Corporatism and Accountability

During the 1970s organized interests seemed to be becoming increasingly involved, in advising as well as lobbying British governments, sometimes even helping to administer public services. This phenomenon, loosely described as "corporatism", was the frequent object of hostility. Attention was concentrated on the activities of trade unions in the turbulent labour markets associated with high inflation, but corporatism went further than that. Building societies were involved, as were professional organizations, trade associations, charities, and single-interest pressure groups. How were such organizations accountable and to whom? Was there really some kind of challenge here to parliamentary government? The Britain of the 1980s seems decisively to have repudiated the corporatism of the 1970s. But has it? An extensive research programme was launched by the then Social Science Research Council to investigate these questions. A team of distinguished academics sought to get behind the political rhetoric and examine the facts in a number of key areas where corporatist behaviour was evident.
By making available the results of these studies in one volume, "Corporatism and Accountability" will generate new debate on an area of considerable practical importance. Colin Crouch is also the author of "Class Conflict and the Industrial Relations Crisis", "The Politics of Industrial Relations", "State and Economy in Contemporary Capitalism" and several other works. He is joint editor of the "Political Quarterly". Ronald Dore's previous books include "British Factory - Japanese Factory" and "Flexible Rigidities".