ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines how employment relations fared under the coalition during its period in office between 2010 and 2015. It addresses this lacuna, by providing a comprehensive analysis of developments in employment relations under the UK coalition government between 2010 and 2015. The book focuses on the coalition government's economic, employment and labour market reforms. The economic recovery helped to generate a high rate of private sector job creation, resulting in a record employment rate. The experience of the UK under the coalition points to the importance of appreciating the complexity of the regulatory environment in employment relations. While in policy terms the coalition government pursued a largely neo-liberal, deregulatory agenda, there were countervailing pressures, including those that emanated from the more social-democratic policies pursued by devolved administrations outside of England.
