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Derek Robinson (1932–2014)

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Abstract

This chapter describes the contribution of Derek Robinson to academic labour economics and to public policy. His detailed research on local labour markets made an important early contribution to our understanding of the market imperfections which allowed employers significant discretion from external constraints—they were not simply wage takers. Robinson described how unions flourished in such environments, particularly in internal labour markets. Himself a committed trade unionist, he nevertheless believed that reform of industrial relations was needed. This motivated much of his work for the UK government. His central role in devising and implementing the incomes policy of the Heath administration in the early 1970s represented the high point of Robinson’s public service. He believed that incomes policies need not just be short-term measures to dampen inflationary pressures but potentially engines for change in wage-setting institutions and in attitudes to pay differentials.

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References

Main Works by Derek Robinson

  • Knowles, K.G.J.C. and D. Robinson (1962). ‘Wage Rounds and Wage Policy’. Bulletin of the Oxford University Institute of Economics and Statistics, 24(2): 269–329.

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  • Knowles, K.G.J.C. and D. Robinson (1964). ‘Some Concepts Relevant to the Consideration of the Engineering Wage Settlement of November 1963’. Bulletin of the Oxford University Institute of Economics and Statistics, 26(2): 93–111.

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  • Knowles, K.G.J.C. and D. Robinson (1969). ‘Wage Movements in Coventry’. Bulletin of the Oxford University Institute of Economics and Statistics, 31(1): 1–21.

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  • Knowles, K.G.J.C. and D. Robinson (1969). ‘Wage Movements in Coventry, Appendix II’. Bulletin of the Oxford University Institute of Economics and Statistics, 31(2): 145–152.

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  • Paukert, F. and D. Robinson (eds) (1992). Incomes Policies in the Wider Context: Wage, Price and Fiscal Initiatives in Developing Countries. Geneva: ILO.

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  • Robinson, D. (1961). ‘Wage-Rate Differentials Over Time’. Bulletin of the Oxford University Institute of Economics and Statistics, 23(4): 367–378.

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  • Robinson, D. (1963). ‘Wage Rates, Wage Income and Wages Policy’. Bulletin of the Oxford University Institute of Economics and Statistics, 25(1): 47–76.

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  • Robinson, D. (1967). ‘Low Paid Workers and Incomes Policy’. Bulletin of the Oxford University Institute of Economics and Statistics, 29(1): 1–29.

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  • Robinson, D. (ed.) (1970). Local Labour Markets and Wage Structures. London: Gower Press.

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  • Robinson, D. (1973). Incomes Policy and Capital Sharing in Europe. London: Croom Helm.

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  • Robinson, D. (1983). ‘Indirect and Partial Measures’. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 45(1): 105–125.

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  • Robinson, D. (1986a). Monetarism and the Labour Market. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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  • Robinson, D. (1986). Introduction to Economics. London: ICSA Publishing.

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  • Robinson, D. (1987). ‘How Inflexible Are Negotiated Wages in Britain?’. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 49(1): 37–57.

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  • Robinson, D. (1990). Civil Service Pay in Africa. Geneva: ILO.

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  • Robinson, D. (1998a). ‘Differences in Occupational Earnings by Sex’. International Labour Review, 137(1): 3–31.

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  • Robinson, D. (1998). ‘A Comparison of Occupational Wage Structures in Singapore and Other Countries’. Chapter 18 in C.Y. Lim and R. Chew (eds) Wages and Wages Policies: Tripartism in Singapore. River Edge, NJ: World Scientific Publishing: 279–324.

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  • Robinson, D. and K. Mayhew (1983). ‘Introduction’ and ‘Conclusions’. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 45(1): 3–13 and 127–139.

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  • Robinson, D. and A.G. Wilson (1966). ‘A Note on Calculating Average Compound Rates of Growth’. Bulletin of the Oxford University Institute of Economics and Statistics, 28(4): 241–246.

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  • Rosewell, B. and D. Robinson (1980). ‘The Reliability of Vacancy Statistics’. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 42(1): 1–16.

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Other Works Referred To

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  • Doeringer, P.B. and M.J. Piore (1971). Internal Labor Markets and Manpower Analysis. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath.

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  • Farmer, R. (2020). ‘The Importance of Beliefs in Shaping Macroeconomic Outcomes’. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 36(3): 711–722.

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  • Freeman, R.B. and J.L. Medoff (1979). ‘The Two Faces of Unionism’. Public Interest, 57(Fall): 69–93.

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  • Friedman, M. (1968). ‘The Role of Monetary Policy’. American Economic Review, 58(1): 1–17.

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  • In Place of Strife: A Policy for Industrial Relations (1969). Cmnd. 3888. London: HMSO.

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  • Kahn-Freund, O. (1972). Labour and the Law. London: Stevens.

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  • MacKay, D.I. et al. (1971). Local Labour Markets Under Different Conditions. London: Allen & Unwin.

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  • Mayhew, K. (2015a). ‘Derek Robinson’. Royal Economic Society Newsletter, Issue No. 168, January: 24. Available at: https://www.res.org.uk/uploads/assets/uploaded/2cb6ccaa-6ad5-42a4-9039f2b717289957.pdf.

  • Mayhew, K. (2015b). ‘Derek Robinson, 9 February 1932–1 September 2014’. Economic and Labour Relations Review, 26(3): 490–492.

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  • McCarthy, W.E.J. (1974). ‘Review of Incomes Policy and Capital Sharing in Europe, by D. Robinson’. Economic Journal, 84(335): 668–669.

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  • Oi, W.Y. (1962). ‘Labour as a Quasi-Fixed Factor’. Journal of Political Economy, 70(6): 538–555.

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  • Rees, A. and G.P. Shultz (1970). Workers and Wages in an Urban Labor Market. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

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  • Report of the Royal Commission on Trade Unions and Employers’ Associations, 1965–1968 (1968). Cmnd. 3623. London: HMSO.

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  • Samuelson, P.A. (1955). Economics: An Introductory Analysis. Third edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oxfordshire, UK

    Ken Mayhew

Authors
  1. Ken Mayhew
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Correspondence to Ken Mayhew .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Researcher in Economics, London, UK

    Robert A. Cord

Appendix 1: The Retail Price Index (RPI) and Unemployment in the UK, 1960–1985

Appendix 1: The Retail Price Index (RPI) and Unemployment in the UK, 1960–1985

 

RPI (%)

Unemployment (million)

1960

1.8

0.37

1961

4.4

0.34

1962

2.6

0.45

1963

1.9

0.54

1964

4.8

0.39

1965

4.5

0.34

1966

3.7

0.35

1967

2.5

0.55

1968

5.9

0.57

1969

4.7

0.57

1970

7.9

0.60

1971

9.0

0.74

1972

7.7

0.83

1973

10.6

0.59

1974

19.1

0.59

1975

24.9

0.90

1976

15.1

1.22

1977

12.1

1.31

1978

8.4

1.30

1979

17.2

1.23

1980

15.1

1.56

1981

12.0

2.42

1982

5.4

2.79

1983

5.3

3.04

1984

4.6

3.16

1985

5.7

3.27

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Mayhew, K. (2021). Derek Robinson (1932–2014). In: Cord, R.A. (eds) The Palgrave Companion to Oxford Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58471-9_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58471-9_23

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-58470-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-58471-9

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