Small business revivalism: employment relations in small and medium-sized enterprises

Abstract

This e-special issue focuses on employment relations in the context of ‘small business revivalism’ and an ‘enterprise culture’ that has sought to establish a so-called ‘entrepreneurial economy’. Economic restructuring and other political, social and economic changes in the 1970s and 1980s led to an increase in the number and prominence of small and medium-sized enterprises, with implications for the working lives of many people who are now more likely to work as self-employed, freelancers or members of smaller organizations. This e-special issue presents research from Work, employment and society that considers important elements of these changes, including debates about the influences of businesses’ external and internal environments, family relations and government policy. This introduction provides a general overview of the field of employment relations in small and medium-sized enterprises and the 11 articles included in the e-special issue.