Forces of Labor: Workers' Movements and Globalization Since 1870

Beverly J. Silver

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511615702

Recasting labor studies in a long-term and global framework, this 2003 book draws on a major database on world labor unrest to show how local labor movements have been related to world-scale political, economic and social processes since the late-nineteenth century. Through an in-depth empirical analysis of select global industries it demonstrates how the main locations of labor unrest have shifted from country to country together with shifts in the geographical location of production. It shows how the main sites of labor unrest have shifted over time together with the rise/decline of new leading sectors of capitalist development, and demonstrates that labor movements have been deeply embedded (as both cause and effect) in world political dynamics. The book concludes by exploring the likely forms that emergent labor movements will take in the twenty-first century.

Winner, 2005 Distinguished Scholarly Publication Award, American Sociological Association

Winner, 2004 Distinguished Book Award, Political Economy of the World System section, American Sociological Association

Honourable Mention, 2005 Sociology of Labor Book Award, Labor and Labor Movements section of the American Sociological Association

‘… a thought-provoking and valuable work …’

Source: New Left Review

'Beverly Silver has written an important, accessible and I think excellent book that contributes significantly to our understanding of workers' bargaining power under global capitalism. … Forces of Labor is valuable as a resource on the classroom and in discussions about the relationship between globalisation and labour. However, it is potentially even more valuable for trade union members as a tool for conceptualising and understanding sources of their bargaining power with managers.'

Source: International Socialism

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Forces of Labor

Workers' Movements and Globalization Since 1870

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Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-viii

Contents
pp ix-ix

List of Figures
pp x-x

List of Tables
pp xi-xii

Preface and Acknowledgments
pp xiii-xvi

1 - INTRODUCTION
pp 1-40

2 - LABOR MOVEMENTS AND CAPITAL MOBILITY
pp 41-74

3 - LABOR MOVEMENTS AND PRODUCT CYCLES
pp 75-123

4 - LABOR MOVEMENTS AND WORLD POLITICS
pp 124-167

5 - CONTEMPORARY DYNAMICS IN WORLD-HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
pp 168-180

Appendix A - The World Labor Group Database: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Data Collection Procedures
pp 181-197

Appendix B - Instructions for Recording Data from Indexes
pp 198-203

Appendix C - Country Classifications
pp 204-204

References
pp 205-228

Index
pp 229-238

Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics
pp 239-240

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Forces of Labor

Workers' Movements and Globalization Since 1870

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