Industrial Conflict: Themes and Issues in Recent Research

Industrial conflict went out of fashion as an explicit research focus during the 1980s. Yet a review of the relevant literature suggests its continued importance. The review embraces: studies of collective protest at the level of the world economy and nation-states; recent economists' theories of negotiations; assessments of the impact of Thatcherism on the level and nature of conflict in Britain; case studies of the place of conflict in new forms of workplace regulation; and analyses of the processes of strike organization. Conflict remained a central element of work organizations, though its form changed. The need to consider its place in emerging systems of labour control is as great as ever.