Michael Gold

Michael Gold

Professor

  • TW20 0EX

Personal profile

Personal profile

My principal research interests are as follows: 

-          Comparative and international employment relations

-          EU social and employment policy

-          Employee involvement and participation

-          ‘Portfolio work’ and careers

-          British post-1945 industrial relations

My research focuses principally on the impact of economic integration on social and employment policies across the member states of the European Union. Over recent years I have written on a range of related issues, including historical overviews of the EU social dimension and the role of European works councils and social dialogue in creating a sphere of European industrial relations. My most recent book is Corporate Social Responsibility and Trade Unions: Perspectives across Europe (co-edited with Lutz Preuss and Chris Rees, 2015). I am currently researching the impact of the EU Takeovers Directive on employee participation in the UK and completing an analysis of the influence of Alan Fox’s work on the development of industrial relations theory.

In December 2016, I was awarded €38,418 as Principal Investigator of a Commission-funded project entitled ‘The Development of Direct Employee Participation and its Impact on Industrial Relations at Company Level’ (DIRECT, Grant Agreement Ref. No. VS/2016/0305). The project, whose total budget is just over €320, 000, covers Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Italy, Poland and the UK and lasts until December 2018. My co-researcher is Chris Rees, also in the School of Management.

The project, which is co-ordinated by the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), focuses on trends in direct employee participation in six EU member states (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Italy, Poland and the UK). It aims to determine the extent of direct participation in the various countries, comparing different national trends and analysing the reasons for its development, the barriers to its implementation and its impact on the employment relationship at company level, including information, consultation and participation arrangements, collective bargaining and dispute resolution procedures, workplace satisfaction and employee motivation.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or