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Work, Employment & Society
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Sociologists and `the Japanese model': a passing enthusiasm?

Kevin McCormick

University of Sussex, k.j.mccormick{at}sussex.ac.uk

This article critiques the construction of `the Japanese model' of employment relations by sociologists in English language sociological research monographs, organization textbooks and introductory general textbooks. It demonstrates how marked differences emerged across the different genres and relates them to the different purposes of researchers and textbook writers.The article examines three particular puzzles. First, why did general textbooks adopt `the Japanese model' in the 1990s when media commentaries were announcing the demise of the Japanese model in Japan? Second, why did the 1990s textbooks use 1980s organization textbooks rather than research monographs for their sources? Third, why are general textbooks ready to distance themselves from the model in 2006 when researchers confirm continuing vitality in the Japanese model in large Japanese companies? Answering these questions reveals how sociological knowledge of Japanese employment has been generated, disseminated and used in research, teaching and policy debates.

Key Words: bureaucracy • Japanese employment system • Japanization • lifetime employment • sociology textbooks

Work, Employment & Society, Vol. 21, No. 4, 751-771 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0950017007082883
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