Inequality – ‘wicked problems’, labour market outcomes and the search for silver bullets

In recent years concerns about inequality have been growing in prominence within UK policy debates. The many causes of inequality of earnings and income are complex in their interactions and their tendency to reinforce one another. This makes inequality an intractable or ‘wicked’ policy problem, particularly within a contemporary context in which many of the established policy responses from previous eras are at best discussed in muted terms and more normally deemed to be unavailable. This reflects the eclipse of ‘equality of outcome’ models and the concomitant rise of ‘equality of opportunity’ as the new policy mantra from Thatcher onwards. As traditional policy responses have withered, the role of education and training as a ‘silver bullet’ that can address a host of economic and social challenges has come to the fore. This article outlines policy makers’ beliefs that improving the educational attainment of students from lower socio-economic backgrounds can enable them to compete more effectively for elite jobs, and also that increasing the supply of educated employees can transform the level of demand for skills from employers. These beliefs are then critiqued, with reference to occupational congestion, over-qualification and the evidence that skills supply does not always create its own demand.     

湘南三市农村剩余劳动力转移因素的实证分析

近些年来,湘南地区的衡阳、郴州和永州三市在农村剩余劳动力转移方面取得了一定的成就.但由于基数较大,促进农村剩余劳动力的有序转移是一个长期而艰巨的过程.文章介绍了湘南地区三市农村剩余劳动力转移的现状,分析了影响湘南地区三市农村剩余劳动力转移的相关因素,提出了促进湘南地区三市农村剩余劳动力转移的对策建议.     

‘I'm just there to ease the burden’: the parent support adviser role in English schools and the question of emotional labour

In 2005, the Department for Education and Skills announced a £40 million investment in a new school support worker role, the parent support adviser (PSA), for 20 English local authorities. A pilot project ran from 2006–2008 and resulted in the establishment of 717 PSAs in 1167 schools. The national evaluation of the project forms the evidential basis of this paper, with interviews conducted with 69 PSAs, 85 PSA line managers and 105 parents and a database recording casework with nearly 21,000 parents. This paper focuses on the nature of the PSA role as the first centrally funded parent support role in English schools. The theoretical framework provided by the concept of ‘emotional labour’ and the development of the concept represented by the 4Ps typology provides the conceptual structure. This paper argues that although the characteristics of the PSA role appear to place it within the category of work requiring emotional labour, PSAs and parents regard that aspect of the role in a positive light. For the PSAs there was little evidence that emotional labour necessary for the role of PSA led to dissonance between role and worker or alienation from the product of PSA labour.     

Understanding the effects of training programs for vulnerable adults on social inclusion as part of continuing education

According to the increasing rates of unemployment and poverty a significant share of the European population can be considered at-risk-of-social exclusion. In order to combat social exclusion adult education seemed to be a possible tool, which can increase social inclusion among adult learners. This study explores factors relating to training programs considered as adult and continuing education which enhance social inclusion for vulnerable adults and their life environment. The results indicate that after following the training programs as part of continuing learning, the participants show a significant increase in activation and internalisation as well as participation and connection (as processes of social inclusion). Moreover, non-parametric correlation analysis and logistical regression analysis shows that the training design feature transfer possibilities is significantly related to the increase of almost all social inclusion variables. Besides this direct surroundings and learning contents and activities only significantly relates to the increase of social inclusion variables of activation and internalisation and care to the social inclusion variables of participation and connection.     

Reading and writing between different worlds: Learning,literacy and power in the lives of two migrant domestic workers

Over the last decades, studies exploring women's literacy have highlighted the way in which literacy practices are embedded within social norms and structures of power. This article draws on research with a group of female migrant domestic workers from Nepal who attended literacy support sessions at the Migrant Resource Centre in London. It explores the way in which their engagement with literacy and learning interacts with the gendered relations of power they experience as they move between different transnational spaces and social fields. It suggests that a consideration of the opportunities and constraints that they experience as migrant domestic workers is critical for understanding their engagement with literacy, and for thinking about possibilities for greater gender justice in the lives of migrant domestic workers like them.     

解决失业问题的难点与途径

反失业是中国二十一世纪面临的重大课题。劳动力供求矛盾大,劳动力素质低、国企改革的深化和劳动力市场不发达是反失业面临的主要难点和问题,必须通过统筹兼顾,加快经济结构的调整、发展教育培训事业、正确引导农村剩余劳动力的转移以及加强劳动力市场建设,以实现反失业的目标。     

“新三元价值论”的实质是“生产费用价值论”——《新价值论与产权改革》一书质疑

劳动价值论是马克思主义政治经济学的基石 ,丁建中等人在《新价值论与产权改革》一书中对马克思的“劳动创造价值”理论提出了挑战。不过通读该书不难发现 ,丁建中等人其实是在一知半解甚至曲解马克思原意的基础上草率地向马克思及其价值理论“发难”的 ;而且他对于自己的所谓“新理论”也没有进行细致的论证。《新价值论与产权改革》实际上是一部逻辑混乱、漏洞百出的低劣之作     

一种社会劳动实际投入量的测定方法及应用

由于劳动力未能充分有效利用,我国的社会从业人数指标不能真实反映实际社会劳动投入量。本文尝试利用生产函数估计劳动利用状况影响系数,进而对我国社会劳动力利用率进行测算,得出历年实际劳动投入量。     

简评我国的劳动争议仲裁体制

我国现行的单轨制劳动争议处理体制不利于对劳动者利益保护 ,不适应历史潮流 ;建议实行分轨制的争议处理体制。     

论道德调整私人企业劳资关系的可行性

运用道德手段调节初级阶段我国私人企业的劳资关系具有现实的可行性。市场经济体制的建立和深化、完善为之提供了最深厚的宏观环境和社会支持，越来越尖锐化的私人企业劳资关系现状急切地呼唤以道德调整为主要途径和手段的新式管理理念，在理论与实践的结合和中外管理经验的交流互动领域里的新趋势则更进一步地例证了道德调整初级阶段我国私人企业劳资关系的紧迫性和现实性。