Preferences, Power, and the Determination of Working Hours

Philp, Bruce; Slater, Gary; Harvie, David

doi:10.1080/00213624.2005.11506781

Cited by 20 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…However, the conventional model's focus on rational individual or household choice provides no more than a starting point, particularly when in search of understanding longer-term trends and cross-sectional variation in work hours over time and among individuals (Huberman and Minns, 2007), or its well-being consequences (Layard, 2006). Conventional labor supply studies have paid scant attention to the influence of social, cultural, and workplace conditions over preference formation (Philp et al, 2005;Nyland, 1991). Moreover, it cannot explain sufficiently the level and timing of changes in the average hours per worker over the twentieth century (Altman, 2001).…”

Section: Work Hours Determination: Pure Economics Of Labor Supply Andmentioning

confidence: 98%

A Brief History of Long Work Time and the Contemporary Sources of Overwork

Golden

2008

J Bus Ethics

121

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Section: Work Hours Determination: Pure Economics Of Labor Supply Andmentioning

confidence: 98%

A Brief History of Long Work Time and the Contemporary Sources of Overwork

Golden

2008

J Bus Ethics

121

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“…High unemployment seems to indicate a poor distribution of work and, as a consequence, a poor distribution of income (as argued by Gorz, 1994). Long working hours may reflect reduced underemployment vis-à-vis the rest of Great Britain, but we believe long hours are more likely to be a result of the power of employers and cultural norms which have a regional/spatial dimension (Philp et al, 2005). Finally, while some Londoners may be working beyond retirement age because they enjoy such (poietic) activity we suspect the majority do so because they are poor and have no effective choice.…”

Section: Table 3 About Herementioning

confidence: 99%

Economic Well-being and British Regions: The Problem with GDP Per Capita

Harvie

Slater

Philp

et al. 2009

Review of Social Economy

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Economists and policy-makers often present per capita GDP as by far the most significant indicator of economic well-being. Such measures are frequently adopted in making international comparisons, constructing time-series for particular countries and in studies of regional inequality. In this paper we challenge this view using a regional analysis of 2001 data focusing upon differences between London and the south-eastern regions, in comparison to the rest of Great Britain (GB). Initially GDP per capita is decomposed into the demographic and labour-market factors which generate it. Thereafter we broaden the notion of work-time used in productivity measures to include other necessary work-related activity, namely commuting. This leads to us to construct a new indicator which we call social productivity. Our conclusion is that our decomposition and notion of social productivity are both relevant in comparisons of regional well-being; in addition such methods may be used fruitfully in international and historical contexts.JEL classification: B50, I31, R23

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“…Marxian political economy (Laibman 1992;Philp et al 2005) has explained the determination of working hours as an outcome of struggle between capital and labor where power and conflict, rather than individual rational choice in a harmonious environment, are key in explaining the duration of work-time. Laibman's radical approach will be contrasted with two preference-driven approaches- Becker (1976) and Hakim (2000)-which have emphasized individual choice within a structure of constraints.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time Use, Exploitation, and the Dual-Career Household: Competing Perspectives

Philp¹,

Wheatley²

2011

American Journal of Economics and Sociology

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This article evaluates Laibman's reformulation of Marxian exploitation theory, and compares it to two preference-based analyses of household time use (advanced by Becker and Hakim). Using a quantitative Marxist approach, and the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), we show profound dissatisfaction with working hours for members of dual-career households, and inequality, by gender, vis-à-vis pure consumption time. The results support exploitation-based theories of the household, and cast doubt on such preference-based theories of time use.

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Preferences, Power, and the Determination of Working Hours

Cited by 20 publications

References 23 publications

A Brief History of Long Work Time and the Contemporary Sources of Overwork

A Brief History of Long Work Time and the Contemporary Sources of Overwork

Economic Well-being and British Regions: The Problem with GDP Per Capita

Time Use, Exploitation, and the Dual-Career Household: Competing Perspectives

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