Associate Professor Leonard Perry

Perry, L.J. 2008, 'Neo-liberal labour market reforms and work stoppages: Comparisons of India, Indonesia, United States and Australia' in Bagchi, K; Gope, N (eds), State, Labour and Development: An Indian Perspective, Abhijeet Publications, Dehli, India, pp. 182-213.

Perry, L.J. 2009, 'Rise and decline in work stoppage statistics', Employment Relations Record, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 83-98.

Perry, L.J. 2008, 'A comparison of labour market reforms in Ireland, New Zealand and Australia', Journal of Economic and Social Policy, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 1-27.
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In reviewing the experience of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia over the last half century, particular attention is directed to Ireland because it has been relatively successful in reducing unemployment and generating a remarkable improvement in its per capita gross domestic product over the last decade and a half. It is argued that Ireland's transformation did not commence around 1987 with the introduction of its 'social partnership' approach to determining wages and workplace conditions, or in 1993 when the so-called Celtic Tiger years commenced. Instead, it is argued that Irelanp's transformation commenced during the late 1960s when Ireland's labour productivity commenced its seemingly inexorable ascent.

Perry, L.J. & Wilson, P.J. 2007, 'Convergence of Work Stoppages: A Global Perspective', Journal of World-Systems Research, vol. XIII, no. 2, pp. 198-219.
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This paper analyses the changing pattern of work stoppages at a global level for the period 1960 to 2002. Rather than analysing the pattern for individual economies, it analyses the data for a two-fold division of the world?s economy: namely the North American economy (comprising the USA and Canada) and the rest of the non-North American world economy (comprising the 36 economies for which data are available). This involves an approach to the analysis of international data and an accompanying perspective on global interdependence and convergence that has not thus far been explored. The evidence presented suggests that these two parts of the global economy display broadly converging patterns of stoppage rates. It is suggested that the converging pattern of stoppages is, in turn, symptomatic of a general worldwide convergence of general politico-economic perceptions broadly in favour of, or at least receptive to, an approach to political-economy management that might be summarily labelled: neoliberal.

Perry, L.J. 2007, 'Ignoring the Evidence: Comments on the Debate on Antipodean Neoliberal Workplace Reform and Labour Productivity', Australian Bulletin of Labour, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 89-105.

Perry, L.J. & Wilson, P.J. 2007, 'Long-Term Trends in USA Stoppages - An Unobserved Components Approach', The Business Review, Cambridge, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 9-15.
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We examine the pattern of annual work stoppages in the USA for the period 1927-2006 to investigate the presence or otherwise of cycles as suggested by Franzosi (2001). The methodology utilized to model the pattern of stoppages is the structural time series modelling approach popularised by Harvey (1989, 1999), which identifies underlying trend and cyclical regularities (if any) in time series data. Evidence is found of two regular cyclical processes around a long-term non-linear trend. These results are operative in the presence of discrete breaks in the series associated with, firstly, World War II and its immediate aftermath and, secondly, a major change in the definition of stoppages introduced in 1982. Forecasts of stoppages are made 10 years into the future. Notwithstanding the well-known limitations of attempting to divine the future, the data suggest that, if the past pattern of trend and cyclical processes continues into the next decade, stoppage rates in the USA will continue to gradually decline. With but few exceptions, there has been a decline in the power and influence of unions around the world over recent decades (Lipset and Meltz 2004, Freeman, Hersch and Mishel 2005, Visser 2006, Blanchflower 2007). This general decline has been reflected in falling union density (the proportion of employees who are union members), falling time-loss rates due to work stoppages (particularly strikes), a decline in the incidence of collective bargaining and a decline in the influence of unions in shaping government policy. Many researchers, who have sought to forecast how union power and influence may develop in the future, have cautiously forecast a continuation of declining power. For example, Calfors et al. (2001) have argued that, so far as European experience is concerned, union power and influence is likely to continue to decline.

Perry, L.J. 2007, 'Neoliberal Workplace Reforms in the Antipodes: What Impact on Union Power and Influence?', Australian Review of Public Affairs, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 19-46.
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Union membership and work stoppages due to strikes?two indicators of union power and influence?have been in decline in the Antipodes (Australia and New Zealand) and the United States in recent decades. Meanwhile, attitudes to unions in Australia seem to have become more positive. I examine how much legislated neoliberal workplace reforms have been responsible for the decline in union membership and work stoppages in the three countries. Evidence indicates that union membership and stoppages would have declined in the absence of the workplace reforms, though it is likely that the declines would not have been quite as rapid as they turned out to be. The emergence of more positive attitudes in Australia to unions is attributed to declining union power reflected in falling membership rates and a relative absence of disruptive union behaviour.

Perry, L.J. 2006, 'Do workplace contracts harm labour productivity growth? A reconsideration of the macroeconomic evidence from New Zealand', Australian Economic Review, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 359-375.

Perry, L.J. 2006, 'Industrial disputes in the construction sector', Australian Journal of Construction Economics and Building, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 42-50.

Perry, L.J. 2006, 'Labour market reforms and lockouts in New Zealand', Australian Bulletin of Labour, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 401-420.

Perry, L.J. 2006, 'Lockouts and strikes: some comments of the experience of India and Australia', Australian Bulletin of Labour, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 74-102.

Perry, L.J. 2006, 'Neo-liberal labor market reforms and work stoppages: Comparisons of India, Indonesia, the United States and Australia', South Asian Journal of Management, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 7-30.

Perry, L.J. 2006, 'New Zealand lessons for Australian workplace reform: a critique of 151 academics', Economic Papers, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 378-395.

Perry, L.J. 2006, 'Productivity and industrial disputes: a note on the Cole Royal Commission', Economic Papers, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 284-294.

Perry, L.J. 2005, 'A long-term perspective on industrial disputes in Australia: 1913-2003', Economic Papers, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 263-279.

Perry, L.J. 2005, 'Industrial disputes in Indonesia: a reassessment', Labour and Management in Development Journal, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 1-17.

Perry, L.J. & Wilson, P.J. 2005, 'The decline of seasonality in Australian quarterly aggregate strike statistics: 1983-2003', Australian Journal of Labour Economics, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 43-71.

Wilson, P.J. & Perry, L.J. 2004, 'Forecasting Australian unemployment rates using spectral analysis', Australian Journal of Labour Economics, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 457-478.

Perry, L.J. & Wilson, P.J. 2003, 'An analysis of international linkages in strike activity', International Journal of Employment Studies, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 47-74.

Perry, L.J. & Wilson, P.J. 2001, 'The Accord & Strikes: An International Perspective', Australian Journal of Labour Economics, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 232-247.

Perry, L.J. 2005, 'The return of the lockout', Australian Bulletin of Labour, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 33-39.

Perry, L.J. 2004, 'Comments on the decline in strikes in Australia', Australian Bulletin of Labour, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 134-148.

Davis, D., Connor, R.W., Perrott, B., Perry, L.J. & Topple, S.J. 2007, 'Views from the Front Line: Insights Into the Role and Commitment of casual Business Academics', ANZAM 2007, Sydney, Australia, December 2007 in Proceedings of the 21st ANZAM 2007 Conference: Managing Our Intellectual and Social Capital, ed NA, Promaco Conventions, Sydney, Australia, pp. 1-12.
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Casual academic staff contribute significantly to the teaching load in many universities worldwide including Australia. However, their contribution and work needs are not always fully recognised. The aim of the research reported here was to investigate the role and support needs of casual academic teaching staff within a business faculty of an Australian metropolitan university. Data was collected through the conduct of three focus groups consisting of casual academics from the faculty and the administration of a questionnaire survey (N=106). The results showed that casual academic had a number of concerns most of which had been reported in the literature. Pay rates were generally considered not to have kept pace with workload, most casuals did not feel part of the faculty and some casuals found teaching classes with high proportions of overseas students challenging. Despite these and other concerns the general level of job satisfaction among survey respondents was high. It was clear that most enjoyed their teaching role. The relationship between casual academics their full-time academic subject coordinators was clearly very important. Satisfaction levels with coordinator support were generally high and perhaps the strength of these relationships is the glue that helps the casual teaching system to work reasonably smoothly.

Perry, L.J. 2006, 'A comparison of labour markets reforms in Ireland, New Zealand and Australia.', 62nd International Atlantic Economic Conference, Philadelphia, USA, October 2006 in 62nd International Atlantic Economic Conference.

Perry, L.J. 2003, 'Integrating digitised moving images into teaching presentations: practical applications, issues and evaluation', 4th International conference on Information Communication Technologies in Education, Samos Island. Greece, July 2003 in 4th International Conference on Information Communication Technologies in Education, ed Fernstrom, K, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, pp. 269-274.