In this book, Driver and Temple examine how the simple faith of economists and policymakers in free-markets and financialisation masqueraded as an economic theory justifying the neglect of investment in capital, skills and technology. This book is not in any sense against markets, an institution that has often brought both progress and liberty. But any serious economist is as aware of the deficiencies of markets as much as their benefits. The authors' objection is rather to what might be called the market as metaphor where market affirmation is used to convey a political intention that the interests of capital will be privileged over those of labour. The authors survey the damage caused to the macroeconomic climate from the market-era reliance on labour market flexibility and low inflation, and conclude that radical reforms are needed both at the level of the company, through changes in corporate governance, and at the level of industry, by giving institutional form to a system of social partnership for a fair and high performance economy.
1. Economic Performance in the Market Era 2. Investment, The Labour Market and Economic Policy 3. The Question of International Competitiveness 4. Capital Investment: A Neglected Issue 5. Underinvestment or/and Overinvestment? 6. Global Finance, Industry and Shareholder Value 7. Reforms to Corporate Governance 8. A Look Ahead
