Industrial relations at regional level in Europe : strengths and weaknesses of an intermediate level of social regulation

The industrial relations literature has traditionally focused on either the national or company levels. However, there are reasons to believe that the intermediate, regional level is becoming an increasingly significant arena for employment regulation. This article discusses this development on the basis of comparative research in 'dynamic' regions in France, Germany, Italy and Spain. While there are important variations between the cases, a common finding is that regional industrial relations practices display the advantages of flexibility and adaptability but the weaknesses of poor coordination and discontinuity. (European Journal of Industrial Relations / FUB)