Under the auspices of the debate about high performance work systems, it has been suggestedthat the evidence of positive results is disappointing and that one reason is that there has beena lack of theory. This paper argues that there is indeed a great deal of theory that could beused to reformulate the basic research questions, much of it coming from labour economicsbroadly understood. It includes a meta-survey of research on the effects of participation onperformance since the landmark survey by Levine and Tyson in 1990 which was verypositive. It finds that the evidence is less clear cut now. It is argued that this is due in part toconsideration of a wider range of performance outcomes, improved data and methods, and tothe wider diffusion of such practices compared with the 1980s. It is also suggested that thedebate needs to be widened to include a broader range of participatory structures.
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Paper provided by Centre for Economic Performance, LSE in its series CEP Discussion Papers with number
dp0945.
References listed on IDEAS Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
Richard B. Freeman & Edward P. Lazear, 1995.
"An Economic Analysis of Works Councils,"
NBER Chapters,
in: Works Councils: Consultation, Representation, and Cooperation in Industrial Relations, pages 27-52
National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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