ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the nature and extent of diversity within capitalism. This has long been, and remains, a keenly contested topic in contemporary socio-economics. The chapter demonstrates both the persistence of national difference and, indeed, highlights the viability of a range of alternative practices, the latter of great relevance given the current global economic crisis, and the ongoing search for policy alternatives. It also contributes to a more nuanced understanding of business systems. A fundamental assumption is that the differences between the types of capitalism are more important than the differences within them. The chapter examines each hypothesis across a variety of elements of interdependence and delegation. It also examines whether each hypothesis is supported across each element. The chapter explores the relative extent to which differences between varieties of capitalism are more or less empirically important drivers of differences in employment practices than the differences within varieties.
