Existing theories of work and labor markets, whether neoclassical, institutionalist, or Marxist, generally err in one of two ways. Some theories opt for individualism, building their models on the analysis of the confrontation between a single employer and a single worker; this strategy is intellectually tidy but inhibits serious consideration of networks, organizations, culture, history, and collective action. Other theories that offer dense social analysis usually narrow their focus to small areas of inquiry, failing to match or challenge the broad theorizing offered by the individualist models. This chapter, from a forthcoming historical and economic analysis of work under capitalism, seeks to establish the framework for a more adequate theory of work. Much of it is necessarily schematic, identifying the often-overlooked categories that should be central to a new understanding of the labor process and the labor market. It is a collaborative effort of an economist and historian.
