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The Role of Ideas in Understanding Industrial Relations Policy Change in Liberal Market Economies

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  • Colm McLaughlin
  • Chris F. Wright

Abstract

This paper analyzes the uneven processes underpinning industrial relations policy liberalization in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and Ireland. Drawing upon 140 elite interviews and building upon ideational comparative political theories, the paper highlights the role of ideas in the policy change process. It identifies how particular ideas can be used to construct policy problems, how these ideas can gain legitimacy through battles with competing ideas, and how policy legacies can influence whether ideas take root. The findings from the comparative case analysis expose a critical difference between “positive legacies” and “negative legacies” to account for different liberalization trajectories.

Suggested Citation

  • Colm McLaughlin & Chris F. Wright, 2018. "The Role of Ideas in Understanding Industrial Relations Policy Change in Liberal Market Economies," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(4), pages 568-610, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:indres:v:57:y:2018:i:4:p:568-610
    DOI: 10.1111/irel.12218
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    References listed on IDEAS

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