In North America as in Europe, the `Great Recession' of the early 1980s has had an enduring impact on industrial relations. Despite superficial similarities, however, there have been important differences in the extent to which industrial relations institutions in the two continents have been able to accommodate the challenges. The author considers these differences with respect to four themes: Japanization, supranational economic integration, decentralization of collective bargaining and trade union decline. He concludes by discussing the implications for the academic study of industrial relations.
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