David Marsden’s comparative and theoretical craft: signposts to a better world of work

David Marsden enriched and extended the field of employment relations with his interdisciplinary and comparative practice. This introduction to the special issue honouring his work examines the nature of David's contribution and analyses his influence on employment relations and adjacent fields. The article highlights David's original engagement with the social science questions of his day, and his comparative craft, which entailed sensitivity to difference and a commitment to grounded, institutionally embedded analysis. Previewing the articles that make up this special issue, this introduction shows how David's work provides signposts to a better world of work.