British Journal of Industrial Relations

Publisher:: Wiley
Publication date:: 2021-02-01

ISBN:: 0007-1080

Issue Number

Latest documents

Developing Positive Employment Relations: International Experiences of Labour Management Partnership, edited by Stewart Johnstone and Adrian Wilkinson. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2016, 334 pp., ISBN: 978‐1‐137‐42770‐0, £67.99, hardback.
The Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility on Gender Diversity in the Workplace: Econometric Evidence from Japan
Using panel data on corporate social responsibility (CSR) matched with corporate proxy statement data for a large and representative sample of 1,492 publicly traded firms in Japan over 2006–2014, we provide fixed effect estimates on the positive and significant effects on gender diversity of CSR. Such effects are, however, felt only after two to three years. The CSR effects are larger and more significant for firms that adhere more closely to the participatory Japanese management system. Our findings are robust to the inclusion of controls capturing the mediating effects of various work–life balance practices, pointing to the direct impact of CSR on gender diversity.
When Industrial Democracy Meets Corporate Social Responsibility — A Comparison of the Bangladesh Accord and Alliance as Responses to the Rana Plaza Disaster
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Industrial Democracy are two paradigmatic approaches to transnational labour governance. They differ considerably with regard to the role accorded to the representation of labour. CSR tends to view workers as passive recipients of corporate‐led initiatives, with little attention paid to the role of unions. Industrial Democracy centres on labour involvement: those affected by governance need to be part of it. Examining the Bangladesh Accord and Alliance as governance responses to the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster, this article offers a comparative perspective of how Industrial Democracy‐oriented and CSR‐oriented initiatives translate into differences in implementation. The article highlights that while CSR can foster effective problem‐solving in the short run, Industrial Democracy is necessary to build governance capacities involving workers in the long run.
Government Regulation of International Corporate Social Responsibility in the US and the UK: How Domestic Institutions Shape Mandatory and Supportive Initiatives
While most scholarship on corporate social responsibility (CSR) focuses on company‐level CSR initiatives, it increasingly also examines government programs for CSR. However, research on how governments contribute to CSR has mainly focused on domestic and not international CSR challenges. This literature also does not specify whether governments shape CSR through mandatory regulation or supportive initiatives. This article adopts a process‐tracing approach to determine how governments regulate international CSR. It demonstrates that the legal and political systems in the liberal market economies of the UK and the US lead to different forms of public CSR regulation — notably in the areas of labour standards in apparel and tax transparency in extractives. The UK government has been more likely to support bottom‐up collaborative multi‐stakeholder initiatives, whereas the US government has favoured top‐down mandatory regulation.
Sex Worker Unionization: Global Developments, Challenges and Possibilities, edited by Gregor Gall. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2016, 226 pp., ISBN: 978‐1‐137‐32013‐1, $120.00, hardback.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Labour Standards: Bridging Business Management and Employment Relations Perspectives
Public Service Management and Employment Relations in Europe: Emerging from the Crisis, edited by Stephen Bach and Lorenzo Bordogna. Routledge, New York and London, 2016, 328 pp, ISBN: 978‐1‐138‐85146‐7, $144, hardback.
Auto‐Industrialism: DIY Capitalism and the Rise of the Auto‐Industrial Society, by Peter Murphy. Sage, London, 2017, 136 pp., ISBN: 9781473961715, Price $77.00, hardback.
Globalization and Labour in the Twenty‐First Century, by Verity Burgmann. Routledge, Oxford, 2016, 262 pp., ISBN: 9780415528535, Price £100, hardback.
Leveraging the Vertical: The Contested Dynamics of Sustainability Standards and Labour in Global Production Networks
Sustainability standards for tropical agriculture promise better trade and fairer labour conditions for smallholders. Recent research on labour suggests that, besides such standards, configurations of buyer–supplier relationships crucially shape economic and labour conditions. However, a static configurational approach overlooks the role of supplier and labour agency over time. Using a matched case comparison of two certified rural enterprises in Ecuador, this article shows that suppliers can leverage standards to create value from vertical relationships with buyers. However, standards do not, by themselves, directly contribute to better conditions. They do so indirectly only if suppliers manage to become competitive in an elite market, augmenting rather than dampening unequal trade conditions. This study contributes to recent theory seeking to explain uneven labour outcomes with sustainability standards in global production networks.