Abstract
This paper examines and assesses the behavioral content of industrial relations research in a variety of social science disciplines. The authors compare economic research on the wage and productivity consequences of unionism with psychological research on worker attitudes toward unions; sociological research on the negotiation process and conflict resolution; and industrial relations research on bargaining outcomes. This review shows that although both economic and noneconomic studies of industrial relations are heavily empirical, they differ markedly in analytical frameworks and research designs, dependent variables investigated, the choice of research tools and methods, and the types of data analyzed. The authors also identify and briefly discuss some opportunities for cross-fertilization among disciplines that arise from this portfolio of industrial relations research.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.