Comparative perspectives in employment relations research

This article discusses the historical trajectories of employment research in the U.S. and Germany. Both countries exemplify very different research traditions, which have their origins in the 19th and early 20th century and are shaped not only by the field of inquiry (different national employment institutions and practices), but also by different social scientific traditions and political philosophies, for example the different inter-pretation of what constitutes industrial democracy or employees’ rights at work. I con-clude that current research still differs across countries and that we would do well to endorse this plurality rather than assuming an inevitable convergence to US research styles.