Some questions for Niall Ferguson, following his article in the NYT. When did correlation start implying cause? You admit that Europe has been catching up with US productivity for fifty years, yet discount this fact because Europeans are working less? How does that work? What if your average overworked American is worse off for it than his average “idle” European counterpart? Why doesn’t Japan count? Or perhaps there is some “Shinto work ethic” you intend to propose?
You note, “Many scholars have built careers out of criticizing Weber’s thesis. Yet the experience of Western Europe in the past quarter-century offers an unexpected confirmation of it.” Please explain how this sweeping generalization neatly disposes of a century of Weber studies. There is a general trend of rising socioeconomic status among new Pietist sects over several generations, a trend that is followed by socioeconomic stability, demographic decline and increased leisure. Isn’t that all you said? And, if that’s the case, wouldn’t that put Europe ahead of the US, since it had Pietism first?
I think you have to meet certain standards for incoherence and illogic before you can write for the Times. As far as I can tell, Paul Krugman seems to be exempt from them, but other columnists have to include at least one fallacy and three errors of fact in every article.
If Americans work more hours than Europeans while European productivity has been rising, that means European labor is becoming increasingly efficient. If productivity has risen while the average hours worked has been falling, then the potential loser in this scenario looks to be the United States. That may not (and probably won’t) happen because of numerous other factors, but to insist otherwise is–and on the grounds of actual labor inefficiency–is sophistry.
The Canadian economist Tom Walker has a page at http://www.vcn.bc.ca/timework/worksite.htm with various papers ranging from the accessible to the abstruse on the economic benefits of limiting working hours. Well worth a look (even if I haven’t been there in a while–my bad.)
I think what irked me the most about the article was its underlying assertion: “You’re a bad, bad kitty if you don’t work all the time. Quit slacking or no treats!”