Bruce E. Kaufman

Bruce E. Kaufman is Professor of Economics and Senior Associate of the W.T. Beebe Institute of Personnel and Employment Relations at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. He has written or edited fourteen books and numerous scholarly articles on labor economics, industrial relations, and human resource management. His book “The Origins and Evolution of the Field of Industrial Relations in the United States” won the 1992 Richard Lester prize for "Best Book in Labor Economics and Industrial Relations". Professor Kaufman is past president of the University Council of Industrial Relations and Human Resources Programs (US) and is currently co-chair of the IR Theory and IR as a Field Study Group of the International Industrial Relations Association.

"Kaufman's book is a tour de force. It is a thoughtful and analytical history of the evolution of international and comparative industrial relations as a field of study. It is an insightful overview of the links between industrial relations and institutional economics and a passionate (and in my view correct) argument for why we need to maintain and strengthen these linkages. It will be an extremely valuable resource as we take up the challenges facing our field today and tomorrow."