معرفی
Leon Gooberman serves as Reader in Employment Relations and Business History at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University. His academic career spans post-doctoral research on employer collective action through an ESRC-funded project to his current leadership in Welsh-medium academic provision. Prior to academia, he contributed to economic development policy with organizations including PwC and Cardiff Council.
- PhD in Government Intervention in the Welsh Economy (1974-1997), Cardiff University (2013)
- MPA, University of Liverpool
- B.A (Hons) in History, University of Aberystwyth
His research centers on employer collective action and the economy-state relationship in modern Wales, with significant contributions to business history and political economy. Gooberman examines how employers organize collectively and how regional economic policies evolve, particularly through the lens of Welsh industrial history from the Great Depression to contemporary devolution. His work bridges historical analysis with current employment relations debates.
His 15 most recent publications (2019-2025) reveal consistent focus on Welsh economic governance, employer organization dynamics, and historical industrial policy. Articles span business history journals (Business History, Enterprise and Society), employment relations outlets (Work, Employment and Society, Industrial Relations Journal), and political history publications. Key trends include analysis of Welsh devolution referendums, wartime industrial mobilization, agricultural labor relations, and the evolution of employer associations in the UK's changing constitutional landscape.
Gooberman actively contributes to policy through research for the Welsh Government and Hans Böckler Foundation. As Cardiff Business School's Academic Lead for Welsh language provision, he has developed Welsh-medium teaching modules and facilitated cross-school enrollment in Welsh-language courses. His current teaching includes Employment Relations (BS2534), European Business Environment (BS3594), and Small Business Management in Welsh (BS3024).
His research infrastructure includes leadership in the Contemporary Employers' Organizations research group, evidenced by co-editing the 2022 Routledge volume Contemporary Employers' Organizations: Adaptation and Resilience and directing projects on European employer organizations with the Hans Böckler Foundation.