The Representation Gap : Change and Reform in the British and American Workplace

This comparative study shows how, since the early 1980s, British and American employees have experienced a critical weakening of their defences against the growing managerial prerogative and have borne a greater part of the business and organizational risk. The author explains the growth in the `representation gap' primarily through the withdrawal of public policy support for collective bargaining. he argues that this development has serious implications for economic efficiency and competitiveness but, above all, for the health of the democratic process.