Invisible Hands, Invisible Objectives

At home and abroad, public policy debates are dominated by a free market ideology that emphasizes the pursuit of economic objectives through competitive markets. The invisible hand is rarely questioned, and non-economic objectives are overlooked. Similarly, employment-related scholarship is frequently silent on the objectives of the employment relationship and the underlying assumptions of how that relationship operates. This book develops a fresh, holistic framework to undertake a 'big picture' examination of U.S. workplace regulation. A new scorecard for workplace law and public policy reveals an uneven achievement of efficiency, equity, and voice at work.In response, the authors - a legal scholar and an economics and industrial relations scholar - blend their expertise to propose a comprehensive set of reforms, tackling such issues as regulatory enforcement, portable employee benefits, training programs, living wages, workplace safety and health, work-family balance, security and social safety nets, nondiscrimination, and good cause dismissal, among others. "Invisible Hands, Invisible Objectives" provides the much-needed rubric for how we think about employment policy specifically and economic policy more generally and is distinctively structured around objectives rather than policy issues.