Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Workers around the World

Case Studies 1950-2010

Published March 8, 2017

ISBN:
978-94-6298-115-7
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Maritime trade is the backbone of the world’s economy. Around ninety percent of all goods are transported by ship, and since World War II, shipbuilding has undergone major changes in response to new commercial pressures and opportunities. Early British dominance, for example, was later undermined in the 1950s by competition from the Japanese, who have since been overtaken by South Korea and, most recently, China. The case studies in this volume trace these and other important developments in the shipbuilding and ship repair industries, as well as workers’ responses to these historic transformations.

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A Multidisciplinary Gem

This collection of papers on the shipbuilding industry and its workforce is an absolute gem, with each author focusing on a different market and bringing either an economic, historic, or sociological lens. There's unfortunately little about the experiences of workers themselves here, but given the breadth of the volume that's forgivable. Particularly notable for me were the chapters on Britain (Hugh Murphy), Japan (Takeshi Haraguchi and Kazuya Sakurada), and South Korea (Wonchul Shin). Even if you're not interested in the industry specifically, the combination of geopolitical shocks that reverberated across markets, differences in organization and financing, and the relationship between these and other factors and outcomes is fascinating. Highly recommend

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