social division of labour
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Social division of labor, one of the two aspects of the division of labor, is the social structural foundation of the specialized commodity production divided between industries, firms, and
occupations Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...
of workers (otherwise known as the ''technical'' division of tasks). Before the emergence of centralized manufacturing, individuals specialized in the development of one product and traded it for finished products made by other individuals. While this relationship can describe specialized trades within a community, such as master sewers, blacksmiths, and farmers, it can also refer to the specializations of several networked communities. For example, one community might make clothes for the purpose of exchange, while another makes tools and a third produces food for the same purpose. Social division of labor greatly increases
productivity Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production proces ...
, because individuals can work on whichever product provides them a
comparative advantage In an economic model, agents have a comparative advantage over others in producing a particular good if they can produce that good at a lower relative opportunity cost or autarky price, i.e. at a lower relative marginal cost prior to trade. Comp ...
, and then trade it to the individuals who cannot efficiently produce it. The social division of labor also creates exchange markets and prices, which operate in part by comparing the cost and time required to make each product. This type of relationship can be socially and economically advantageous; however, too much specialization can also lead to major disadvantages. First, if a community specializes too heavily on a product, they can become dependent on the success of that product and will experience an economic disaster if the product is replaced (or becomes extinct). For example, if bananas go extinct or grow under bad seasonal conditions in
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
, the economy will suffer along with the whole community. A second disadvantage develops if all communities come to rely on a product developed by a single community, because that community would then have a monopoly on that product and would be able to withhold production for their own benefit. The third disadvantage is that individual workers, now specialized for particular occupational skillsets, may be vulnerable to economic reorganizations. These can be triggered by volatile 'product cycles' and the development of new industries, where representation in
union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
constituencies is different from that of older, outsourced, or automated ones (for example, financial services vs. weaving). Marxists argue that
capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...
, and
modes of production In the Marxist theory of historical materialism, a mode of production (German: ''Produktionsweise'', "the way of producing") is a specific combination of the: * Productive forces: these include human labour power and means of production (tools, ...
in general, change through revolutions in the means of production, which result in populations of unemployed workers who are over-specialized in niche occupations and, as a result, are unable to reenter the labor force amid spiraling
unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...
. Marx, K. (1977). '' Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Volume One.'' Trans. Ben Fowkes. New York: Vintage Books, pp. 772, 781–94.


External links


Harry Braverman and the Working Class
from Roger State University


References

{{Reflist Labor history