Economics and working conditions

Eurofound — European Foundation For The Improvement Of Living And Working Conditions

Description

Methodological aspects
Employment policy
Working conditions

Informations

• Publié par: EUROFOUND-EUROPEAN-FOUNDATION-FOR-THE-IMPROVEMENT-OF-LIVING-AND-WORKING-CONDITIO
• Nombre de lectures: 12
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

■
european foundation
for the improvement of living and working conditions ECONOMICS
AND
WORKING CONDITIONS
METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS
EF/82/14/EN Copyright of THE EUROPEAN FOUNDATION FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF LIVING
AND WORKING CONDITIONS, 1982
For rights of translation or reproduction, application should be made
to the Director, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living
and Working Conditions, Loughlinstown House, Shanki 11,- Co. Dublin,
Ireland. PREFACE
Simultaneously with its research into the ways and means of improving
the quality of life of workers, the Foundation has striven to learn more
about the impact of working conditions, and of the changes in working
conditions, on the production system and on the economic system as a
whole.
The problem of the relationships between the economy and working conditions
is explored here more systematically by means of sectorial studies, i.e.
the economic aspects of shiftwork and wage payment systems. In order
to research this area in greater depth it was found necessary to refine
the instruments of analysis and to widen the field of investigation by
making an overall examination of the problems posed by the methodology
of economic evaluation of working conditions.
This study sets out:
a) to define to the fullest extent the problem of the relationships
between working conditions and the economy,
b) to take stock of those aspects of the problem that have been
investigated to date,
c) to examine and to evaluate the methods whose purpose is to analyse,
to formalize and, where appropriate, to quantify the effects of
working conditions on the economy,
d) to list those aspects of the problem that have not been dealt with
to date.
The procedure followed in carrying out this research involved two groups
whose activities were strictly complementary: The first group, comprising researchers from ANACT (France),
was given the task of gathering and processing the literature
on the subject. Its purpose was to describe the way in which
the methodology had evolved, highlighting the progress achieved
in refining the methods employed and in extending the field of
investigation.
The second group, called the group of experts, was responsible
for evaluating these methods, listing those aspects which remained
to be explored, and determining the principles and requirements
that have to be met in order to arrive at a more pertinent and
wider-ranging methodology of evaluation.
The two groups worked closely together in order to ensure that their
respective activities dovetailed as tightly as possible.
The report of the "literature" group and that of the group of experts
were evaluated by representatives of the trade unions, the employers
and the governments at a seminar held in Dublin on 11 and 12 February
1982. Their opinions are contained in the evaluation reports to be
found at the front of this publication.
The Foundation wishes to stress that the analyses and opinions contained
in the report of the "literature" group and that of the group of experts
are the sole responsibility of the researchers.
The group of experts was composed of Mr. Yves Chaigneau, the Director
of ANACT (Paris) and of Mr. Anthony Hopwood, professor at the
London Business School. Mr. Michel Cretin, Counsellor at the
Auditor General's Department (France) was the group's rapporteur.
The Foundation also wishes to thank Madame Rolande Cuvillier of the
ILO and Mr. Oliver Clark of the OECD who took part in the work in
the capacity of observers. EVALUATION REPORTS