The U.S. military has undergone a profound shift since the end of the Cold War. This shift has largely coincided with the neoliberal and privatisation wave following the 1980s. Following this shift...Show moreThe U.S. military has undergone a profound shift since the end of the Cold War. This shift has largely coincided with the neoliberal and privatisation wave following the 1980s. Following this shift, PMCs were able to predominate, and contracts awarded by the government to PMCs allowed them to rapidly expand. Said expansion was also helped by the growing U.S. military budgets post 9/11, and to the big contracts awarded by the U.S. government to companies like KBR. In search for cheap labour, PMCs started to look at migrant labour from lesser developed countries to cater for these contracts. By tying into existing migrant networks, like those in the Gulf States and South-East Asia, PMCs were able to attract large quantities of labour. Most migrants left to Iraq because of economic incentives such as a high salary. The ability to earn a relatively good salary and therefore provides a good future for families back home. In addition, the offshoring of migrants resulted in substandard legal rights for TCNs which left many to fall into a legal grey zone where neither U.S. or local labour laws applied.Show less
This thesis explores COVID-19 induced economic uncertainty within South Korea, the consequences hereof for South Korea’s economic outlook, other modifiers that may be of relevance, and how consumer...Show moreThis thesis explores COVID-19 induced economic uncertainty within South Korea, the consequences hereof for South Korea’s economic outlook, other modifiers that may be of relevance, and how consumer uncertainty compares to established uncertainty indexes. It finds that economic uncertainty is present within the South Korean populace, that its effect on consumption may not be as clear cut as other literature suggests, that it impacts labour mobility and long-term economic outcomes and how risk aversion and acquaintances play a role in this. It furthermore finds that consumer uncertainty and uncertainty indexes do not always correlate, that vaccination sentiment may affect the economic outlook, how retail investors support capital markets and that consumer opinion may counterbalance trade-sector uncertainty.Show less
This thesis investigates the effects of neoliberalism on labour and the social reproduction of labour. The thesis provides a literature review of the extensive literature on neoliberalism in...Show moreThis thesis investigates the effects of neoliberalism on labour and the social reproduction of labour. The thesis provides a literature review of the extensive literature on neoliberalism in general and in Egypt before providing a historical account of neoliberal reforms and their effect on the corporatist bargain between labour and the state. It then proceeds to discuss the effects of neoliberalism on informality, welfare and repression. The thesis argues that on all these fronts workers have been increasingly marginalised and forced to live in substandard conditions. Neoliberalism has caused a spike in informal employment and informal settlements. This informality results in decreased working conditions, wages and housing conditions. Another effect of the neoliberal reforms was the reduction of state provision of welfare. This vacuum was filled by private actors, often those families and individuals who benefitted from the neoliberal reforms in the first place. Labour is now dependent on private actors to provide services, which used to be a right based on citizenship. Harvey characterises neoliberal reforms as accumulation through dispossession. Lastly, the thesis claims that resistance to this dispossession has been effectively repressed through legal obstacles, Sisi-linked media narratives securitising resistance and an increased security apparatus. Overall, workers have suffered the brunt of neoliberal reform to the benefit of a select group of elites, who now attempt to form a coalition with the security forces to maintain stability, prevent another 2011 and maintain their accumulated wealth.Show less
The Liverpool Dock Dispute (1995-8) was one of the longest movements in British labour history, and mobilised large-scale international support, yet it has received only a modest amount of...Show moreThe Liverpool Dock Dispute (1995-8) was one of the longest movements in British labour history, and mobilised large-scale international support, yet it has received only a modest amount of scholarly attention. Using a combination of ego documents and newly produced sources, this thesis seeks to illuminate three particular areas of neglect relating to the dockers’ emotions and identities, their international campaign, and the legacy of their movement. Central to this is an approach that embeds social movement concepts – and theories on emotions, narratives, and collective memory - within an account of the dispute’s beginning, development, and end. Ultimately, the findings of this study enable a series of broader conclusions about the usefulness of oral history, and the importance of concepts such as emotion, identity, and memory to the field of industrial relations more widely.Show less
This thesis explores the high level of persistent inequality that is experienced by the majority of the South African population, by closely examining three socio-historical determinants: land,...Show moreThis thesis explores the high level of persistent inequality that is experienced by the majority of the South African population, by closely examining three socio-historical determinants: land, education and the labour market. By doing so, a critical analysis of the post-apartheid government is carried out, and evidence points to the several legacies of apartheid that are still negatively affecting many people in South Africa, a quarter century after the end of apartheid.Show less
This thesis asks why the ongoing conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, has become a prominent issue within the British Labour Party. Further, it seeks to examine whether or not positions on...Show moreThis thesis asks why the ongoing conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, has become a prominent issue within the British Labour Party. Further, it seeks to examine whether or not positions on the conflict and expressions of solidarity with the Palestinians by members of the Party follow a general trend, and which external and internal factors have brought about the relative prominence of the conflict within the Party. It uses textual and discourse analysis to examine these questions and focuses on the formation of discourses around Palestine in the elite of the Labour party in the post-war period, with a particular focus on the period following the 1973 October war.Show less
With the revision of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act in the 1990s the Japanese Government introduced new policies for the acceptance of foreign labour into society. Whereas...Show moreWith the revision of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act in the 1990s the Japanese Government introduced new policies for the acceptance of foreign labour into society. Whereas formal policies for admitting skilled foreign workers were introduced, a formal policy for admitting unskilled foreign workers has been lacking up until this date. Instead, the respective workers came to enter Japan through certain backdoor policies and have been doing so ever since. This thesis will provide insight into the reason why this is by explaining the impact that conservative political elites have upon immigration policymaking. It will reveal that their presence forms an obstacle in formalizing any such policy to admit unskilled foreign workers, whereas continuing to admit them through backdoor channels only enhances vulnerability to exploitation.Show less
