Exploring different approaches to the study of labour law, this book examines different ways of conceiving of the subject and of describing, analyzing, and criticizing current legislation and policy in the field. In particular, it assesses the validity of the suggestion that 'old ways' of thinking about the subject have become outdated. Detailed consideration is given to two such old ways: the idea of the labour constitution, developed by Hugo Sinzheimer in the early years of the Weimar Republic, and the principle of collective laissez-faire, elaborated by Otto Kahn-Freund in the 1950s. It...

Via a comparison of traditional understandings of labour law with market-focused approaches brought to the fore by globalization, Dukes contends that the labour constitution continues to offer a vital framework for scholarly analysis, emphasizing the critical nature of the link between democracy and the protection of workers' rights.