Forward to the Past? The Case of 'New Production Concepts'

Abstract

In the 1980s a growing number of books and articles utilized the terms 'post-Fordism; 'post-Taylorism ; 'flexible specialization' and 'new production concepts: This paper explores a number of common themes which have been developed under these separate titles. It is argued that many of these concepts do not represent a clear break from past theoretical traditions. Rather, they offer a restatement of many of the ideas found in Industrialism and Industrial Man (Kerr et al. 1960a). Moreover, it is argued that a number of conceptual and empirical problems exist that invalidate many of the claims made by adherents to these various labels. Particular attention is paid to Australian contributors to the debate, most notably, to the work of John Mathews.