Theoretical considerations in cross-national employment research

This article critically reviews a range of theoretical approaches to cross-national employment research. It classifies these studies in terms of universal and culturalist perspectives. Universalists tend to ignore the concept of culture, or at best acknowledge it as a marginal phenomenon or additional variable. Culturalists, on the other hand, have sought to integrate the concept of culture into their analysis at a socio-economic and institutional level as well as at the psychological level of the individual. The emphasis on similarities between countries tends to lead to a universalist approach, whilst the emphasis on difference is often supported by a more culturalist perspective. This review highlights that the shortcomings of these approaches in terms of accounting for change and the co-existence of similarity and diversity. Further more, these studies, for the most part, are blind to the affects and effects of gender on industrial organisation and employment practices.