The origins & evolution of the field of industrial relations in the United States
By: Bruce E. Kaufman.
Series: Cornell studies in industrial and labor relations ;; no. 25
Publisher: ILR Press
Published: 1993
Place of publication: Ithaca, N.Y
Language: eng
Number of pages: 286
Subjects: Industrial relations -- United States -- History.
Other titles: Origins and evolution of the field of industrial relations in the United States.
Description: Bruce Kaufman provides a detailed exploration of the historical development of the field of industrial relations. He identifies two distinct schools of thought evident since the field's origins in the 1920s, one centered in the study of personnel management and the other in the study of institutional labor economics. The two schools advocate contrasting approaches to the resolution of labor problems. Kaufman traces their development from a golden age in the 1950s through a period of gradual decline that accelerated in the 1980s. He contends that, in the process, the field narrowed from a broad-based consideration of the employment relationship to a more limited focus on collective bargaining.

Following his analysis of the causes of decline, Kaufman develops a strategy to reverse the downward trend and reconceptualize the field of industrial relations.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 253-279) and index.