The so-called ‘Spanish miracle’, beginning in the mid-1990s, eventually became a nightmare for the majority of the population, culminating in the present-day economic and political crisis. This book explores the main features of the Spanish political-economic model during both the growth and crisis periods. Analyzing the causes and consequences of the continuing economic crisis in Spain, this book delves into five analytical axes: the evolution of the growth model; the role of Spain in the international division of labor; the financial sector and its influence on the rest of the economy; changes in the labor market; and the distributional consequences of both the expansive phase and the later crisis. Furthermore, contributors examine the formation of a triangle of actors (the government sector, building sector, and financial capital) that shaped the Spanish growth model, together with the effects of Spain’s membership in the Economic and Monetary Union. Also considering ecological problems, gender issues, and the immigration question, this book challenges the alleged recovery of living conditions during recent years, as well as the explanation of the crisis as the result of irrational behaviors or the greedy nature of certain actors. The Political Economy of Contemporary Spain provides a coherent explanation of the Spanish economic crisis based on a pluralistic approach, while proposing several measures that could contribute to a transformation of Spain’s economic and social models.

The advent of transnational economic production and market integration compels sociologists of work to look beyond traditional national boundaries and build an international sociology of work in order to effectively address the human, scientific, and practical challenges posed by global economic transnationalism. The purpose of this volume is to promote transnational dialogue about the sociology of work and help build a truly international discipline in this field.

This timely and well-written collection explores the impact of economic reforms in developing and transitional economies across the world. In a first of its kind, this book examines such issues as:* in-depth, cross-regional analysis of the pressures for global integration* labour costs and their determinants: crucial factors in the success of econo

Las acciones de diversos grupos de trabajadoras y trabajadores argentinos que lograron darse una salida ante situaciones de profunda desesperación provocadas por el cierre, abandono o quiebra de las empresas donde habían trabajado durante años son tratados en este volumen. Sus páginas muestran -en forma ágil, dinámica y bien documentada- un fenómeno vigente que ha ensanchado el campo de lo posible y tiene mucho que decir sobre las acciones políticas y económicas de los trabajadores en un mundo en el que, una y otra vez, los pueblos se movilizan para protegerse de los choques económicos ante la insistente pretensión del sistema capitalista y sus defensores de separar la esfera económica de la sociedad.

In The Shifting Ground of Globalization, Thiago Aguiar describes the transformation of the Brazilian mining company into a Transnational Corporation and its consequences for workers, communities, and the environment in the first decades of the twenty-first century.

This book discusses the transformation of labour movements and trade unionism in post-liberalised India. It looks at emerging collectivism, both in formal and informal sectors, and relates it to changing political and industrial relations. Bringing together studies of resistance, struggles and new forms of negotiations from different industries –agriculture, fisheries, brick kiln, plantations, IT, domestic workers, shipbreakers, sex workers, and miners –this book exposes the myths, realities and challenges that the present generation of workers in India face and struggle with. With contributions from leading thinkers in the field, the work deepens the understanding of the current Indian labour spaces, possibilities for contestations and articulations from below. The volume will be useful to students and researchers of labour studies, economics, sociology, development studies and public policy. It will be an invaluable resource to those engaged with industrial relations, trade unions, human rights, social exclusion as well as labour organisations and research institutions.