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Marshall, Shelley --- "Revitalising labour market regulation for the economic South: New forms and tools" [2016] ELECD 1542; in Marshall, Shelley; Fenwick, Colin (eds), "Labour Regulation and Development" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2016) 288

Book Title: Labour Regulation and Development

Editor(s): Marshall, Shelley; Fenwick, Colin

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781785364891

Section: Chapter 9

Section Title: Revitalising labour market regulation for the economic South: New forms and tools

Author(s): Marshall, Shelley

Number of pages: 33

Abstract/Description:

The effect of labour market regulation on economic outcomes is the subject of an ongoing and often heated debate among economists and policymakers. To some, regulations are detrimental to economic efficiency and therefore an impediment to growth and prosperity. To others, they are essential tools to correct market imperfections and achieve social goals of redistribution and protections. In this debate, the promotion of improved working conditions through labour regulation is pitted against economic growth. The two goals are often treated like a balancing act, a little like composing good music. If you turn the labour regulation dial up too high, development (in the form of economic and employment growth) is drowned out and muted. According to this logic, if a country wants development, it should implement weak labour laws until development is strong enough to cope with mixing in labour law (Botero et al. 2004). But what are we talking about when we say that labour law is either weak or strong? In order to consider labour law in terms of its strength, we have to think of labour law in particular terms – as being protective and taking a particular form; as if there is only one version of labour law, and the dial can either be turned up high or low.