The Division of Rationalized Labor

Michelle Jackson's The Division of Rationalized Labor examines historical and contemporary changes in work, showing how scientific growth and organizational rationalization altered what occupations do.

Drawing on case studies in medicine, policing, education, and manufacturing, Jackson develops the paradox of specialization: specialization around outputs increases the number of tasks as occupations absorb scientific knowledge.

The book traces how occupations became more rationalized—aligning ends and means through science—and how this produced task accumulation and institutional complexity.

Jackson combines theoretical arguments with archival and empirical research to explain uneven patterns of specialization across sectors and places.

The work speaks to debates on profession boundaries, prevention versus cure logic, and contemporary stresses in complex organizations.