`A good first introduction to comparative industrial relations for students... and for practitioners′ - Wolfgang Streeck, Industrial Labor Relations Review The first two editions of International and Comparative Industrial Relations have become standard texts for a worldwide readership of students and specialists in this field. This new edition, retitled to reflect the changing nature of industrial relations, completely updates all the information and statistics and brings the discussion of the main processes of industrial relations - collective bargaining, arbitration, consultation and employee participation - into the new millennium. The growth of international commercial and industrial links has made it imperative for governments, employers and unions to be aware of the patterns of labour markets in other countries. Experts from ten key industrialized market economies examine the factors which have shaped the different forms of industrial relations in their countries. Using an internationally comparative approach, the editors of the volume then provide an opportunity to explore and understand the relative significance of various factors - technology, economic policies, laws and culture - in determining the type of employment relations systems adopted by different countries.