Confronting Precarious Work: Protests, Policies and Prospects

This talk provides an overview of the range of responses to the spread of precarious work in industrial countries. It first summarizes what is meant by precarious work and presents some data on its growth in various countries in recent years. It then reviews some of the actions taken by unions and different social movements in response to the spread of precarious work. Next, an array of social welfare policies and labor laws that have been enacted by governments to address the growing concerns over precarious work and its consequences will be discussed. Finally, the prospects for adopting new political and social contracts that might counteract the increase in precarious work will be evaluated.

Arne Kalleberg is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has been the recipient of many awards and honors. Since 2010, he has been editor of the journal Social Forces. In 2007-2008, he was President of the American Sociological Association. He is the author of six books, editor of seven volumes, and author of over a hundred articles and chapters. His most recent book is "Good Jobs, Bad Jobs: The Rise of Polarized and Precarious Employment Systems in the United States, 1970s-2000s".