L’articolo è di prossima pubblicazione nel numero monografico su “diritto del lavoro e cultura” di Labor - Il lavoro nel diritto, dedicato a Riccardo Del Punta.

The paper analyses the importance of social research for the full understanding of labor law and of its impact. It considers not only the personal dialogue between individual jurists and sociologists, but also the parallel interdisciplinary investigations promoted by the Italian association of industrial relations on the functioning and contents of collective bargaining, some common researches on the application of the Statute of workers rights and the possibility of the antidiscriminatory legislation for the legal action of labor unions and of other civil society associations. 
The paper also examines three recents areas of interdisciplinary dialogue and research: the indications of sociologists and economists on the impact of flexibility on labor relations, which however have hardly been followed in labor analyses and policy choices; the results of social research which on the blurring distinction between subordination and autonomy which implies possible extensions of labor protection beyond the border of subordination towards self employment; the tendencies toward the personalisation of employment relations which requires new forms of regulations by legislation and collective agreements aimed at combining personal expectations and collective interests.