This article provides a critical realist take on comparative methodology. Heeding the call for greater attention to the ontological presuppositions inherent in all methods, it fi rst outlines comparative methods as they have traditionally been conceived and practised. Discerning two important aspects of these approaches -their notion of causality and their reliance on inductive inferences -the discussion moves on to consider their applicability within a critical realist social science. Arguing that the ontological presuppositions of traditional approaches to comparative methodology are not compatible with the ontology of critical realism, it seeks to specify some initial steps in the direction of designing a new approach securing this compatibility. Important to this new approach is theoretical, or abductive, comparison and the need to be context-sensitive.
In this article, we draw international comparisons between industrial relations regimes in the hotelThe Nordic model has been characterized by social compromise and a high unionization rate allowing for a strong dialogue between capital and labor, although Mjøset (1987) suggests treating each national model as analytically distinct. The unionization rates in Anglo-American countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Ireland, on the other hand, have been lower throughout the last three decades and
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