ABSTRACT

This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part assesses the economic impact of globalization on the European Union. It analyses three effects that are often said to result from the import of low-wage manufactured products from emerging economies: the slowdown of income growth, the process of deindustrialization, and the deterioration of the position of low-skilled labour. The part presents the results of a test of the 'convergence' hypothesis: the idea that the reduction of national policy autonomy - an effect of the process of internationalization - leads to a convergence of national systems of labour relations. It distinguishes between the Scandinavian, Germanic and Latin systems, and analyses the policies of labour time reduction in these three systems. The part also assesses how the taxes on labour income affect labour costs in Europe, particularly in nine EU member states.