This study assesses the impact of the years 1914 to 1921 on British labour organisation and industrial relations. By combining local studies with national sources the thesis provides a measure of corrective to the 'view from the centre' approach to twentieth-century labour history and a new perspective from which to view the period. In Section I comparative studies of Sheffield, Pontypridd and Liverpool offer explanations for regional differences in the development of labour organisation. These local studies focus upon the consolidation of labour forces and the dimensions, timing and explanation of Labour's fluctuating electoral fortunes. A second Section considers the changing power relationships between officers, activists and membership in the Co-operative Union, National Union of Railwaymen, Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen and the South Wales Miners' Federation. A re-evaluation of the role of labour leadership contributes to a critical appraisal of 'rank and filist' interpretations of labour history. In studies of the railway and mining industries it is argued that the centralisation of industrial relations was not simply imposed upon labour by employers and the state. Trade unions played a larger and more positive role in the development of a centralised industrial relations system in these industries than is generally acknowledged. The thesis concludes with a contribution to the current debate between the'revolutionary' or 'rank and filist' school and its critics in thefollowing areas: the causation of labour unrest; the nature of state intervention; the character of labour leadership and the causes andtiming of the rise of labour.

The central question with which this study is concerned is whether or not Individuals voluntarily contribute to the provision of a collective good. The question is presented in terms of the likelihood that an individual member of a group will subscribe to an association which pursues aims common to all members of that group. Reference is made in particular to the experiences of the medical profession and the question why doctors join the British Medical Association. An awareness on the part of individuals that they possess common interests is often presented as a pre-requisite for collective action. Association growth is frequently explained in terms of the factors that stimulate such an awareness. In this study the history of the B.M.A. is examined to identify such factors and an attempt is made to indicate their relative importance. It is argued, however, that in large groups individuals may be aware that they will benefit by the attainment of common aims, but still refuse to subscribe. Given the non-exclusive nature of the good, there must exist some mechanism by which they will be induced to reveal their preferences. The aim is, therefore, to indicate how individuals have been led to subscribe towards the association. The importance of coercion is discussed. The significance of private goods made available only to members is questioned. The view that membership stems from altruism rather than self-interest is challenged. The importance of uncertainty on the choice of individuals to subscribe is analyzed. The British Medical Association serves mainly to illustrate the basic arguments. Nevertheless an attempt is mede to make quite specific comment on the power and purpose of the Association and its role within the National Health Service.

This thesis is about the development of industrial relations in a bi-national organization jOintly owned and managed by two contracting states with different historical, political, economic and social backgrounds. The importance of the research comes from recent economic and political developments relating to countries forming regional political and economic groupings, such as the European Union, African Union and ASEAN. It is envisaged that these developments wi" lead to bi-national organizations as common forms of business organizations (e.g. Euro Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France), hence the need to develop industrial relations systems which will cater for such organizations. The research focuses on the development of industrial relations in the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority, jointly owned and managed by two African states: the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Zambia. The research was carried out within the phenomenological paradigm, focusing on the actors in industrial relations. The study reveals that industrial relations in a bi-national organization are highly influenced by national political and economic pressures and are therefore responsive to national industrial relations systems. This conclusion confirms the generally accepted belief that the establishment of a single and distinct collective bargaining system in a multinational organization is highly problematic due to countries' political, economic and social differences (Northrup and Rowan 1979, TAZARA Salary Disparity Committee 1991). This thesis contributes to the existing academic knowledge in five ways. It draws attention to industrial relations in bi-national organizations as an area of industrial relations which needs further investigation. It provides rich empirical data on the structure, practices and outcomes of industrial relations in a bi-national organization. Unlike the traditional comparative approach to industrial relations, which is concerned with comparing two systems rather than their results, this study has integrated the industrial relations systems of the two contracting states by developing a collective bargaining model. It introduces an approach to industrial relations which is concerned with understanding the integration of two national industrial relations systems to establish a bi-national system. Fina"y it shows that with the involvement of a" the actors in the industrial relations process it may be possible to develop a framework through which bi-national industrial relations systems can be developed

No description available.

This dissertation is composed of three self-contained papers addressing specific research quest ions in distinct topics in applied labor economics. The first paper is joint work with my advisors. It makes a methodological point on the estimation of matching functions and shows its quantitative importance with an application to the United States (US) labor market. The second paper is joint work with two fellow doctoral students at the University of Bristol. It develops and estimates a search and matching model of the labor market to replicate stylized facts pertaining to racial discrimination in the US labor market. The third paper is sole-authored. It documents new facts concerning the role of part-time jobs in the macroeconomic employment adjustment in the United Kindgom's labor market during the Great Recession.

This thesis contributes to the theoretical analysis of the informal sector in the search and matching framework. Its aim is to understand the role of social security programs and informality under different assumptions and to identify the policies that the government should pursue in order to get an efficient level of informality. To this end explore different government policies and their impact on informality levels. The first chapter describes the search and matching equilibrium in an economy with an informal sector where workers are risk neutral and the government can observe when a worker is formal and informal.

No description available.

The large increase in female labour force attachment observed in the UK over the last 30 years has largely been driven by mothers of pre-school aged children. The aim of this thesis is to examine the determinants and outcomes of mothers' work life balance decisions throughout the early maternal years. This thesis is made up of three empirical studies. Maternity leave policies relax constraints on mothers' work life balance decisions by allowing attachment to the same job around childbirth. Thus, the first empirical study in this thesis examines the impact of taking maternity leave on the probability of employment throughout the early years of the child's life. The implications of part time employment (the most common outcome of the work life balance decision for mothers in the UK) are analysed in the subsequent two studies. The analysis in the second empirical study investigates the wage penalty associated with mothers' transition from full to part time employment. The third empirical study examines the well being implications of part time employment. The results indicate that increasing access to maternity leave policy is consistent with greater motherhood employment. There is a tendency for groups of mothers to re-enter employment via part time work after childbirth. However, any movement from full time to part time employment which occurs over a career break is consistent with a large pay penalty; the motherhood pay penalty can be explained by such behaviour. The results find little evidence of any positive well being implications associated with part time employment. The conclusions of the analyses conducted in this thesis provide implications for the efficient usage of labour, for gender equality in labour market opportunities and outcomes, and for motherhood well being. The conclusions additionally provide insight into the extent that institutional factors constrain mothers' work life balance decisions.

No description available.

This study was designed to investigate whether provision of information, in the form of a leaflet, about issues surrounding aggression and violence at work would lower anxiety about aggression and increase confidence in dealing with aggression, in care staff working in learning disability. A brief evaluation of the leaflet was carried out, and measures taken to establish whether information was assimilated from the leaflet. Also investigated were other feelings that care staff had about aggression at work. An information leaflet entitled "Preventing and coping with an aggressive incident involving a client in your care", and a questionnaire entitled "Aggressive incidents involving a client at work" were constructed. The questionnaire incorporated a scale for measuring 'Confidence in dealing with aggression'. 53 care staff, working in residential homes for people with learning disabilities, completed pre and post-intervention Spielberger State-Trait Form Y-1 questionnaires, and "Aggressive incidents involving a client at work" questionnaires. Results were analysed using analysis of variance, t-tests and Pearson's product moment correlation. No differences were found in levels of anxiety or confidence in dealing with aggression between two experimental groups and a control group, pre and post-intervention, but a significant difference was found in levels of anxiety within the groups pre and post-intervention. The leaflet was evaluated positively, but information was not assimilated. These and other findings are discussed in relation to present practice and implications for future research.