Constructing Worlds of Labour

This open access book simultaneously addresses both the segmenting and the egalitarian function of individual labour law, in almost all countries of the world, in some chapters following up from its origin to the present. Its socio-legal approach fills gaps for sociological, legal and historical research of regulatory social policy. Labour law is dealt with both in qualitative (theoretical, hermeneutic and historical) and in quantitative manner (with the leximetrics method developing new ways to measure generosity and coverage of law). This is a groundbreaking contribution to regulatory social policy research. By indicating the relevance and the mechanisms of legal segmentation for labour market segmentation, unequal opportunities and social stratification it provides evidence for the assumptions that social segmentation does not only stem from market forces, but also from the law itself. Even the rising impact of egalitarian law cannot fully cope with legal segmentation. The book chapters place particular emphasis on the development in countries of the Global South.

Ulrich Mückenberger  is Research Professor at University of Bremen, Germany and the Centre for European Law and Politics. He is the Principal Investigator in the project “Worlds of Labour”, in the DFG-CRC 1342 “Global Social Policy Dynamics”. His research covers European and international labour law, transnational industrial relations, welfare state and time policy developments in a European and global perspective.

Heiner Fechner  is a Postdoctoral researcher in DFG-CRC 1342 "Global Social Policy Dynamics“, project "Worlds of Labour", University of Bremen, Germany. He is a legal scholar specialising in labour law, legal sociology and law & development.

Irene Dingeldey  is Professor of Political Science and director of  the Institute Labour and Economy at the University of Bremen, Germany. She is Principal Investigator in the project “Worlds of Labour”, DFG-CRC 1342 “Global Social Policy Dynamics”. Her research covers industrial relations, labour market and welfare state development in a European and global perspective.