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This thesis looks at the politics of labor market policy in the postwar period in the advanced industrialized democracies. Specifically, the dissertation seeks to explain stark cross-national differences in unemployment benefit systems and employment protection legislation. The theory advanced in this thesis emphasizes significant differences in union organization across the rich democracies. This view, “Varieties of Unionism”, shows how the varying political capacities and policy preferences of labor movements explain most of the cross-national policy differences. In particular, the research points to union movements’ ideological traditions and varying rates of union density, union centralization, and involvement in unemployment benefit administration as crucial explanatory forces. Each feature of union movements captures an important part of why they might choose to advocate on behalf of the unemployed and to their differential ability to have those policy preferences realized, as well as indicating the kinds of preferences they will have for employment protection legislation. In the case of policies directed at the unemployed (or so-called labor market ‘Outsiders’), these insights lead to the construction of an index of “Outsider-oriented Unionism”, which correlates very closely to cross-national variations in unemployment benefit generosity as well as to active labor market policy spending. The thesis also introduces a new fourfold typology of unionism that helps to explain the different combinations of employment protection legislation and ‘Outsider policy’ generosity that exist among the rich democracies, or labor market policy ‘regimes’. The thesis makes this argument with multiple regression analysis of fifteen rich democracies and with detailed historical case studies of Britain, The Netherlands, and Sweden. In making this case, the thesis strongly challenges the explanations of labor market policy put forward by the Varieties of Capitalism literature and Insider-Outsider theory. In addition, the thesis reformulates the traditional Power Resource view by introducing a more rigorous theory of labor movements’ policy preferences and thereby qualifies recent statements that have emphasized partisanship almost alone. Most broadly, the theory challenges the “individualist turn” in recent comparative political economy scholarship and suggests that the field needs to return its gaze far more toward organized interests.

The article reviews the book, "Le Surprésentéisme. Travailler malgré la maladie," by Denis Monneuse.

The State of Working America, by Lawrence Mishel, Josh Bivens, Elise Gould and Heidi Shierholz, is reviewed.

Plutocrats: the Rise and Fall of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else, by Chrystia Freeland, is reviewed.

This article reviews the book, "Dominion of Capital: The Politics of Big Business and the Crisis of the Canadian Bourgeoisie, 1914-1947," by Don Nerbas.

I undertake a Rawlsian political economy exercise—namely, one in which economic institutions are judged by how well they match principles in theories of distributive justice. I contend that such an exercise is integrally related to empirical economics because most theories of justice emphasize respect, which, in turn, depends on how wages and employment are actually assigned in an economy. I explore these ideas in relation to the minimum wage. This leads to a different emphasis on what minimum wage–related outcomes need study, and to a claim that minimum wage setting is related to standards of fairness.

The article reviews the book, "Along a River. The First French-Canadian Women," by Jan Noel.

Linguistic Justice for Europe and for the World, by Philippe Van Parijs, is reviewed.

Editorial introduction to the articles in the issue. Includes bibliography.

Créer et partager la prospérité. Sortir l'eacute;conomie canadienne de l'impasse, by Diane Bellemare, is reviewed.

This article reviews the book, "From Sugar to Revolution: Women's Visions of Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic," by Myriam J.A. Chancy.

"[P]rovides a comparison and analysis of collective agreements, illustrating their importance in controlling the trajectory of librarians' work." -- Editors' introduction.

This article reviews the book, "Make it a Green Peace! The Rise of Countercultural Environmentalism," by Frank Zelko.

This article reviews the book, "Sunbelt Capitalism: Phoenix and the Transformation of American Politics," by Elizabeth Tandy Shermer.

Discusses Bettina Bradbury's later-career preoccupation with issues of gender, marriage, race, and property in the white-settler societies of the British empire during the 19th century. Also describes Bradbury's influence on the author, who was one of her Ph.D. students and collaborated with her on a publication.

[Provides] an international perspective on the role of liberalism. [The author argues that] a series of international labour law instruments remain in place to protect basic rights to strike and to collective bargaining, all of which can be employed to protect against the tide of neoliberalism. --Introduction

Explores the disconnect between the right to equality being praised as reflecting the dreams, hopes, and aspirations of Canadian society, and its elusiveness in practice. [The author] also reflects on how labour and progressive movements can measure success in advancing equality in law. --Introduction

The article reviews the book, "The Art of the Impossible: Dave Barrett and the NDP in Power, 1972-1975," by Geoff Meggs and Rod Mickleburgh.

Voice and Whistleblowing in Organizations: Overcoming Fear, Fostering Courage and Unleashing Candour, edited by Ronald J. Burke and Cary L. Cooper, is reviewed.

This paper considers what steps must be taken to effectively implement the recommendations of the Pinto Report on reform of Ontario's human rights sys- tem, in a way that will advance a culture of human rights. It does so through the prism of principles set out in the Law Commission of Ontario's frameworks for assessing law, policy and practice in relation to the rights of persons with dis- abilities and the rights of older persons. Applying those frameworks, the author identifies three requirements for measuring whether the human rights system is meeting its goal of achieving greater equality - undertaking research, engaging in consultations, and ensuring that input is fully considered and that outcomes are documented. The latter requirement focuses on several issues which the Pinto Report considered at length, namely, difficulties in accessing the system and the particular problems of access experienced by aboriginal persons, the high number of unrepresented applicants, and the need to facilitate complaints of systemic discrimination. In addition, the author underscores the importance of dealing systematically with discrimination on intersecting grounds. The paper concludes that meeting the needs of applicants and respondents in the human rights system will mean clearly articulating guiding principles, identifying gaps in long-term objectives, and ensuring that a carefully designed process is in place to direct further steps.