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Creating a New Type of Labour Law Enforcer: The Law Technician in Prato
Author(s) -
Munkholm Louise
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of law and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.263
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1467-6478
pISSN - 0263-323X
DOI - 10.1111/jols.12129
Subject(s) - technician , law enforcement , law , multiculturalism , enforcement , political science , sociology
The article investigates, from a socio‐legal perspective, the creation of a new type of local labour law enforcer, known as the ‘law technician’, in the Northern Italian city of Prato. Since the 1980s, Prato has attracted thousands of Chinese migrants who run small workshops in the local garment industry, most of which are characterized by low compliance with Italian labour law. To combat the gaps in workers' protection, a new approach to law enforcement is emerging. Compared to traditional enforcement officials, law technicians represent a proactive approach; they have no sanctioning power and they apply multicultural, multilingual, and multidisciplinary instruments when promoting the protection of workers. Drawing on interview and documentary data gathered during two rounds of fieldwork in Prato in 2014 and 2015, the article contributes with empirical knowledge to advance theory building about the legal cultural transformation of law enforcement in contemporary societies.