Negotiating Our Way Up Collective Bargaining in a Changing World of Work

Negotiating Our Way Up Collective Bargaining in a Changing World of Work
Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2019-11-18
Genre:
ISBN: 9264362576

Collective bargaining and workers’ voice are often discussed in the past rather than in the future tense, but can they play a role in the context of a rapidly changing world of work? This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the functioning of collective bargaining systems and workers’ voice arrangements across OECD countries, and new insights on their effect on labour market performance today.

American Agriculture and the Problem of Monopoly

American Agriculture and the Problem of Monopoly
Author: Jon Lauck
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 374
Release: 2016-02-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 080329526X

The breathtaking number of mergers and joint ventures among agribusiness firms has left independent American farmers facing the power of an increasingly concentrated buying sector. The origin of farmers' concern with such economic concentration dates back to protests against meatpackers and railroads in the late nineteenth century. Jon Lauck examines the dimensions of this problem in the American Midwest in the decades following World War II. He analyzes the nature of competition within meat-packing and grain markets. In addition, he addresses concerns about corporate entry into production agriculture and the potential displacement of a production system defined by independent family farms. Lauck also considers the ability of farmers to organize in order to counter the market power of large-scale agribusiness buyers. He explores the use of farmer cooperatives and other mechanisms which may increase the bargaining power of farmers. The book offers the first serious historical examination of the National Farmers Organization, which fully embraced the bargaining power cause in the postwar period. Lauck finds that independent farmers' attempts at organization have been more successful than previously recognized, but he also shows that their successes have been undermined by the growing concentration and power of agri-business firms, justifying a new approach to antitrust law in agricultural markets.

Cooperatives, Economic Democratization and Rural Development

Cooperatives, Economic Democratization and Rural Development
Author: Jos Bijman
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2016-01-29
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1784719382

Agricultural cooperatives and producer organizations are institutional innovations which have the potential to reduce poverty and improve food security. This book presents a raft of international case studies, from developing and transition countries, to analyse the internal and external challenges that these complex organizations face and the solutions that they have developed. The contributors provide an increased understanding of the transformation of traditional community organizations into modern farmer-owned businesses. They cover issues including: the impact on rural development and inclusiveness, the role of social capital, formal versus informal organizations, democratic participation and member relations, and their role in value chains. Students and scholars will find the book’s multidisciplinary approach useful in their research. It will also be of interest to policy-makers seeking to understand the wide diversity of organizational forms and functions. NGOs, donors and governments seeking to support rural developments will benefit from the discussions raised in this book.

Agricultural Law and Economics in Sub-Saharan Africa

Agricultural Law and Economics in Sub-Saharan Africa
Author: Frederick Owusu Boadu
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 625
Release: 2016-04-27
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0128018453

Agricultural Law in Sub-Saharan Africa: Cases and Comments introduces the subject of agricultural law and economics to researchers, practitioners, and students in common law countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and presents information from the legal system in Botswana, Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The law and economics approach entails the use of quantitative methods in research. This is consistent with the expectations in an applied economics field such as agricultural economics. Covering the general traditional law topics in contracts, torts, and property, the book goes further to introduce cutting-edge and region-relevant topics, including contracts with illiterate parties, contract farming, climate change, and transboundary water issues. The book is supported by an extensive list of reference materials, as well as study and enrichment exercises, to deepen readers' understanding of the principles discussed in the book. It is a learning tool, first and foremost, and can be used as a stand-alone resource to teach the subject matter of agricultural law and economics to professionals new to the subject area as well as to students in law school, agricultural economics, economics, and inter-disciplinary classes. - Offers research findings on such topics as food safety, climate change, transboundary natural resources, international sale of goods, patents, and trademarks to highlight the future sources of pressure on the agriculture industry - Uses case-studies to provide real-world insights into the challenges and considerations of appropriate agricultural law development - Challenges readers to carry out their own research in their areas of study, and to gain some understanding of the relationship between law, economics, and statistics - Includes extensive resources, such as chapter summaries, study questions, and challenge questions at the end of each chapter to assist instructors and students in gaining full benefits from using the book - Provides separate instructor and student study guides, a test bank, and test bank answers, in hardcopy and electronic formats