Beyond a segmented economics of work

Abstract

The paper argues how changes in technology have induced massive transformations in labour and production processes, and how labour economics is undergoing a sea change within. In this context it points to the inability of labour economics to systematically integrate formal, informal, and domestic work in its analysis, making it inadequate for the task of understanding the working worlds inhabited by an overwhelming majority of women and men. This blinkered vision has contributed, moreover, to untenable myths about who works and what kinds of work they do. Using a range of Indian data, mainly drawn from the NSS's different Rounds, the paper shows how a different approach can not only widen the scope of the questions addressed but can also illuminate our understanding of work and workers. It also allows us to gain fresh understanding of the differences among workers, both women and men.