ABSTRACT
During the past 50 years a steady shrinkage of clear and pressing needs for many kinds of jobs in post-industrial Western countries has produced much employment insecurity, especially among bureaucratic and service workers who comprise 70–80 percent of these countries’ workforces. This insecurity is a principal cause of the widespread distrust of elites and assaults on their autonomy. Discontents and conflicts stemming from the shrinkage of employment in post-industrial conditions raise many questions. In particular, can elites find ways to contain and manage these discontents and conflicts? Do they have enough autonomy and latitudes of policy choice to do this? Alternatively, will ruthless exploitations of employment insecurity by populist leaders, parties, and movements prevail?
