The Many Futures of the Contract of Employment

Simon Deakin

Working Papers from Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge

Abstract: The contract of employment heads the list of those labour market institutions whose continued usefulness is called into question by what appear to be fundamental changes in the world of work. However, given the multiple tasks of classification, regulation and redistribution which it has historically been called on to perform, it is the durability of the contract of employment, rather than its supposed ineffectiveness, which requires explanation. From an evolutionary perspective, the employment contract is best understood as a governance mechanism which links together work organisation with labour supply in such a way as to make it possible to manage long-term economic risks. The paper sets out a number of possible futures for the employment contract as a mechanism for risk management, and identifies 'mutations' within the conceptual framework of employment law which suggest possible directions of change.

Keywords: employment contract; collective bargaining; welfare state (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J38 J41 J53 K31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2000-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-law
Note: PRO-2
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cbr:cbrwps:wp191

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