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Understanding continuity in public sector HRM through neo‐institutional theory: why national collective bargaining has survived in E nglish local government
Author(s) -
Beszter Peter,
Ackers Peter,
Hislop Donald
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
human resource management journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.44
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1748-8583
pISSN - 0954-5395
DOI - 10.1111/1748-8583.12051
Subject(s) - collective bargaining , collectivism , public sector , industrial relations , politics , government (linguistics) , local government , public administration , political economy , business , economic system , political science , economics , market economy , economy , management , individualism , law , linguistics , philosophy
Most HRM research over recent decades has concentrated on ‘change’, charting ever more fragmented, individualised and unitarist employment relationships. This is equally true of public sector HRM , where the emphasis has been on neo‐liberalism and marketisation. However, in many countries and sectors, collective, pluralist approaches to HRM and industrial relations have proved remarkably resilient. This article uses Neo‐Institutional theory to explain the ‘continuity’ of one such HRM system: national collective bargaining in E nglish local government (1979–2007). We argue that this survives because it manages the political and managerial processes that link central government and central–local relations and acts as a conduit between institutional stakeholders to deliver services to the public. By understanding the ‘passive consensus’ that holds the collectivist HRM system together, we can anticipate the forces that might pull it apart.