Fading Corporatism

"Fading Corporatism is an outstanding book. It documents and makes sense of the dramatic contemporary transformation of Israel's industrial relations system through the prism of labor law. From its prior role as handmaiden to a corporatist system dominated by organized labor, the law became both cause and consequence of a dramatic transition to American-style pluralism. At one level, Guy Mundlak tells a fascinating story about the Israeli experience, complete with unexpected twists and subtle insights. Equally, however, this book is a theoretical tour de force. It offers both a sophisticated and truly multidisciplinary approach to labor law, and a convincing demonstration that the legal system should be treated as an integral component of the study of labor relations." -- Michael Shalev, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"Guy Mundlak's book is an outstanding scholarly accomplishment. Using an original, powerful approach to comparative studies, Mundlak charts the transformation of Israel's labor law and industrial relations systems over the twentieth century from the rise and consolidation of corporatism to contemporary pluralist, juridified, postcorporatist arrangements. The interplay between core labor relations practices and peripheral labor markets of Palestinian day workers and overseas migrants is integral to the story. Mundlak's account glides with the ease and precision of a zoom lens between the historical and social narrative, close-up views of doctrinal developments and institutional details, and wide-angle theoretical perspectives. Indeed, Mundlak's most enduring contribution may well be in the field of legal and social theory, particularly in understanding the role of law in social transformation. He pushes the methodological envelope by theorizing, sharpening, and adding nuance to an appreciation of law as both embedded within and constitutive of social orders." -- Karl E. Klare, George J. and Kathleen Waters Matthews Distinguished University Professor, School of Law, Northeastern University
"I cannot think of another book like this; I cannot even think of another author who could have written one. Guy Mundlak applies industrial relations scholarship in order to understand the genesis of legal norms in Israel, making clear the role of the emerging human-rights discourse in bringing down older conceptions of worker empowerment." -- Alan Hyde, Professor of Law and Sidney Reitman Scholar, Rutgers University