April 13 2018
Professor Ruth Dukes of University of Glasgow School of Law
Professor Ruth Dukes of Glasgow School of Law, my good friend and international labour law star (and co-teacher with me in Osgoode’s LLM upcoming program in labour and employment law), sends along a great job opportunity that may be of interest to Canadian and American academics working in the area of precarious work, law, and the ‘gig’ economy.
This a two year research job (ending August 2020) at the University of Glasgow. The closing date for applications is April 23. The job ad is here.
Here is the job description:
Job Purpose
To make a leading contribution to the ERC funded project: Work on Demand: Contracting for Work in a Changing Economy (‘WorkOD’). The WorkOD project seeks to investigate the ever-evolving nature of contracts and contracting behaviour in the world of work – not only contracts of employment, but also those of casual, ‘zero-hours’, and self-employed workers. A particular point of focus is the emerging ‘gig’ or ‘on demand’ economy, in which consumers order a range of services, or delivery of a range of goods, online or via smart phone apps. The project has a strong comparative dimension, and will analyse differences in forms of contract and contracting behaviour across jurisdictions and over the course of several decades.
A key innovation is the characterisation of contracting for work as an instance of economic, social and legal behaviour. With the aim of developing a new methodology for the study of work contracts, the project seeks to synthesise elements of economic sociology, sociology of law, and political economy into a new ‘economic sociology of labour law’. The relevance of this work will extend beyond the field of labour law into other legal disciplines and branches of social science.
The project is motivated by a normative and empirical concern with the continued viability of systems of labour law that are, broadly-speaking, protective of workers’ interests. It builds on previous research conducted by the Principal Investigator, Professor Ruth Dukes, into traditional and more recent market-based approaches to the study of labour law.
Specifically, the job requires expert knowledge of current trends and debates in the fields of labour law and the organization of working relationships. The post-holder will also be required to make a leading contribution to the formulation and submission of research publications as well as make a significant contribution to the management and direction of this complex and challenging project as opportunities allow.
For appointment at Grade 8, the post-holder will work independently, playing a leading role in developing the research, and make a significant contribution to the management and direction of the complex and challenging project as opportunities allow.