Creating value and mitigating harm: Assessing institutional objectives in Australian industrial relations

Joel E Cutcher-Gershenfeld and Joe Isaac
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Joel E Cutcher-Gershenfeld: Brandeis University, USA
Joe Isaac: Monash University, Australia

The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 2018, vol. 29, issue 2, 143-168

Abstract: The degree to which legislation on labour relations and other societal institutions creates value and mitigates harm is explored in this article through a framework designed to guide both the authoring and the analysis of objects of such legislation. Creating value and mitigating harm are typically explicit in the objects of public policy and implicit in adjudication, administration and adherence under public policies. Although conceptually distinct, creating value and mitigating harm can be both complementary and detrimental to each other. This article reviews various combinations of legislative objects over more than a century of Australian labour and employment relations policy. The objects examined include the prevention of industrial disputes, the introduction of a social minimum wage, the expansion of enterprise bargaining, expansion or curtailment of tribunal powers by government and other developments. Questions of ‘for whom?’ value is created or harm is mitigated are key. As an inductive study, the article concludes with hypotheses to guide future research, including implications that reach beyond Australia and employment legislation. JEL Codes: K31; K38; M14; M52

Keywords: Arbitration and conciliation; creating value; enterprise bargaining; income policy; industry awards; institutional work; institutions; labour policy; mitigating harm (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ecolab:v:29:y:2018:i:2:p:143-168

DOI: 10.1177/1035304618767263

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