Job types and technology economy

1. Job types and technology economy

2. Job types Skilled vs. unskilled labour Either can be producing things, or in service industry Skilled = certain degree of training (univ. or on the job) Unskilled = less training, more replaceable Knowledge-intensive (creative, innovative) vs. jobs that are “serving or making things rather than thinking for a living” (Brown and Hesketh, 2004, page 55) 20% knowledge-intensive 80% not knowledge-intensive

3. General transition of fordism to post-fordism Shift from blue collar to white collar work Less job security; more “flexible production” Service sector in Canada, as in many countries, is growing relative to other types of employment New Production models: based on innovation, lean production (more resources are spent on innovation) Case studies: Describe the culture within the corporation Why has the company succeeded, how has it succeeded? What is the history of innovation? How is it taught to employees? What are good and bad things about working for this company (in your opinion)?

4. Knowledge-based economy Lundvall (economist): “knowledge is the most important resource and learning the most important process” (in MacKinnon and Cumbers, p. 228) Codified knowledge = formal, systematic (manuals); often easier to transport globally Tacit knowledge = direct experience, practical know-how; more difficult to move across space (based on face-to-face) National strategies for economic growth: ‘low road’ strategy = low wages ‘high road’ strategy = specialization, high-value activities; commercialization of knowledge

5. The technology boom GDP growth: not as strong as expected The Great Stagnation (Tyler Cowen): since the 1970s, why haven’t computers and the internet caused huge GDP growth rate increases? ‘New Economy’ in late 1990s with rapid growth; then a crash (bubble burst) Cowen: "We have a collective historical memory that technological progress brings a big and predictable stream of revenue growth across most of the economy. When it comes to the web, those assumptions are turning out to be wrong or misleading. The revenue-intensive sectors of our economy have been slowing down and the big technological gains are coming in revenue-deficient sectors."

6. National Geographic: 7 billion Age of man Fertility rate Wealth distribution: income share by lowest 20%

7. Development: Chapter 11 Next week: development and the Green Revolution Development in one city block International development: how? Why?

8. Final Presentations! April 5 Presentations will be graded by all class participants, including myself. We’ll weight the grades evenly. Presentations are 15 points, and judged on the following criteria: 1) Organization of overall presentation: 5 points Is there a clear introduction? Is there a conclusion that ties back to the introduction? Are the slides in a logical order? 2) Content: 5 points Is the presenter’s paper topic presented in a coherent manner? Are ideas integrated and relevant to the paper topic? Is the paper topic clearly explained, and do you have a sense of what the presenter has learned? 3) Style and slide content: 5 points Are the slides readable? Is the content – writing, photos, graphs, maps - clear and well-displayed?