Outflows and jets are intimately related to the formation of stars, and play a central role in redistributing mass, energy and angular momentum within the core, disk and parent cloud. The interplay between magnetic field and rotation is widely thought to be responsible for launching and collimating these outflows. Shear induced by differential rotation along initially poloidal field lines results in an azimuthal component of the magnetic field being generated; the magnetic pressure gradient then accelerates the plasma, and inflates bipolar magnetic cavities within the circumstellar matter. However, the resulting winding of the magnetic field can be potentially disrupted by magneto-hydrodynamic instabilities. To better understand the role of magnetic fields in shaping these ouflows, a series of experiments on pulsed-power z-pinch machines have been developed. In this talk I will present results related to the formation of jets in young stellar objects and in the laboratory, and draw a parallel between the two systems.