The Reconstruction of Post-War Labour Markets in The Southern African Development Community : Insights From The Democratic Republic of The Congo

This book provides a comprehensive overview of post-war labour market reconstructions, in the context of a regional bloc whose member states have experienced conflict. Focusing on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, the book explores how major conflicts often expose shortcomings in affected countries particularly on their post-war labour market reconstruction processes. The authors discuss how countries in the SADC region in particular are equipped to navigate such processes. This key question drives the overview of relationships between labour market issues and wars of liberation from colonial rule and apartheid, rights to self-determination and racial (in)equality and the need to succinctly explain how labour market issues shaped civil wars in some post-independent SADC member states. The book examines the role of the state in reconstruction processes of post-war labour markets and the contribution of labour market institutions to these reconstructions. It further analyses private sector participation in remaking labour markets and workers’ experiences in finding employment in labour markets under reconstruction. The book provides specific insights from experiences in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Foreword Acknowledgements Contents Abbreviations and Acronyms List of Figures Part I Historical and Theoretical Bases of Post-War Labour Market Reconstruction in the SADC Region 1 On Post-war Labour Market Reconstructions in Southern Africa Post-war Labour Market Reconstructions: A Diachronic Global View Labour Market Reconstructions Post-World War II and the Cold War Era Scholarly Literature on Post-Cold War Labour Market Reconstruction and Post-war Labour Market Recovery Independence, Consolidation of State Power, Civil Wars/Conflict and Labour Market Reconstructions in the SADC Region The Origins of SADC and the Apathy Towards Post-war Labour Market Reconstruction in Southern Africa Methodological and Theoretical Considerations The Structure of This Book References 2 Historical Background to the Reconstruction of Post-war Labour Markets in Southern Africa Wage Labour Markets in British Colonies of Southern Africa South Africa Zimbabwe Namibia Wage Labour Markets in Portuguese Colonies of Southern Africa Mozambique Angola The Impacts of War on Labour Markets Post-war Labour Market Regimes in Southern Africa Conclusion References 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Issues in the Making, Unmaking and Remaking of Labour Markets in the SADC Region Conceptual Issues The Labour Market Labour Market Institutions The State Power The International System The Multipolar System The Bipolar System The Post-Cold War Era Theoretical Issues Classical, Neoclassical and Institutionalist Labour Market Paradigms Labour Market Segmentation Theory Peck’s Theory of Social Regulation Labour Incorporation Labour Allocation Labour Control Labour Reproduction Conclusion References Part II Labour Markets and Post-War Labour Market Reconstruction in the SADC Region: Insights from the Democratic Republic of the Congo 4 Dynamics in the Making of Labour Markets King Leopold II’s Forced Labour Regime (1885–1908) Labour Market Regime Under Belgian Colonial Rule (1908–1960) Post-independence Labour Market Fragmentation (1960–1964) Labour Market Under President Mobutu (1965–1997) The Golden Age (1965–1973) Disintegration (1974–1997) Labour Market After Mobutu’s Reign (1997–2002) Post-war Labour Market Reconstruction After the Year 2000 Labour Reforms After the Transition (2007–2018) Changes and Challenges in the DRC’s Post-war Labour Market Economically Active Population and Employment Unemployment and Underemployment Informal Employment Conclusion References 5 Post-war Labour Market Reconstruction and Public Labour Market Institutions Department of Employment, Labour and Social Welfare National Council of Labour National Institute for Vocational Training National Employment Office National Social Security Fund National Agency for the Promotion of Investments Labour Market Institutions in the DRC in Comparative Perspective Conclusion References 6 Post-war Labour Market Reconstruction, Private Labour Market Institutions and Non-market Actors Private Labour Market Institutions Brief Historical Overview of Employer Organisations The Congolese Business Federation in the Post-war Period (2003–2018) Brief Historical Overview of Trade Unionism in the DRC Trade Unionism from 2003 Onwards Non-market Actors Non-market Actors in Historical Perspective Non-market Actor Activities in the Labour Market Conclusion References 7 Post-war Labour Market Reconstruction and Challenges in the Construction, Retail and Telecommunications Sectors Labour Incorporation The Construction Sector The Retail Sector The Telecommunications Sector Labour Incorporation Hiring Processes and Labour Allocation The Construction Sector The Retail Sector The Telecommunications Sector Labour Allocation Conclusion References Part III Empirical and Theoretical Contributions to the Study of Labour Markets and Post-War Labour Market Reconstruction 8 The Burden of Getting a Job in Reconstructed Post-war Labour Markets: Some Concluding Remarks The Regional Context of Post-war Labour Market Reconstruction The Domestic Context of a Nation-State’s Post-war Labour Market Reconstruction Continuities and Raptures in Post-war Labour Market Reconstruction Laggard Implementation of Labour Reconstruction Policies Insidious Political and Socioeconomic Obstacles to Reform Minimal Impact of Private Sector Institutions Strength in Informality Job Mismatches and Underemployment Empirical Contribution to Post-war Labour Market Reconstruction Research Theoretical Contribution to Post-war Labour Market Reconstruction Research References Index