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Published byBryan McKenzie Modified over 11 years ago
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GLOBAL DIVISION OF LABOR
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Political-Economy Material basis (how economy is organised) structures social, political, cultural form (e.g.. Feudalism – de-centralized political order, hierarchical social relations Capitalist – exchange economy (individual, democracy, legal equality IPE – not only states or corporations, but people – those who work where a person fits in the division of labour determines how long they will live what quality of life they will have
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Why study global labour? World Peace – Social Order? Russian Revolution, WWI – concern with worker's social conditions, created the ILO, International Labour Organisation Link between economic insecurity and use of terror ? Social unrest recognised by IMF in Asian Financial assistance. 60% of $16 billion to poor
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CHINA: Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft help Chinese government set up great firewall of China by preventing Chinese citizens access to sites critical of Tibet, Taiwan etc. Disney brand - global production of goods outstrip made in USA USA, UK - Outsourcing to India India outsourcing in turn Global Commodity chains
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Adam Smith Wealth of Nations Technical division of labor = greater productivity Pin making – artisan labour – 1 pin/day Mechanical labour (specialization of different elements of task) - 4,800 Productivity : skill, repetition, speed, specialisation
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Liberal Theory (comparative advantage theory of free trade) Specialization – beneficial to all ------------------ Critique: Division of labour is not natural but shaped by power relations and history Specialisation can lock countries into low skill, low wage jobs
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Atlantic Slave trade Africa – specialise in slaves? Americas – specialise in raw materials? Europeans – specialise in manufacture Role of Force, coercion, POWER, masked in liberal conception of division of labour (gender, ethnicity, environment based critiques)
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Division of Labour = how people fit into production process Capitalists/workers Workers – skilled/unskilled International Division of Labour Geographical location Honduras – bananas China – toys Bangladesh -textiles
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Global Division of Labor:Link between territory and labour weakened Computer software industry/agricultural peasant labour Background: 2 concepts of organising production Frederick Taylor – scientific management Break down g=factory production into individual tasks Management control over worker time. Deskilled workers, management control
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Fordism (Henry Ford) use of Taylorist techniques in factory Mass production, mass consumption, Distinction between manual and mental labour Toyotism – flexible production Technical change, transport, communications/capital mobility hollowing out of manufacturing production in advanced capitalist economies (closing of factories) Knowledge economy
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Migration – 150 million (3% of worlds population) living in countries other than the one of their birth Remittances ; Mexicans in US send $3 billion a year back to relatives in Mexico Citizenship beyond states Municipal elections, voting rights to immigrants
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China reforms ongoing since 1978 150 million migrate from rural to urban areas (500 million by 2020) Worker unrest- peasants, state lay offs 60-70% of exports from China – non- Chinese corporations Export Processing Zones Agrarian question – China and India
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