Partisan politics and the varieties of employment relations and HRM

Abstract

This paper addresses the extent to which cross-national variation in institutions in the labour market is influenced by the role of the state. It examines the impact of the partisan political complexion of a country's government over time, measured on a left–right scale. Countries which have experienced more right-wing governments have lower trade union density, more decentralised bargaining, lower collective bargaining coverage and less encompassing initial apprentice-type training programmes. Right-wing governments are also negatively associated with the extent of employee voice. This paper challenges two central contentions of varieties of capitalism theorists. First, left governments are more important than employer coordination in sustaining collective industrial relations systems. Second, national culture is a better predictor of skill formation and job tenure than employer coordination.