The Shape of the Division of Labour: Nations, Industries and Households

'This book is unique in its broad coverage of the concept of "division of labour". The variety of contributions highlight the shape of the "division of labour", showing that it is not just limited to the old notions of the degree of the division of labour among productive units, along the lines of Adam Smith, or the degree of specialization amongst countries, along the lines of David Ricardo. The authors use different apertures to present a panoramic and detailed view of contemporary analyses, including not only gender, but also assets, sectors and nations. The book edited by Robert Solow and Jean-Philippe Touffut therefore provides a refreshing new vision on one of the oldest concepts popular in economic analyses.' - Luc Soete, Maastricht University and Director of UNU-MERIT, The Netherlands How is work divided up in the household, within an industry, a nation or between continents? What are the dynamics of the division of labour? The wide-ranging contributions to this book explore these questions from technological, capital and political perspectives. They include in-depth studies of gender, the firm, countries' economic specializations, ICTs, foreign direct investment and agriculture. In this book, ten distinguished contributors - economists, scholars and practitioners - take stock of the shape of the division of labour and provide useful policy recommendations. The Shape of the Division of Labour will interest researchers and students of international economics, labour economics, international trade and finance, as well as economists and public policy advisers and analysts.