There have been dramatic shifts in the behaviour of labour markets and the conduct of industrial relations in the last century. This volume explores these changes in the context of four very different societies: Germany, Sweden, Britain and Japan. However, despite their manifest differences, the author demonstrates that for long periods their labour markets were similar in many crucial respects. The book discusses:
* the failure of neo-corporatism in Britain in the 1970's and the subsequent rise of Thatcherism;
* the rise of Japan as a model for orderly industrial relations in the...

Britain's Place in the World examines the establishment and effectiveness of import controls, particularly quotas. Placing quotas back in the centre of British history, Milward and Brennan make some radical claims for Britain's economic performance in a global context.
Looking into a wide variety of industries from motorcars to typewriters, raw chemicals to food produce, they examine the intended and actual obstruction to imported goods represented by quotas, and the political and financial ramifications beyond the statistics.
This is the fourth book to be published in the...

The spread of currency convertibility is one of the most dramatic trends of the late 20th century. It reflects the desire of policymakers to integrate their economies into the global trading system and to attract financial capital and direct investment from abroad. In this work a team of international economists and economic historians look at parallel situations in the history of the international monetary system, focusing in particular on the gold standard. The concluding chapter uses a case study of modern Portugal to draw out implications for modern international monetary relations in...

In this volume an international team of monetary historians examine the historical experience of exchange rate behaviour under different monetary regimes. The main focus is on metallic standards and fixed exchange rates, such as the gold standard. With its combination of thematic overviews and case studies of key countries and periods, this book provides enhanced understanding of past monetary systems. The volume is divided into three parts. Part I evaluates the various monetary systems. The performance of metallic regimes is compared with the other monetary systems of human history, using...

In discussions on European pre-modern economic growth, the role of individual freedom and of the state has loomed large. This book examines whether different kinds of freedoms (absolutist, parliamentary and republican) caused different economic outcomes, and shows the effect of different political regimes on long term development. It thus offers new answers to debates on the transition from feudalism to capitalism and on the causes of pre-industrial growth and divergence.

The Conservatives and Industrial Efficiency, 1951-1964 responds to the need for a full assessment of the Conservatives performance in this crucial period. Drawing upon a wide range of archival sources, Nick Tiratsoo and Jim Tomlinson explore the different aspects of the efficiency question. Beginning with the major issue of attempts in the 1950s to americanize British industry, the authors also discuss the Conservatives policy on ompetition, education and training, investment and research and development. This new survey reveals that the Conservatives were informed about each of...

This study uses Domesday book data and management science methods to examine manorial production efficiency in medieval Essex in 1086. It also reveals facts about economic history. Some of the questions examined by this work include: which tenants-in-chief ran efficient estates; how was productivity affected by soil type, the size of the estate, the technology and the institutional framework of the time, and the proximity of a market centre; what input made the major contribution to the net value of output; did slaves make a greater contribution to the manorial systems.

Until 500 years ago China's technology was the most advanced in Eurasia and as recently as 200 years ago its standards of living surpassed those of most other civilizations. However, the economies of the West and smaller developing countries then overtook the Chinese economy. China had reached its developmental limits and deadlock set in. Covering the time span from the Shang to the Qing Periods (1520BC - 1911AD), Gang Deng examines important factors in the decline of the Chinese economy from medieval sophistication to modern underdevelopment. These factors include: resource endowments;...

The decline of British Industry in the late Victorian and early Edwardian period is the subject of major concern to economic and modern British historians. This book sets out the present state of the discussion and introduces new directions in which the debate about the British decline is now proceeding:
Among other themes, the book examines:
* the role of the service sector alongside manufacturing
* the distinctiveness of the British regions
* the state's role in the British decline including an analysis of its responsibility for the maintenance and modernization of...

Questions concerning the relationships and boundaries between 'private' business and 'public' government are of great and perennial concern to economists, economic and business historians, political scientists and historians.Conceiving Companies discusses the birth and development of joint-stock companies in 19th century England, an area of great importance to the history of this subject. Alborn takes a new approach to the rise of large scale companies in Victorian England, including the Bank of England and East India Company and Victorian railways, locating their origins in...