Full and Productive Employment in Developing Economies: Towards the Sustainable Development Goals(Routledge Studies in Development Economics)

The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals include a specific target for full and productive employment. However, what constitutes full employment in developing countries is not yet clearly understood. And likewise, there is no clear direction for developing strategies and policies to address this challenge. Drawing on the author’s deep knowledge of employment and inclusive development, this book presents a broad framework which could enable us to pursue the challenging goal of full, productive employment in developing countries. It revisits the conceptual foundations of full employment and carefully examines the issue of suitable indicators for monitoring progress. It also examines the challenges created by globalized production chains and labour market fluctuations caused by economic crises. This book throws light on a major lacuna in development thinking on how the challenge of creating productive employment for all in developing countries needs to be addressed. It provides a solution by re-examining relevant theories and empirical evidence, and by bringing out their implications for development strategies and policies. Finally, the focus falls on the effective implementation of employment strategies and policies. This authoritative work will appeal to a diverse readership of academic researchers, think-tanks, international organizations, and development partners.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction.  2. Structural Transformation and Employment.  3. Conceptualizing the Goal of Full Employment and the SDG Framework.  4. Labour Market Outcomes and Inclusive Development.  5. Economic Fluctuations and Vulnerability of Labour Markets.  6. Has Employment Intensive Growth Become History?  7. Globalization of Production and the World of Work: Is a Race to the Bottom Inevitable?  8. Re-thinking Development Strategies and Policies for Productive Employment.  9. Implementation of Employment Strategies and Policies.  10. Concluding Observations.

About the Author :
Rizwanul Islam is former Special Adviser in the Employment Sector at the International Labour Organization, Switzerland.

Review :
"The book examines options to find decent jobs within the framework laid down by the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. It presents a broad framework within the goal of full employment in developing countries in a pursuable manner. It argues that a rethinking of development strategies is needed to attain this goal... It is rich in data and cross-references, making it a kind of repository of current knowledge. Yet it avoids deploying complicated mathematical models, symbols and equations, making the text readable to larger audiences. The book offers an extremely meaningful framework and pointers to achieving full employment. This reviewer finds the book to be timely and of immense use. Its audience: Some immediate candidates would be policymakers, research scholars and university teachers. The shelf life of the book is estimated to be several years and decades." — Sarthi Acharya, IHD, Delhi, in The Indian Journal of Labour Economics "The new and highly informative book by Rizwanul Islam sheds light on these complex and interrelated topics. Drawing on decades of experience and research, the author provides a rich and detailed coverage of a range of issues ... offering insights into both concepts and operationalization." "Islam calls for a rethinking of policies and the formulation and implementation of a multipronged strategy that covers demand-side measures, including macroeconomic and sectoral policies, active labour market policies, and interventions to promote formalization and improve job quality." "Islam greatly strengthens our conceptualization and ability to operationalize policies to promote full and productive employment in developing economies around the world. This book is highly recommended for academics, researchers, development practitioners and policy-makers alike." — Sher Verick, Senior Employment Specialist, Employment Policy Department, International Labour Organization. Appearing in International Labour Review, Vol. 159 (2020), No. 3. "The book examines options to find decent jobs within the framework laid down by the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. It presents a broad framework within the goal of full employment in developing countries in a pursuable manner. It argues that a rethinking of development strategies is needed to attain this goal... It is rich in data and cross-references, making it a kind of repository of current knowledge. Yet it avoids deploying complicated mathematical models, symbols and equations, making the text readable to larger audiences. The book offers an extremely meaningful framework and pointers to achieving full employment. This reviewer finds the book to be timely and of immense use. Its audience: Some immediate candidates would be policymakers, research scholars and university teachers. The shelf life of the book is estimated to be several years and decades." — Sarthi Acharya, IHD, Delhi, in The Indian Journal of Labour Economics "The new and highly informative book by Rizwanul Islam sheds light on these complex and interrelated topics. Drawing on decades of experience and research, the author provides a rich and detailed coverage of a range of issues ... offering insights into both concepts and operationalization." "Islam calls for a rethinking of policies and the formulation and implementation of a multipronged strategy that covers demand-side measures, including macroeconomic and sectoral policies, active labour market policies, and interventions to promote formalization and improve job quality." "Islam greatly strengthens our conceptualization and ability to operationalize policies to promote full and productive employment in developing economies around the world. This book is highly recommended for academics, researchers, development practitioners and policy-makers alike." — Sher Verick, Senior Employment Specialist, Employment Policy Department, International Labour Organization. Appearing in International Labour Review, Vol. 159 (2020), No. 3.