The Idea of the Idea of Labour Law: A Parable

THE IDEA OF LABOUR LAW, Langille, Davidov, eds., Oxford University Press, 2011

Rutgers School of Law-Newark Research Paper No. 091

12 Pages Posted: 21 Mar 2011

See all articles by Alan Hyde

Alan Hyde

Rutgers University - School of Law

Date Written: March 15, 2011

Abstract

In times and places when labor law functions as an important social institution, participants in the system often hold conflicting and overlapping conceptions of its purpose (e.g. wealth redistribution, democracy, conflict resolution) without apparent dissonance or dysfunction. Paradoxically, as labor law declines in social importance, academics assert increasingly bizarre and untethered concepts of its basic purpose (e.g. Kantian ethics, lowered transaction costs, solving collective action problems). These concepts reflect the need of teachers of labor law to justify their choice of subject and place in the academy as the social importance of their institution declines. Soon, however, labor law, like securities or banking regulation, will be understood as orderly procedures by which specialists accomplish technical ends, without any expectation that the field will inspire politically or morally.

Keywords: labor law, comparative labor law

JEL Classification: K31

Suggested Citation

Hyde, Alan Stuart, The Idea of the Idea of Labour Law: A Parable (March 15, 2011). THE IDEA OF LABOUR LAW, Langille, Davidov, eds., Oxford University Press, 2011, Rutgers School of Law-Newark Research Paper No. 091, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1787611

Alan Stuart Hyde (Contact Author)

Rutgers University - School of Law ( email )

Newark, NJ
United States
973-353-3163 (Phone)
973-353-1445 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~hyde

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