Introduction: key theories and concepts in work and employment relations

Andrew Smith, Pauline Dibben and Adrian Wilkinson

A chapter in Theories and Concepts in Work and Employment Relations, 2025, pp 1-12 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This introductory chapter offers advice to doctoral scholars and early-career academics in selecting relevant employment relations theories and concepts in order to help make a contribution to contemporary debates. The chapter outlines the defining features of the employment relationship, covering the wage–effort bargain, power asymmetries and the structural antagonisms between capital and labour. The field of employment relations has a strong empirical tradition and is grounded in the multidisciplinary study of work and employment. Theories and concepts provide a framework in order to understand and shape the direction of future research. The chapter then discusses the distinctions between theories and theoretical concepts in employment relations. In the final section of the chapter, we outline the structure of this edited collection, along with the rationale for the selection of theories and concepts, and the diversity in authorship. The aim is that the chapters stimulate thought by early-career academics and others concerning theorisation and conceptualisation in the field of employment relations.

Keywords: Concepts; Employment relations; Power asymmetries; Structural anatagonisms; Theories; Wage–Effort bargain; Work (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035316199
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