Representativeness in Employment Relations and in Sociological Theories

Peter Kerckhofs () and Jef C. Verhoeven
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Peter Kerckhofs: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, D18 KP65 Dublin, Ireland
Jef C. Verhoeven: Department of Sociology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium

Societies, 2025, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-21

Abstract: In the democratic structure of the EU (European Union) the representation of employers and employees is seen as an important element for the development of the economy. It is not sufficient to have a representation of these groups, but the representation of these groups is also expected to be representative. Representativeness is often seen as an equal proportional distribution of the representatives of different groups that have to be represented. Nevertheless, representativeness can also be differently approached. In this article, we examine whether sociological paradigms can help us to get a more nuanced picture of representativeness in employment relations. For this purpose, we present in paradigms developed by Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, Robert K. Merton, Talcott Parsons, and Jürgen Habermas and the exchange theory and symbolic interactionism. Subsequently, we apply these principles on some employment relations in the EU. And we finish with a discussion and conclusion, in which we support the use of a richer concept of representativeness as it is shown in some sociological paradigms.

Keywords: employment relations; trade unions; employers’ organisations; representativeness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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