Fieldwork in labour relations research

The Crisis of Labour Relations in Germany

It is generally agreed amongst academic commentators that the combined pressures of increased international product market competition, market deregulation and unification have severely strained the German ‘model’ of industrial relations (e.g. Goodhart, 1994; Carlin and Soskice, 1997; Gall, 1997; Streeck, 1997). Employers’ fear of the relative decline of German industrial competitiveness have p...

Fieldwork, Economic Theory and Research on Institutions in Developing Countries

Development economics has been the beneÞciary of a rich tradition of Þeld research. Within this broad tradition there is a huge variety of methods, from short qualitative studies to large-scale surveys. In this note, however, I focus on one point in this broad space of research methodologies iterative Þeld research in which the collection of data through surveys is combined with detailed observ...

Individual and Collective Regulation of Labour Relations

Proposals for the reform of labour legislation have been central to the reform agenda of international financial institutions, most particularly the World Bank, and have been pressed particularly on the governments of countries which formerly have had socialist or social democratic forms of labour market regulation. This reform agenda is based on a neo-liberal conception of the labour market, a...

Performance-related Pay and Labour Relations in German Municipalities

Pragmatic Fieldwork: Qualitative Research for Creative Democracy and Social Action

This paper sets the foundation for a new method for addressing social problems called pragmatic fieldwork. I developed the method while working with nonprofit organizations that serve homeless youth and young adults. The approach is informed by qualitative research, participatory action research, and the philosophical tradition of pragmatism. In this text, I lay out the methodological framework...