Using an interdisciplinary approach, this work shows how aspects of job quality are related, and how changes in the quality of work life stem from technological change and transformations in the politico-economic environment. This book concludes by discussing what individuals, firms, unions, and governments can do to counter declining job quality.

List of Illustrations xi Preface: The Quest for "More and Better Jobs" xv Acknowledgments xxi Abbreviations xxiii Chapter One: Assessing Job Quality in the Affluent Economy 1 The Paradox of Job Quality at the Millennium 1 Revealing a History of the Present 3 The Changing World and the Everyday Workplace 5 What Makes a Good Job? 8 An Interdisciplinary Perspective on Job Quality 13 From Quality of Work Life to "Quality in Work"? 19 How to Measure a Good Job: Surveys of the Quality of Work Life 22 Chapter Two: The Quality of Work Life in the "Knowledge Economy" 24 An Optimistic Outlook 24 Theories of the Changing Demand for Skill 26 The Concept and Measurement of Skill 28 The Rising Level of Skill 29 Skills Polarization? 35 Skill, Technology, and Work Organization 37 The Skills Balance 40 Conclusion: A Mixed Verdict 42 Chapter Three: Late Twentieth-Century Trends in Work Effort 44 Working Hours, Work Effort, and the Quality of Work Life 44 The Concept and Measurement of Work Effort 47 Work Intensification in Britain 50 Work Intensification in Europe, Australia, and the United States 58 Any Objections? 61 Conclusion: A Summary of Effort Trends 64 Chapter Four: Accounting for Work Intensification 66 The Paradox of Work Intensification in the Affluent Economy 66 The Supply of Effort 67 "Amber Lights" and Effort-Biased Technological Change 69 Big Brother 77 The Changing Balance of Power 78 The Stick, the Carrot, and the Smooth Sell 81 Conclusion: The Role of Technological Change 84 Appendix: Multivariate Analyses 86 Chapter Five: Workers' Discretion 94 The Importance of Influence 94 The Workers' Voice 98 Theory about How Discretion Is Changing 99 Trends in Discretion 102 Conclusion: An Incomplete Account 107 Chapter Six: The Wages of Nations 111 Wages and the Fairness of Wages 111 The Growth of Average Wages 112 The Fairness of Wages 119 Conclusion: Alright for Some 123 Chapter Seven: Workers' Risk 126 Is This an Age of Uncertainty in the Workplace? 126 The Concept and Measurement of Job Insecurity 130 Workers' Perceptions of the Trend and Distribution of Job Risk 131 Objective Proxies for Risk 142 Conclusion: Risk and the Quality of Work Life 146 Chapter Eight: Workers' Well-Being 150 A Question of Well-Being 150 A Digression on the Notion of Subjective Well-Being 151 A Picture of the Changing Well-Being of Workers in the Industrialized World 153 Well-Being and the Quality of Jobs 160 Conclusion: The Quality of Work Life Is Strained 166 Appendix: Multivariate Analyses 168 Chapter Nine: Summary and Implications for Policy on the Quality of Work Life 170 The Rewards and Demands of Work in the Affluent Economy 170 Policy Implications 178 Data Set Appendix 185 Notes 193 References 203 Index of Names 219 General Index 223

"This is a fine piece of work which will make a major impact. It brings together a large volume of excellent research by its author over a number of years. This is the sort of book that applied economists should write, but which few do. All credit to Francis Green for producing such a tour de force."—Keith Whitfield, Cardiff University Business School, author of Researching the World of Work

"Demanding Work addresses a highly significant area of research in the social sciences on a timely topic. Pulling together a range of issues falling under the umbrella of quality of work, Francis Green puts the overall issue prominently on the radar screen of economists, who have long neglected it, as well as higher up the political agenda."—Stephen Wood, Director, ESRC Centre for Innovation and Organisation, University of Sheffield

"This well-written book tells an interesting and important story in a natural way, addressing shifts in various aspects of job quality over recent years before finally summing things up and looking at policy issues. Reading it was an enjoyable—and informative—experience."—Andrew Clark, Department and Laboratory of Applied and Theoretical Economics (DELTA), école normale supérieure, Paris

This is a fine piece of work which will make a major impact. It brings together a large volume of excellent research by its author over a number of years. This is the sort of book that applied economists should write, but which few do. All credit to Francis Green for producing such a tour de force. -- Keith Whitfield, Cardiff University Business School, author of "Researching the World of Work" Demanding Work addresses a highly significant area of research in the social sciences on a timely topic. Pulling together a range of issues falling under the umbrella of quality of work, Francis Green puts the overall issue prominently on the radar screen of economists, who have long neglected it, as well as higher up the political agenda. -- Stephen Wood, Director, ESRC Centre for Innovation and Organisation, University of Sheffield This well-written book tells an interesting and important story in a natural way, addressing shifts in various aspects of job quality over recent years before finally summing things up and looking at policy issues. Reading it was an enjoyable--and informative--experience. -- Andrew Clark, Department and Laboratory of Applied and Theoretical Economics (DELTA), Ecole normale superieure, Paris