Work and Occupations, an international journal of sociology, has published a special issue that analyzes Arne Kalleberg's RSF book, Good Jobs, Bad Jobs. Published in 2011, the volume shows the rise of precarious employment since the 1970s and suggests policy strategies to address the effects of today's volatile labor market. The journal contains several contributions from several RSF authors; their abstracts are reprinted below. To read the entire issue, click here; to learn more about Good Jobs, Bad Jobs, read our interview with him.

Eileen Appelbaum: Reducing Inequality and Insecurity: Rethinking Labor and Employment Policy for the 21st Century In Good Jobs, Bad Jobs, Arne Kalleberg examines the institutional changes in the United States that led to a polarization of income and job quality, a rising share of poor quality jobs, and the increasing precariousness of work across the educational spectrum. He proposes reversing these developments through a new social contract that builds on the design principles that underlie flexicurity policies in the Netherlands and Denmark—flexicurity with an American face. This article discusses the roots and promise of flexicurity to address the problems Kalleberg has identified. It also examines the limits to flexicurity and proposes additional policies to fulfill this promise.

Annette Bernhardt: The Role of Labor Market Regulation in Rebuilding Economic Opportunity in the United States

In the search for policy solutions to rising inequality and precariousness in the United States, this essay argues for the central role of labor market regulation. It presents research and policy evidence for a three-pronged approach: (a) strengthening the floor of labor standards (wages, health and safety, and right to organize chief among them); (b) vigorously enforcing that floor; and (c) leveraging government contracting and grants to build a base of good jobs on top of that floor. The essay concludes that getting to scale in the current political climate will require ratcheting up from state and local policy campaigns to federal reform.

Paul Osterman and Elizabeth Chimienti: The Politics of Job Quality: A Case Study of Weatherization

In Good Jobs, Bad Jobs Arne Kalleberg provides an extremely useful portrait of job quality in America. This paper addresses the politics of job quality via a case study of weatherization jobs. Weatherization workers are typical of employees in many low wage jobs in America. The stimulus bill (the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) substantially increased weatherization funding and a political struggle emerged over the quality of these jobs. We find that the variable strength of progressive coalitions, legislative politics and timing all contributed to the development of an uneven set of regulations at the federal and local level. Groups that are putative allies often worked at cross-purposes. More strikingly government at both the local and Federal level has been conservative and even timid about establishing job standards. There are also more positive lessons. Training standards are being formalized. This stands to benefit both homeowners and workers. While there have been conflicts, it is also true that interests that have been historically at each other’s throats notably unions and community groups–found a way to work together more constructively than in the past.