Time on Our Side : Why We All Need a Shorter Working Week

A coherent, comprehensive and highly suggestive account which considers time in relation to vital political issues including the environment, socio-economic inequality, gender equality and care. This highly analytical exploration of the politics of time and the asymmetries between clocks, work, wages, the seasons of the day and the cycles of life reveal time as the one resource in human life that is absolutely scarce. Thinking the unthinkable - a standard working week of 30 hours or less - this diverse collection of essays by unorthodox, empirical-minded and change-oriented academics and campaigners explore a subject frequently ignored by mainstream economists: the importance of discretionary time as a major determinant of perceived well-being. Discussing the significance of the politics of time for how we fashion a good life and a good society, in this coherent, comprehensive, and highly suggestive account of ideas and policies, the authors weave issues of time allocation and time use to those of labour and employment, growth and productivity, gender and care, life style and consumption, money and time, and environmental and climate sustainability to identify the clear association between working long and reduced productivity.

This book is intended for students of political economy, policy makers and campaigners working on new institutional political economy, evolutionary economics, heterodox economics, political philosophy and applied public policy.