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Why Has Work Effort Become More Intense?

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  • Francis Green

Abstract

Effort-biased technological change and other explanations for work intensification are investigated. It is hypothesised that technological and organizational changes are one important source of work intensification and supportive evidence is found using establishment data for Britain in the 1990s. Work intensification has also been stimulated by the use of high-commitment human resource policies. A reduction in union power, and a rise in the use of temporary agency workers and contractors, were positively associated with work intensification; however, their impact during the 1990s was comparatively modest.

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  • Francis Green, 2002. "Why Has Work Effort Become More Intense?," Studies in Economics 0207, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    • Handle: RePEc:ukc:ukcedp:0207
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    File URL: https://www.kent.ac.uk/economics/repec/0207.pdf
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    1. repec:hal:journl:hal-00710213 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Francis Green & Nicholas Tsitsianis, 2004. "Can the Changing Nature of Jobs Account for National Trends in Job Satisfaction?," Studies in Economics 0406, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    3. Green, Francis & McIntosh, Steven, 2001. "The intensification of work in Europe," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 291-308, May.
    4. Askenazy, Philippe & Caroli, Eve, 2006. "Innovative Work Practices, Information Technologies and Working Conditions: Evidence for France," IZA Discussion Papers 2321, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Frederick Guy & Peter Skott, 2008. "Power, Productivity, and Profits," Springer Books, in: Matthew Braham & Frank Steffen (ed.), Power, Freedom, and Voting, chapter 20, pages 385-403, Springer.
    6. Gayle Porter, 2010. "Work Ethic and Ethical Work: Distortions in the American Dream," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 96(4), pages 535-550, November.
    7. Sergio De Nardis & Marco Malgarini, 2008. "Monitoring Italy 2007," Rivista di Politica Economica, SIPI Spa, vol. 98(2), pages 3-13, March-Apr.
    8. Antoine Valeyre, 2004. "Les nouvelles formes d'intensification du travail industriel : logiques technologiques, organisationnelles et économiques," Post-Print halshs-00822473, HAL.
    9. Peter Skott & Frederick Guy, 2005. "Power-Biased Technological Change and the Rise in Earnings Inequality," UMASS Amherst Economics Working Papers 2005-17, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Economics.
    10. David Marsden, 2010. "Individual Voice in Employment Relationships: A Comparison Under Different Collective Voice Regimes," CEP Discussion Papers dp1006, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    11. Josheski, Dushko, 2014. "Personnel economics issues: What causes increasing work intensity, and what are the policy responses?," MPRA Paper 53408, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. C Green & J S Heywood, 2007. "Performance pay, sorting and the dimensions of job satisfaction," Working Papers 584041, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department.
    13. Peter Skott, 2011. "Heterodox macro after the crisis," UMASS Amherst Economics Working Papers 2011-23, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Economics.
    14. William Brown & David Marsden, 2010. "Individualisation and Growing Diversity of Employment Relationships," CEP Discussion Papers dp1037, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    15. Aadland, David & Shaffer, Sherrill, 2010. "Time Compression," MPRA Paper 29298, University Library of Munich, Germany.
      • David Aadland & Sherrill Shaffer, 2012. "Time Compression," CAMA Working Papers 2012-28, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    16. David Fairris, 2004. "Towards a Theory of Work Intensity," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 30(4), pages 587-601, Fall.
    17. Cécile Cézanne, 2010. "Un modèle renouvelé de gouvernance d'entreprise : une évaluation empirique sur données françaises," Revue d'économie politique, Dalloz, vol. 120(4), pages 669-700.
    18. Michael Bittman & Judith Brown & Judy Wajcman, 2009. "The Cell Phone, Constant Connection and Time Scarcity in Australia," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 93(1), pages 229-233, August.
    19. Bental, Benjamin & Demougin, Dominique, 2010. "Declining labor shares and bargaining power: An institutional explanation," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 443-456, March.
    20. Skott, Peter & Guy, Frederick, 2007. "A model of power-biased technological change," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 124-131, April.
    21. Rene Fahr, 2011. "Job Design and Job Satisfaction – Empirical Evidence for Germany?," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 22(1), pages 28-46.
    22. repec:hum:wpaper:sfb649dp2006-009 is not listed on IDEAS
    23. Annalisa Cristini & Alessandro Gaj & Riccardo Leoni, 2008. "Direct and Indirect Complementarity between Workplace Reorganization and New Technology," Rivista di Politica Economica, SIPI Spa, vol. 98(2), pages 87-117, March-Apr.
    24. Bental, Benjamin & Demougin, Dominique M., 2006. "Institutions, bargaining power and labor shares," SFB 649 Discussion Papers 2006-009, Humboldt University Berlin, Collaborative Research Center 649: Economic Risk.
    25. Argyro Avgoustaki & Almudena Cañibano, 2020. "Motivational Drivers of Extensive Work Effort: Are Long Hours Always Detrimental to Well‐being?," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(3), pages 355-398, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labour supply; work effort; work intensity; wages; technical change; work organisation; unions; high commitment policies; incentives.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods
    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects

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