Review by Choice Review
Leigh describes policies employed by seven industrialized countries, including the US and Canada, to ease the economic plight of workers who lost jobs due to industrial restructuring. The author, a Washington State University economist, has written many articles and monographs on displaced workers in the US and in other countries, and this book benefits from his accessible descriptions and thoughtful analysis. He distinguishes countries that have unified employment and training systems from those that lurch from one plan to another. He also distinguishes policies that "actively" help workers obtain new jobs from those that are "passive" and provide financial safety nets. The longer chapters discuss evaluations of US policies, job retraining, and job search programs. Leigh concludes that the US would do better to adopt the unified, active labor market policies of Sweden, but the reader may discern two other provocative and ironic conclusions: (a) some countries evaluate, while others implement programs; and (b) evaluations establish very few generalizations for success. This volume is the place to begin to learn what has been learned. Comprehensive bibliography. All levels. H. Kasper; Oberlin College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
