Book review: The Dual Nature of Employee Involvement. An Economic and Human Right Issue by Sára Hungler
| Published date | 01 December 2021 |
| Date | 01 December 2021 |
| Author | Marco Biasi |
| DOI | 10.1177/13882627211050651 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
general interest and beneficial to society as a whole. Introducing equal pay would mean that remu-
neration would no longer be determined by demand and supply on the labour market, but by the
government or some other kind of centralised institution (on what criteria?). While it is certainly
true that markets too often fail to produce a fair distribution of income, it should not be overlooked
that the price mechanism underlying free markets fulfils an important coordinating function, attract-
ing labour supply to the economic sectors where it is needed most. This coordinating function
would be thwarted if pay rates were set by the state.
The arguments in favour of equal pay are presented in the fourth part of the book. It is argued that
rewards other than money could be used to incentivise activities and professions that have a positive
impact on society. The authors advocating equal pay for all refer, above all, to solidarity, pointing to
the fact that the amount of pay earned by workers often depends on factors for which workers are
not accountable, such as health or certain physical abilities. A possible objection to this argument is
that ‘equal’and ‘just’are not necessarily synonymous terms. As known since Aristotle’s time, only
like cases are to be treated alike. Thus, the equal treatment of unequal cases is unjust. Can all works
performed really be said to be equal or of equal value? Moreover, granting an equal rate of pay may
not result in equal economic treatment of all workers, since some individuals may have greater
needs than others due to disease or other natural disadvantages, for example. In my view, the
authors supporting equal pay for all could have discussed these aspects more thoroughly.
What these considerations show is that an equal rate of pay is neither sufficient nor necessary to
achieve an egalitarian system of wealth distribution. This fact is acknowledged by the authors of the
second and third parts of the book, which –in my opinion –contain the most convincing contribu-
tions. Here, various regulatory alternatives to equal pay that are designed to reduce income dispar-
ities are discussed, such as a minimum income for all citizens or pay ratios (i.e., provisions requiring
that the highest wages in an organisation or profession cannot be x times greater than the wages of
the lowest-paid workers). Compared with the idea of an equal pay rate for all workers, these reg-
ulatory proposals seem much more practicable and may be of actual interest for policymakers.
In sum, the book offers many different views and perspectives by experts from a wide array of
disciplines. It is absolutely worthwhile reading for lawyers, philosophers, economists, social scien-
tists, and policymakers alike.
ORCID iD
Matteo Fornasier https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6541-7374
Sára Hungler (2020) The Dual Nature of Employee Involvement. An Economic and Human Right Issue, Budapest:
L’Harmattan, 131 pp., ISBN 9782343214191.
Reviewed by: Marco Biasi ,Milan/Italy
DOI: 10.1177/13882627211050651
In her book, Sára Hungler addresses the topic of employee participation in the decision-making pro-
cesses of their employing companies. The ultimate goal of the inquiry is to assess the two-fold
Book Reviews 393
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