John R. Commons and the Wisconsin School on Industrial Relations Strategy and Policy
Posted: 12 Dec 2003
Abstract
The field of industrial relations in the United States is largely rooted in the early twentieth-century writings of John R. Commons and the Wisconsin School. The author documents and describes their strategy and recommended policy approach for improved industrial relations. The three core components of their strategy were stabilization of markets, equalization of bargaining power, and constitutional government in industrial enterprise. The author also shows that the thinking of Commons and his associates on the best way to achieve these three goals evolved through four distinct phases, starting about 1900 and ending in the late 1930s.
Keywords: John R. Commons, Wisconsin School, industrial relations policy, history of industrial relations
JEL Classification: B15, J50, J80
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation