Securing Prosperity: The American Labor Market: How It Has Changed and What to Do about It [Kindle Edition]

Paul Osterman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Osterman is a professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management. Under the auspices of the Century Foundation (formerly the Twentieth Century Fund), he looks at the transformation of the labor market over the past two decades. He argues that employment security is declining in spite of a robust economy, and that the consequences of job loss have become more severe. Wages have fallen for those on the bottom rung of the economic ladder. Contingent employment is on the rise but it fails to meet the needs of many relegated to this type of work. After documenting these changes and their impact, Osterman suggests that most of them are the result of corporate restructuring, and he considers why employers have done this. He then turns to public-policy issues, calling for an increased role for government in redressing the imbalance of power between employers and labor, and in solving the problems resulting from "involuntary" job change and instability in low-wage labor markets. David Rouse

Review

Drawing on new surveys of nearly 1000 corporations, Osterman reaches some interesting conclusions. . . . [His] policy recommendations are thoughtful. (Jim Holt Management Review )

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 2933 KB
• Print Length: 240 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (July 26, 1999)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• ASIN: B001TH8VH2
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #684,598 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Paul Osterman is the NTU Professor of Human Resources and Management at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management and the Department of Urban Planning, M.I.T.

Osterman's books include: "Good Jobs America: Making Work Better For Everyone" (Russell Sage, 2011); "The Truth About Middle Managers: Who They Are, How They Work, Why They Matter" (Harvard Business School Press, 2008); "Gathering Power: The Future of Progressive Politics In America" (Beacon Press), 2003; "Securing Prosperity: How the American Labor Market Has Changed and What To Do About It" (Princeton University Press, 1999); "Employment Futures: Reorganization, Dislocation, and Public Policy" (Oxford University Press, 1988) and "Getting Started: The Youth Labor Market." (MIT Press, 1978). He is also the co-author of "Working In America; A Blueprint for the New Labor Market"; The "Mutual Gains Enterprise; Forging a Winning Partnership Among Labor, Management, and Government", and "Change At Work", and the editor of two books, "Internal Labor Markets", and "Broken Ladders; Managerial Careers In The New Economy". In addition, he has written numerous academic journal articles and policy issue papers on topics such as the organization of work within firms, labor market policy, and economic development.

Osterman has been a senior administrator of job training programs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and consulted widely to firms, government agencies, foundations, community groups, and public interest organizations. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from M.I.T.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wise look at the need for raising all ships, June 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Securing Prosperity (Hardcover)

Osterman presents a carefully researched look at the problems facing American workers in the new economy. He puts forth so solid a case for the need to ensure equity for all--not just technologists--that he even convinced this consultant that something has to be done. Like many, I thought the disillusionment and chaos of the past was history, but he proves that only by forming new kinds of institutions will workers be able to ensure that they are allowed the opportunity to succeed in what remains a very difficult environment for all too many workers.

5 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Socialism in the Business School, July 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Securing Prosperity (Hardcover)

I have carefully read this book and have seen Dr. Osterman deliver several lectures. The theoretical model underlying all of his work is the transfer of money and resources from those who have earned it to those who have not - in other words socialism.

One of the primary pieces of evidence in this book and others is the growing wage gap between the "rich" and the "poor." Paul and other policy wonks of his ilk know very well these are misleading statistics. Ours is a dynamic economy. Long term studies of the rich and poor show that the folks in the bottom end of the income spectrum are very young and/or uneducated. Over any 5 year period of time fewer than 20% of the people at the bottom remain at the bottom. Dr. Osterman recommends policies to move people out of these temporary brackets not by individual hard work but by income redistribution - overseen, presumably, by academic elites like himself.

Lefties such as Osterman believe a small group of elites can make better decisions provide better outcomes for society than individuals making decisions for themselves. I discourage the purchase of this book; a subscription to the Wall Street Journal is money much better spent.