Corporatism and the Myth of Consensus

Working Hours Legislation in Finland in the 1990s

This title was first published in 2001. Its main focus is on corporatism - which is largely concerned with representative structures between the state and organized interests. The book covers corporatism in both theoretical and descriptive forms and looks at consensus building in practice. Throughout the book corporatism is discussed with reference to the working hours regulation in Finland. Looking at the decision making process for fixing working hours regulations in Finland leads to a discussion on consensus and how the regulations were put forward and agreed, with an examination of the Finnish Parliamentary Committee for Labour Affairs and their role in policy making. Finally the book investigates the results of working hours regulation in Finland after it has been put into practice; and carries out a comparison between corporate pluralist Finland and a non-corporatist UK, to show if different labour market policies reflect how working hours are arranged on the shop floor.