Globalization and labour market deregulation have had an impact on employment and workers, and brought pressure to bear on trade unions. This study looks at the challenges of globalization and deregulation, and possible responses to them in a variety of ways. It covers economies with a range of diverse socio-political backgrounds, systems and structures. It casts light on patterns and differentiations, makes international comparisons, explores gains and losses and gives an overall picture.

A Nation of Shopkeepers reflects some of the most exciting research on retail history and cultures of consumption. The contributors challenge existing ideas about retail development showing how, for example, large-scale retailers played a far lesser role in the development of the modern city than is generally thought, and how the success of department stores was determined less by 'entrepreneurial' spirit and more by the unforeseen consequences of legislation.

The history of Imperial Japan, from the Meiji Restoration through to defeat and occupation at the end of the Second World War, is central to any understanding of the way in which modern Japan has developed and will continue to develop in the future. This wide-ranging accessible and up-to-date interpretation of Japanese history between 1868 and 1945 provides both a narrative and analysis. Describing the major changes that took place in Japanese political, economic and social life during this period, it challenges widely-held views about the uniqueness of Japanese history and the homogeneity of...