Premium
The challenging but promising future of industrial relations: developing theory and method in context‐sensitive research
Author(s) -
Edwards Paul
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
industrial relations journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.525
H-Index - 3
eISSN - 1468-2338
pISSN - 0019-8692
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2338.2005.00358.x
Subject(s) - relevance (law) , context (archaeology) , subject (documents) , position (finance) , focus (optics) , state (computer science) , core (optical fiber) , political science , engineering ethics , sociology , positive economics , management science , epistemology , business , economics , computer science , law , engineering , telecommunications , philosophy , physics , optics , finance , algorithm , library science , paleontology , biology
Industrial relations (IR) in the UK are often seen as being in a state of some disarray. Yet analytical advances can also be detected. This article takes one part of IR, context‐sensitive research, to suggest ways of building on such advances. Its focus is the intellectual core of the subject, and not its institutional position. The particular route identified is to link IR to the programme of critical realism and thereby to make methodological progress and strengthen links with social science. Policy relevance may also be enhanced. Whether IR's possibilities are realised remains uncertain, and whether an intellectual programme leads to institutional advance is even harder to predict.