ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the key challenge posed by globalization, that of regulation in the global economy. It examines the key implications of globalization for employment relations research. Globalization has increased the volume and variety of international production, trade and investment. The transformationalist perspective presents what might be viewed as a middle ground between the hyperglobalists and the sceptics. P. Dicken is a good example of the transformationalist view, arguing that globalization is qualitatively different from that of earlier economic integration of the past. The ‘Battle in Seattle’ in 1999 is emblematic of the debate regarding globalization’s consequences and its implications for action. Globalization has spawned a variety of new research in employment relations. The configurational framework permits a better understanding of the dynamics of globalization and its effects on employment relations than previous theories allow, particularly for the analysis of value chains.
