Much of the analysis advocates a regulatory approach …. A statement of the ‘regulationists’ perspective is extremely well laid out in Joe Isaac’s chapter. He correctly points out that much of what passes for de-regulation is more accurately viewed as forms of re-regulation (nowhere is this clearer than in the case of the WorkChoices legislation). Joe Isaac’s contribution is matched by the later chapter by William Brown, which provides a coherent overview of the role of labour market regulation in a cross-national context of globalisation and the diminished capacity of national governments to execute economic policy and sustain a balance between market forces and the maintenance of labour standards. In his view the Australian experiment with arbitration still resonates as a valid means by which this tension can be managed. Barbara Pocock’s chapter too highlights the productive role regulation could play in ameliorating the (growing) conflict between work and family life, while Ron McCallum’s thought-provoking chapter introduces the concept of industrial citizenship as a foundational concept for rethinking labour market regulation.
I found this book to be extremely stimulating. It presents the wide variety of public policy problems we now face in how best to achieve good labour market outcomes which balance efficiency and equity considerations. You will not find the answers but the beginnings of new ideas. For me, the value of the book is in the various challenges that the well-respected chapter authors present us. – Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol 48(4)
This timely book is a tribute to Professor Keith Hancock, arguably Australia’s leading labour economist. … In the face of the AIRC’s demise over the past 20 years, Hancock has been a prominent critic of the ‘deregulation’ mantra based on assumptions of improved economic performance. This book analyses these core issues, critically examining economic and policy concerns in the future of a deregulated labour market. The impact and implications of Australia’s deregulation trajectory are examined in diverse areas. …..
As an edited collection, this book comprises contributions from a group of Australia’s eminent scholars in IR, labour law and economics. The core focus of the book is on Australia but the highly competent and articulate analyses of a wide range of seminal issues, many in an international context, mean the book has obvious international appeal. In the face of continuing regulatory change worldwide, all readers should derive value from the thought-provoking analyses of labour market deregulation that are presented. – Industrial Relations Journal (UK), Vol 38(3), May 2007