The New Structure of Labor Relations

Contributors from eight industrialized countries examine the changing nature of labor-management relations, with a particular focus on the role of tripartism and the decentralization of collective bargaining.

Harry C. Katz is Dean of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, where he is Jack Sheinkman Professor of Collective Bargaining. He is the author of several books and the editor of Telecommunications: Restructuring Work and Employment Relations Worldwide, also from Cornell. Wonduck Lee is President of the Korea Labor Institute. Joohee Lee is a Research Fellow at the Korea Labor Institute.

This interesting book covers an important topic, namely the extent to which a renaissance of tripartite policymaking and centralized bargaining is occurring in various parts of the world. Unlike the books presently available on the emergence of social pacts in various countries, it goes beyond coverage of European countries. In particular, the discussion of Korea shows a broadening trend toward tripartite bargaining.

David Marsden, Professor of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics:

The authors have produced a masterful survey of 'organized decentralisation' in employment relations on four continents. They challenge the conventional wisdom that national level negotiations are on the decline everywhere, and show that tripartite dialogue now embraces a wider, and subtler, agenda of work-related issues than in the past. Their thesis imparts new vigour to the 'varieties of capitalism' debate by showing the continued vitality of multi-employer-union negotiations, and how these can facilitate adjustment at the economy and enterprise levels.