The introduction explores the main theoretical positions taken in this book. Contrary to twentieth-century neoliberal or nineteenth-century wage fund theories, it starts from the assumption that trade unions are a necessary and integral part of the functioning of labour markets in societies...

The rise and fall of public enterprise: the framework / Pier Angelo Toninelli -- The decline of state-owned enterprise and the new foundations of the state-industry relationship / Nicola Bellini -- The performance of state-owned enterprises / Yair Aharoni -- The role of the state in economic...

The state of poverty in the United States and Western Europe: five theoretical approaches seeking to explain the variance -- The challenge to America -- The historical experience -- Attitudes, beliefs, and values -- System differences as explanations -- The role of political elites -- The role...