Law And Industrial Relationschina And Japan After World War Ii

Download Law And Industrial Relationschina And Japan After World War Ii full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Law And Industrial Relationschina And Japan After World War Ii ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

Law and Industrial Relations:China and Japan After World War II

Author : Vai Io Lo
Publisher : Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN 13 : 9041110755
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (411 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Law and Industrial Relations:China and Japan After World War II by : Vai Io Lo

Download or read book Law and Industrial Relations:China and Japan After World War II written by Vai Io Lo and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chinese and Japanese trade unions may seem emasculated and weak when compared with their Western counterparts in that they do not stand up to management to protect the interests of workers. The author's careful analysis probes the reasons for this difference, tearing down stereotypical notions about societies with a Confucian heritage, to examine the significant role of law in shaping industrial relations in modern China and Japan. Through a comparative analysis of their trade union laws, this work analyses the role of law in shaping postwar industrial relations in China and Japan and the interplay amongst such elements as the State or the Party, management, and workers. The work focuses on industrial relations in commercial and industrial enterprises, addressing such issues as the performance or nonperformance of trade unions in China and Japan and possible explanations, and the prospects and limitations of using codified laws to effect change or control in the postwar industrial settings of these two countries. The work's helpful features include a comparative approach, the use of case studies to maximize objectivity and insight, a unified and clearly expressed thesis and conclusions including a summary of findings, footnotes and cross references, an index, and concise explanations of the relevant legal provisions and the manner in which they have been applied.

China–Japan Relations after World War Two

Author : Amy King
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1316668517
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (166 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis China–Japan Relations after World War Two by : Amy King

Download or read book China–Japan Relations after World War Two written by Amy King and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2016-06-06 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A rich empirical account of China's foreign economic policy towards Japan after World War Two, drawing on hundreds of recently declassified Chinese sources. Amy King offers an innovative conceptual framework for the role of ideas in shaping foreign policy, and examines how China's Communist leaders conceived of Japan after the war. The book shows how Japan became China's most important economic partner in 1971, despite the recent history of war and the ongoing Cold War divide between the two countries. It explains that China's Communist leaders saw Japan as a symbol of a modern, industrialised nation, and Japanese goods, technology and expertise as crucial in strengthening China's economy and military. For China and Japan, the years between 1949 and 1971 were not simply a moment disrupted by the Cold War, but rather an important moment of non-Western modernisation stemming from the legacy of Japanese empire, industry and war in China.

China-Japan Relations After World War II

Author : Amy King
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781316669419
Total Pages : 261 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (694 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis China-Japan Relations After World War II by : Amy King

Download or read book China-Japan Relations After World War II written by Amy King and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Law and Labour Market Regulation in East Asia

Author : Sean Cooney
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 113459755X
Total Pages : 322 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (345 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Law and Labour Market Regulation in East Asia by : Sean Cooney

Download or read book Law and Labour Market Regulation in East Asia written by Sean Cooney and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2003-08-29 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited collection examines the labour laws of seven industrializing East Asian societies - China, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam - and discusses the variation in their impact across the whole region. Leading scholars from each country consider both laws pertaining to working conditions and industrial relations, and those that regulate the labour market as a whole. Legislation concerning migrant labour, gender equality, employment creation and skills formation is also examined. Adopting their own distinct theoretical perspectives, the authors trace the historical development of labour regulation and reveal that most countries in the region now have quite extensive frameworks. This book will be particularly useful to people interested in the place of labour law, and law in general, in contemporary East Asian societies.

Changing Industrial Relations & Modernisation of Labour Law

Author : Marco Biagi
Publisher : Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN 13 : 9041120084
Total Pages : 500 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (411 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Changing Industrial Relations & Modernisation of Labour Law by : Marco Biagi

Download or read book Changing Industrial Relations & Modernisation of Labour Law written by Marco Biagi and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thirty-three distinguished authorities in the field of labour and industrial relations law gather here to enhance and complement the work of the late Marco Biagi, a man who, at the time of his violent and untimely death, had shown himself to be the most insightful and committed international scholar in this complex and controversial and, as it proved, even dangerous field. The topics covered range over many of Professor Biagi's special interests, including the following: the formulation of a new basis for labour law that could resolve new issues; employee protection in corporate restructuring; the trend toward individual 'enterprise bargaining'; a new European employment policy and what it might entail; the growing phenomenon of 'flexibilisation'; the effects of an aging workforce; the crucial nexus of free trade, labour, and human rights; the promise of EU enlargement; and protection of part-time workers. There is a lot of insight, innovation, and just clear thinking in this wide-ranging and far-reaching book. It will be of exceptional value to scholars, lawyers, and others concerned with the extensive and unpredictable changes under way in today's world of work.

EU Industrial Relations v. National Industrial Relations

Author : Mia Ronnmar
Publisher : Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN 13 : 9041145281
Total Pages : 358 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (411 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis EU Industrial Relations v. National Industrial Relations by : Mia Ronnmar

Download or read book EU Industrial Relations v. National Industrial Relations written by Mia Ronnmar and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2008-08-26 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The relationship between the national and international has been central in the debate on the impact of globalisation on national patterns of employment relations. While some industrial relations researchers in recent years have put forward evidence not of convergence, but rather of continuing national diversity in employment relations, others see a complex power-sharing interplay emerging for which Europe is the laboratory. This ground-breaking book asks: Do EU or European industrial relations exist? What characterises EU industrial relations and their development? What are the differences between EU industrial relations and national industrial relations? Twelve outstanding authorities from seven countries discuss the theme from a variety of perspectives. Originally presented at an international and interdisciplinary research workshop held at the Faculty of Law at Lund University in November 2007, the essays probe a range of highly topical and important legal and industrial relations issues and developments, including the implications of the epochal and much-debated Laval and Viking cases from the European Court of Justice. The focus is on the EU dimension of industrial relations, common to the Member States, and not on comparative European industrial relations. The authors raise and discuss such crucial issues as the following: the power relationship and interactions between the social partners within the framework of the social dialogue; growing problems of posting of workers, low wage competition, and ‘social dumping’; approaches to creating an EU legal framework for transnational collective agreements; the right to take industrial action in order to achieve collective agreements; the fundamental asymmetry between the scope of action of players in companies and territories affected by restructurings; information, consultation and worker participation; potential benefits of increased tripartite co-operation between the social partners and governments; compatibility of the Swedish or Nordic system with the four freedoms and its eligibility as a European model; and issues of private international law arising from collective actions with transnational implications. An appendix includes relevant EC legislation and the ECJ opinions in Laval and Viking. EU Industrial Relations vs National Industrial Relations explores an emerging and still inchoate realm of law that is heavily fraught with implications for the near future of social relations, not only in Europe but worldwide. Labour lawyers and policymakers will greatly appreciate its precise stocktaking, its insightful analysis, and its well-informed recommendations on how to proceed in the realm of practical law.

The Role of the State and Industrial Relations

Author : Adalberto Perulli
Publisher : Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN 13 : 9403506628
Total Pages : 393 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (35 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Role of the State and Industrial Relations by : Adalberto Perulli

Download or read book The Role of the State and Industrial Relations written by Adalberto Perulli and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2019-10-05 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Role of the State and Industrial Relations Edited by Adalberto Perulli & Tiziano Treu The new era of industrial relations that has been stealthily changing the world of work in recent decades seems to have reached a stage where it can be systematically monitored and analyzed, in great part because the “creeping renationalization” that has been noted since the financial crisis of 2008 has reinvigorated state intervention in essential economic structures. The contributions in this unrivalled book provide important new perspectives on the many challenges inherent in the present and future of the relationship between industrial relations and the state. Analyzing industrial relations systems from international, supranational, European and national points of view—and with an interdisciplinary approach connecting labour law, commercial law, corporate governance and international law—this one-of-kind book examines such salient aspects of the subject as the following: cooperative versus conflictual industrial relations systems; phenomenon of constitutionalization of power by multinational enterprises; competitive, illiberal and protectionist patterns of state regulation; freedom of association and industrial relations; potential power of transnational collective bargaining; impact of worktime arrangements; role of European Works Councils; exemplary value of the German system of workers’ participation; and global framework agreements. Using a comparative approach (the European Union, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Japan, China, the United States, Brazil, South Africa, India), the book reconstructs the general framework of global industrial relations, considering challenges and future prospects and proposing a new agenda for the state. Contributors include widely renowned professors of labour, commercial and international law, as well as experts from the International Labour Organization and the International Society for Labour and Social Security Law. The debate about industrial relations and the state in our globalized world is of major concern for practitioners in governments, companies, employers’ associations and trade unions, as well as for company managers, entrepreneurs, consultants, judges, human rights lawyers and academics interested in labour, industrial relations and social rights in European and international contexts.

The Changing Institutional Face of British Employment Relations

Author : Linda Dickens
Publisher : Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN 13 : 9041125418
Total Pages : 174 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (411 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Changing Institutional Face of British Employment Relations by : Linda Dickens

Download or read book The Changing Institutional Face of British Employment Relations written by Linda Dickens and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Employment protection in Britain, once seen as resting on collective bargaining supported by public policy, has increasingly come to be framed in terms of individual legal rights, enforceable before judicial forums such as employment tribunals. This dramatic shift towards juridification of the individual employment relationship has not only contributed towards significant changes to the institutional `landscape of employment relations in Britain, but also carries important implications for the future of employment law and regulation in `the home of collective bargaining. This comprehensive evaluation of current institutional reality and trends prepared to mark the 30th anniversary of the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) provides a unique look inside the key institutions of British employment relations. Each contributor leading academics and senior practitioners, all closely associated with particular institutions locates their institution in terms of purpose, origins, and context, discusses its structure, governance and composition, and assesses its operation, considering current challenges and future direction. In the course of examining issues relating to institutional choice and roles, the presentations offer contemporary views on the impact of decentralisation and the shrinking of collective bargaining, decline in trade union membership and strength, and the political effects of increasing global competition. The influence of EU social policy initiatives upon British legislative policy is identified, while attention is drawn to the consequences of an increased feminisation of the workforce, along with an increasing incidence of `non-standard workers and continuing service sector growth. Set alongside the evidence of decline in manufacturing, restructuring of the public sector, and the growth of the SME sector, this volume demonstrates the remarkable pressures for change which have impacted upon the institutions of British employment relations over the past thirty years. These essays offer an especially valuable mix of expert independent discussion along with personal insights gained from direct involvement in the operation of the key bodies. As a much-needed overview and basis for evaluation of the current institutional map of British employment relations, as well as a contemporary consideration of lessons to be drawn from the changing institutional face of employment relations in Britain, this book will be of inestimable value to policy-makers and practitioners in the field, as well as to students, academics, and more generally interested observers of the British experience.

Social Responsibility in Labour Relations

Author : Frans Pennings
Publisher : Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN 13 : 9041127836
Total Pages : 578 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (411 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Social Responsibility in Labour Relations by : Frans Pennings

Download or read book Social Responsibility in Labour Relations written by Frans Pennings and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since 1945, socially moderated market economies have formed the cornerstone of the European socioeconomic model. Now, however due to powerful global economic, political and demographic tendencies tensions between social and economic interests and values are increasing. These developments create an urgent need for answers, actions and measures on the European level. This wide-ranging but focused collection of essays approaches this important trend from multiple perspectives. Compiled in honour of the major European labour law scholar Teun Jaspers, it encompasses a broad spectrum of analyses and insights by forty-one distinguished contributors from seven countries. Four major tensions are identified: between the European and national level, between fundamental rights and economic freedoms, between workers and employers, and between soft and hard law instruments. Throughout, a comparative approach is emphasized, not only within the EU but also between the EU and China and South Africa. Among the many topics covered are the following: relocation of labour to low-wage countries both within and outside the EU; conditions for tempering the excesses of the free labour market; the legal weight of voluntary standards such as codes of conduct; extending the scope of application of corporate social responsibility norms to transnational enterprises; pressure on national social law due to flexibilization, deregulation and individualization; contract termination protection; employability and training of employees; fixed-term work in the wake of the Mangold ruling; adjustment of working conditions for ill and disabled workers; right to strike; and restructuring of enterprises. In light of the Lisbon strategy, the authors address how the various tensions should be reconciled, especially in the context of the flexicurity approach. The book will be of great interest to academics and practitioners for its clear categorization of the issues which must be overcome when regulating employment and social policy in the context of todayands EU multilevel legal order. It pays detailed attention to the legal questions raised by emerging European labour and employment policies in respect of their specific materialization, the opportunities they offer, their feasibility, and the threats they pose to traditional workerands protection and, more generally, to traditional concepts of labour law.

Japan's China Policy

Author : Linus Hagström
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134278705
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (342 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Japan's China Policy by : Linus Hagström

Download or read book Japan's China Policy written by Linus Hagström and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2005-03-09 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Japan's China Policy understands Japan's foreign policy in terms of power - one of the most central concepts of political analysis. It contributes a fresh understanding to the subject by developing relational power as an analytical framework and by applying it to significant issues in Japan's China policy: the negotiations for a bilateral investment protection treaty and the disputed Pinnacle (Senkaku/Diaoyu) Islands. Hagström demonstrates that Japan exerted power over China in such divergent empirical settings for the most part by using civilian instruments positively, defensively and through non-action. Given that Japan's foreign policy is often portrayed rather enigmatically in terms of power, the unique contribution of Japan's China Policy is to demonstrate how to analyze power aspects of Japan's foreign policy in a more coherent fashion. This revealing approach to Japan's foreign policy will be of huge interest to anyone studying Japanese politics, foreign policy or international relations.

Law and Investment in China

Author : Vai Io Lo
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134344864
Total Pages : 397 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (343 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Law and Investment in China by : Vai Io Lo

Download or read book Law and Investment in China written by Vai Io Lo and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2004-08-02 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lo and Tian, in this informative and accessible book, provide an introduction to the Chinese legal system, focusing on laws and regulations on foreign direct investment, and highlighting recent government policies and legal measures undertaken to intensify China's economic reforms.

Labour Law, Human Rights and Social Justice:Liber Amicorum in Honour of Prof. Dr. Ruth Ben Israel

Author : Roger Blanpain
Publisher : Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN 13 : 9041116974
Total Pages : 318 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (411 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Labour Law, Human Rights and Social Justice:Liber Amicorum in Honour of Prof. Dr. Ruth Ben Israel by : Roger Blanpain

Download or read book Labour Law, Human Rights and Social Justice:Liber Amicorum in Honour of Prof. Dr. Ruth Ben Israel written by Roger Blanpain and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2001-11-15 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dignity, Alvin L. Goldman

Labour Law and Sustainable Development

Author : Valentina Cagnin
Publisher : Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN 13 : 9403520817
Total Pages : 270 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (35 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Labour Law and Sustainable Development by : Valentina Cagnin

Download or read book Labour Law and Sustainable Development written by Valentina Cagnin and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2020-06-05 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Labour Law and Sustainable Development is a detailed reconstruction of the regulatory framework and jurisprudential findings of sustainable development at the international, European and national level. The global crisis of the past decade has underlined the social unsustainability of the ultra-liberalistic theories through which the labour law deregulation represents the precondition for social and economic development coherent with the globalization imperatives. It is no exaggeration to assert that the existing foundations of labour law have been irreversibly compromised. It is essential to find a way out of the crisis, at the same time defining the founding values of new sustainable labour law. In linking labour law with the sustainability paradigm, this provocative book promises to widen the scope and terms of the reconciliation of interests, taking into account the multiplicity of the stakeholders interested in economic, social and environmental issues and, in particular, to practise an approach that achieves intergenerational equity. What’s in this book: In an unprecedented comparative study, including case law, of the network of principles, agreements, practices and norms concerning sustainable development and its different economic and social implications, the author examines such facets as the following: sustaining solidarity and equality of opportunity in current and emerging work situations; enhancing individual autonomy in the current world of (subordinate but independent) labour; reconciling personal needs, flexible organization of companies and reduction of external and internal costs to companies; collective action for the regulation of labour relations allowing for the exercise of individual autonomy; involving entire populations that have been so far excluded in the world scene; developing a sustainable pension system to promote intergenerational solidarity; implementing flexicurity policies positively; social clauses of international trade treaties; undoing the profound contradiction of gender and wage inequalities; and promoting corporate social responsibility. The objective of this book is to provide the reader with a reasoning basis to assess whether the choice to elect sustainable development as a new paradigm of reference for labour law is feasible, and if, in particular, this choice can be useful in order to define the founding values of a new ‘sustainable’ labour law. How this will help you: Using an interdisciplinary approach, the author emphasizes the need to consider the various dimensions of sustainability together, not only the original environmental but also the economic and social dimensions. This book offers a real strategic leap for both legislators and social actors, in particular leading the way to avoiding a fracture of the generational pact that has held together modern societies. Although the book presents a profound academic contribution to the analysis of labour law realities and trends, it will also be welcomed by corporate lawyers, judges, human rights experts, trade unionists, business managers, entrepreneurs and consultants interested in the issues of labour, sustainable development and social rights.

Labour Law and Climate Change

Author : Tiziano Treu
Publisher : Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN 13 : 9403508876
Total Pages : 263 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (35 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Labour Law and Climate Change by : Tiziano Treu

Download or read book Labour Law and Climate Change written by Tiziano Treu and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2023-09-14 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the existential threat of climate change has at last been generally acknowledged, its influence on the labour market and the regulation of labour relations remains ambivalent at best. This supremely important volume, with contributions by thirteen prominent labour law practitioners and academics, shows how labour law not only can but absolutely must assume a greater role in the debate on the climate crisis and move towards a new eco-friendly labour paradigm. Committed to the proposition that employment must come to terms with the natural environment and open a new chapter in the relationship between human work and the Earth, the authors examine critical issues and perspectives on the role of labour law in a just ecological transition, focusing on such aspects as the following: negative externalities associated with the value chains production model; (in)effectiveness of corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives; protection of human rights from violations attributable to private sector activities; protection of whistleblowers; need for professional training in new occupations; environmental migrants; reskilling and active inclusion of workers and jobseekers; role of remote work and flexible working time; and evaluation and reward of employees. The impact of the green transition on industrial activities is already creating strong tensions among the social parties, leading inevitably to massive restructuring of enterprises and relocation of thousands of workers. This detailed analysis of the implications of climate change for the labour contract and the industrial relations system provides appropriate tools to understand trends and possible solutions for the future. It will be welcomed by managers, consultants, corporate lawyers, judges, human rights experts, trade unionists, researchers, and professors placed at the nexus of labour, industrial relations, and social rights in Europe and worldwide.

Experimental Legislation in China between Efficiency and Legality

Author : Madeleine Martinek
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319776169
Total Pages : 342 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (197 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Experimental Legislation in China between Efficiency and Legality by : Madeleine Martinek

Download or read book Experimental Legislation in China between Efficiency and Legality written by Madeleine Martinek and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-05-21 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyzes the benefits of and legal concerns in connection with the delegated legislation of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone as a prime example of experimental legislation in Chinese law. It offers solutions for improving the legal design of experimental regulations in Special Economic Zones by striking a balance between the pursuit of rapid socio-economic progress on the one hand, and the increasing need and will to govern by the rule of law on the other. The book offers a valuable guide for the academic community and legal practitioners, as well as students eager to gain insights into Chinese constitutional law and the conflict between legality and achieving reforms.

Legal Status of Sportsmen and Sportswomen Under International European and Belgian National and Regional Law

Author : Roger Blanpain
Publisher : Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN 13 : 9041119809
Total Pages : 308 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (411 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Legal Status of Sportsmen and Sportswomen Under International European and Belgian National and Regional Law by : Roger Blanpain

Download or read book Legal Status of Sportsmen and Sportswomen Under International European and Belgian National and Regional Law written by Roger Blanpain and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Underscoring the demonstrable illegality of the transfer system imposed by the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA), this text describes in detail the complex ramifications of FIFA's rules in the lives of players, revealing how their fundamental rights are systematically denied.

Between Soft and Hard Law

Author : Frans Pennings
Publisher : Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN 13 : 9041124918
Total Pages : 346 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (411 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Between Soft and Hard Law by : Frans Pennings

Download or read book Between Soft and Hard Law written by Frans Pennings and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether or not we ever attain universal social justice, there can be little doubt that the international community has set meaningful standards, and that significant progress has been made over the last century. The leading standard-setter throughout this period has been the International Labour Organisation (ILO), with its nearly 200 conventions on labour law and social security law. Yet it is often asked: how effective are these standards? Do any lLO Member States actually offer (to quote the Philadelphia Declaration of the ILO Conference of 1944) social security measures to provide a basic income to all in need of such protection and comprehensive medical care? Perhaps not, but some come close, thanks to the application of ILO standards. This much-needed volume is the first detailed analysis of the legal meaning of ILO conventions within the ratifying Member States. In unprecedented depth a panel of distinguished authorities explores the role of ILO conventions in preparing and amending national legislation, in parliamentary debate, and in national case law. For comparative purposes, five countries the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands-are studied in depth. Among the points of discussion that arise are the following: the social dumping¿ that results from distortion of competition;the lLO's supervision procedures;protection of international migrant workers;temporary exceptions for developing countries; andthe possibility of rnodernising texts of older conventions. A useful annex reprints the texts of the ILO Constitution and the so-called up-to-date conventions pertaining to social security which are currently being promoted for ratification by the ILO. At a time when the very meaning of such terms as work and social security is being challenged by prevailing economic and political forces, this full-scale reappraisal of a body of international law that, although soft, has had a pronounced positive effect on the progress of social justice is to be welcomed. It is well worth the close attention of government policymakers and regulators, company lawyers, and interested academics everywhere.