The social value of work

Coronavirus pandemic, war-induced gas shortages, residual emissions, droughts and other ecological constraints: the political decisions taken to cope with these phenomena have been (and likely will continue to be) justified on the basis of distinguishing and prioritising different kinds of work as to what is regarded essential or dispensable for society. However, it is unclear how such decisions have been taken. This corresponds to a profound gap in the literature that usually focuses indiscriminately on aggregate growth, job creation and full employment. The social value of work, its substantial variation regarding different kinds of work and how this can be assessed, has not been researched before. This paper therefore investigates the social value of work and on what basis it can be evaluated. It distinguishes the two key categories of sustainable work and essential work, and identifies and discusses criteria for assessing these categories based on empirical data. While for un/sustainable work relatively unambiguous biophysical assessment criteria can be developed, assessing in/essential work is less straightforward due to its contextual and political character, and because it depends on the specific aims of a given political unit that determine its vital needs and functions. Overall, not only a structured, science-based approach is lacking, but also democratic institutions for deliberating, organising, and discontinuing in/essential and un/sustainable work, based on principles of rationing and non-market allocation. Modern societies are thus likely to remain stuck in the structural and increasingly disastrous impasse of jobs at all costs as main political goal.