Cooperation in Unlikely Settings

Abstract

The existence of cooperative labor relations within leading firms in South Korea (hereafter Korea), amid unfavorable national-level economic and political institutions, merits study by comparative political economists. Late industrializing Korea lacks the conditions that sustain cooperative labor relations in other nonliberal capitalist countries like Germany and Japan. More relevant, therefore, are debates over the emergence and practice of “high performance work systems” (HPWS) in the unfavorable environments of advanced liberal and developing country capitalism. As a successful late industrializing country that combines both advanced and developing capitalism characteristics, Korea represents a useful testing ground for ideas about HPWS. This article will examine cooperation in four leading Korean firms and use the findings to advance key HPWS debates about the possibilities of participation and the conditions under which cooperation can emerge and be sustained.