjusted unique national minimum wage for all workers with a comparatively high level of enforcement, in India, there are large numbers of minimum wages for different occupations, varying between States, which makes the system of minimum wages extremely complicated, and enforcement is very uneven. This paper examines the system of minimum wages in both countries and compares the impact of wage policy on labour market inequalities

IHD-Cebrap project on Labour Market Inequality in Brazil and India

In segmented labour markets like those of Brazil and India, vocational training policies tend to reinforce labour market inequality. This review looks at VET policies and institutions in order to understand its potential as a tool for inequality reduction in the labour market. As skills are an important determinant of position in a hierarchy of jobs, they act as a basis for differentiating the workforce and thus are linked to labour market inequality. While the data for the two countries are not directly comparable, it is clear that in both Brazil and India formal VET is concentrated among the better educated

United Kingdom Frozen Shoulder Trial (UK FROST), multi-centre, randomised, 12 month, parallel group, superiority study to compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of Early Structured Physiotherapy versus manipulation under anaesthesia versus arthroscopic capsular release for patients referred to secondary care with a primary frozen shoulder : study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Frozen shoulder (also known as adhesive capsulitis) occurs when the capsule, or the soft tissue envelope around the ball and socket shoulder joint, becomes scarred and contracted, making the shoulder tight, painful and stiff. It affects around 1 in 12 men and 1 in 10 women of working age. Although this condition can settle with time (typically taking 1 to 3 years), for some people it causes severe symptoms and needs referral to hospital. Our aim is to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of two invasive and costly surgical interventions that are commonly used in secondary care in the National Health Service (NHS) compared with a non-surgical comparator of Early Structured Physiotherapy. METHODS: We will conduct a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of 500 adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of frozen shoulder, and who have radiographs that exclude other pathology. Early Structured Physiotherapy with an intra-articular steroid injection will be compared with manipulation under anaesthesia with a steroid injection or arthroscopic (keyhole) capsular release followed by manipulation. Both surgical interventions will be followed with a programme of post-procedural physiotherapy. These treatments will be undertaken in NHS hospitals across the United Kingdom. The primary outcome and endpoint will be the Oxford Shoulder Score (a patient self-reported assessment of shoulder function) at 12 months. This will also be measured at baseline, 3 and 6 months after randomisation; and on the day that treatment starts and 6 months later. Secondary outcomes include the Disabilities of Arm Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) score, the EQ-5D-5 L score, pain, extent of recovery and complications. We will explore the acceptability of the different treatments to patients and health care professionals using qualitative methods. DISCUSSION: The three treatments being compared are the most frequently used in secondary care in the NHS, but there is uncertainty about which one works best and at what cost. UK FROST is a rigorously designed and adequately powered study to inform clinical decisions for the treatment of this common condition in adults. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Register, ID: ISRCTN48804508 . Registered on 25 July 2014