Capitalism and the political economy of work time

This book will provide the first comprehensive and systematic overview of the attitudes of different schools of thought towards the issue of work time. Topics covered include assumptions on what determines the length of the work day and week, changes in production systems and their consequences for work time, as well as the struggle for shorter work hours and resulting work time regulations. Having fallen during the postwar decades, working hours in many countries have either stagnated or increased since the 1980s. Furthermore, despite record high unemployment, permanent work time reductions do not feature on the political agenda in the current crisis.This new volume takes the end of shorter work hours as its starting point in examining the nature and role of work time in capitalist societies. Starting from the observation that work hours have fallen much less than could be expected from the dramatic growth in productivity and living standards, the author argues that work time is the result of social constraints and conflicts, rather than individual choice and technological progress. Accordingly, marketisation and the erosion of collective work time regulation play a crucial role in explaining the recent surge in work hours and the growing polarization of work time. In contrast to the prevailing trend, the book defends collective work time reductions as a measure to promote self-determination, equality, and an ecologically sustainable society.