Post date: September 16, 2002 — 12:10 p.m.
Harvard Law School has announced the creation of a new research program, the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School. The new program will bring the number of research centers at the law school to 18–with areas of focus ranging from Internet law to Islamic legal studies to international taxation. The Labor and Worklife Program will examine changes in labor markets and employment law; and analyze the effects of unions, business, and governments on the workplace.
Headed by Harvard Law School Professor Paul Weiler, a labor law expert, and Harvard College Professor Richard Freeman, a labor economist, the program will draw from resources across the university. The Harvard Trade Union Program, a six-week executive training program for labor leaders from across the globe, will be incorporated into the new research center.
“While the Labor and Worklife Program will encompass the Harvard Trade Union Program, the new program will do much more, exploring a wide range of employment and work-life issues,” said Howell Jackson, associate dean for research and special programs at Harvard Law School. “Of particular interest, in light of current events, is the program ‘s work on the scientific workforce, which raises many important issues of immigration policy.”
The new program, which will make significant resources available to students and faculty interested in employment law issues, will conduct research on a vast array of issues including globalization and the prospects for enforcing international labor standards; social activism and rules of engagement with corporations; the use of the Internet by the labor movement; and the social and legal impact of the sports and entertainment industries. Additionally, the program plans on hosting a number of speakers and conferences on current labor and worklife issues.