Nakano, Satoshi, 1960- (1993) A time-series analysis of union growth : unionisation in banking, 1920-1989. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This is an interdisciplinary work in industrial relations, focusing particularly on union growth. As such, its methodological properties derive from four different fields in the social sciences; a relatively recent development in sociology and social theory, industrial relations and economics. Any research in the social sciences requires reciprocal processes between the theory and empirical surveys, through which a generalised model of certain phenomenon can be constructed. When we actually starts an investigation, however, we are often dismayed by the fact that theories are rather fragmentary whereas empirical data is difficult to obtain. This might be particularly so in a social study carried out in a historical context. Chapters 1 and 2 of this dissertation deal with theories and 3 to 7 the empirical evidence required to test them. A few problems concerning the foundations of social theory are briefly mentioned in Chapter 1. The point here is to consider a micro-foundation for subsequent analysis. This seems indispensable to me as it is something that current social theory lacks and a straightforward application of the rational choice framework also seems somewhat problematic. Following this, Chapter 2 provides a survey of theories of union growth in developed in sociology, industrial relations and economics. My contention here is that no single theory is sufficient to understand the social process as a whole. The empirical section, whose primary aim is the verification of the theories, consists of three parts; Chapter 3 is an introduction to the banking industry and its industrial relations system, from which information for the empirical research is taken. Chapters 4 and 7 provide analyses of shortrun and long-term union growth in the industry. In these chapters, I generally followed a method commonly adopted in industrial relations and economics. Chapters 5 and 6 provide an historical analysis of union growth. The approach here is explicitly historical sociological, in which the research aims to attain a generalised understanding of the social processes from an empirical context. This, I think, is valuable particularly when the nature of causality changes and when theory does not have absolute reliability.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HG Finance
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Labor unions -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century, Banks and banking -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century, Industrial relations -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century
Date:	February 1993
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Social History
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Mason, Tony, 1938-
Extent:	iii, 477 leaves
Language:	eng
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/4326

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