Interrogating the New Economy

Interrogating the New Economy explores how work is changing and what this means for workers and their communities. It focuses on a simple question: How do the workplaces of the early twenty-first century differ from those of previous eras? The book will be useful for undergraduate courses exploring work, as well as for anyone interested in what is happening to Canadian workplaces. -- Wayne Lewchuk, McMaster University Investigating the varied and complex developments that have resulted in the reshaping of work and the intensification of longstanding inequalities in twenty-first-century Canada, this collection challenges outdated notions of a universal worker, offering a glimpse of work organization, management, and worker militancy through the eyes of call-centre employees, student workers, migrant labourers, miners, and a range of service and public-sector workers. It will be of value to academics and activists alike. -- Pam Sugiman, Ryerson University

"This collection challenges outdated notions of a universal worker, offering a glimpse of work organization, management, and worker militancy. It will be of value to academics and activists alike." - Pam Sugiman, Ryerson University

This collection of original essays investigates the social, political, and economic transformations associated with the emergence of the so-called new economy, and their impact on the organization of work within Canada. Essays in the book discuss the ways in which new management strategies, new communication technologies, and efforts to revitalize the labour movement have transformed the Canadian workplace. Focusing on changes in work organization, individuals' expectations regarding work, and the institutional support provided for workers and their families, the text constructs a critical analysis of the "new economy" in order to identify both the potential for quality work experiences and the ways in which the organization of work remains a profound social problem.