Geoffrey Wood

Trade Unions and Democracy explores the role of trade unions as products of, and agents for, democracy. As civil society agents, unions may promote democracy within the wider society, especially in the case of authoritarian regimes or other rigid political systems, by acting as watchdogs and protecting hard-won democratic gains.Established democratic institutions in many advanced societies are facing new challenges. The problem with using trade unions for this purpose is that they remain locked in a cycle of political marginalization and decline. Beyond this, there are, ironically, serious questions about whether unions themselves internally function as democracies. Certainly there are tensions between rank and file membership and an authoritarian leadership, with this infighting having possible effects on strategic deals or alliances and member accountability and actions. On the other hand, trade unions continue to represent a significant component of society within most industrialized countries, and in many case, they have a demonstrated capacity for working with other elements of civil society. Looking forward, trade unions may be able to play a vital role in channeling and focusing spontaneous popular upsurges. In the process, they may revitalize themselves through use of greater internal democracy and become geared toward more diverse constituencies. The question is, will they fulfill this promise or continue to suffer from internal breakups and external breakdowns? Can trade unions save themselves and democracy, or will both deteriorate in time?Trade Unions and Democracy brings together a distinguished panel of leading and emerging scholars in the field and provides a critical assessment of the current role of trade unions in society. It explores their capacity to affect political policies to ensure greater accountability and fairness. It also explores the nature of and extent to which internal representative democracy actually operates within trade unions themselves.Mark Harcourt is a professor in the Department of Strategic Management and Leadership at Waikato University in New Zealand.

The initial focus when comparing different corporate governance regimes around the world was on overall growth consequences. But as different types of national corporate governance regimes do better than others at specific times, and with great variance in national development within the main national corporate governance families, there is a growing interest in the specific effects on the firm itself. These analyses have interposed relative worker rights and social protection under the law as a variable that might dilute owner rights, diverting firms from a shareholder value maximisation agenda. However, this does not advance beyond simple hierarchical models suggesting that a single institutional feature underwriting property rights can explain everything of significance that goes on in the firm. As a result, there is growing body of applied research examining the consequences of dominant corporate governance regimes for a key stakeholder grouping with sunk human capital within the firm. Furthermore, arguments are made for a re-evaluation of the types of institutional arrangement and associated patterns of firm finance in relation to what might best explain particular Sets of human resource management and employment practices including the direct effect on organisational performance and how this might affect overall economic growth. Corporate Governance and Human Resources Management presents the many different dimensions to national corporate governance regimes, encompassing the legal, the political, the economic, and the social behavior. While there is much debate within the literature as to which is the most important aspect of each, this monograph provides a basis to evaluate this burgeoning literature.

"Central bankers worldwide welcome the recent increase of research on payment systems. This volume, providing an expert overview on this timely subject, should be required reading for us all". - Erkki Liikanen, Governor of the Bank of Finland Monetary policy has been at the centre of economic research from the early stages of economic thought, but payment system research has attracted increased academic attention only in the past decade. This book’s succeeds in merging these two so far largely separated fields. Innovative and groundbreaking, Schmitz and Woods initiate research on the interdependence of institutional change in the payments system and monetary policy, examining the different channels via which payment systems affect monetary policy. It explores important themes such as:conceptualization and methods of analysis of institutional change in the payments systemdeterminants of institutional change in the payments system – political-economy versus technologyempirics of institutional change in the retail and in the wholesale payments systems – policy initiatives and new technologies in the payments systemimplications of institutional change in the payments system for monetary policy and the instruments available to central banks to cope with it.The result is an accessible overview of conceptual and methodological approaches to institutional change in payment systems, and a comprehensive and yet thorough assessment of its implications for monetary policy. The insights this timely book provides will be invaluable for researchers and practitioners in the field of monetary economics.

This collection of essays by the eminent financial and monetary historians Forrest Capie and Geoffrey Wood examines and offers explanations of the parts played by money and the banking system in the British economy over the last two centuries. Structured in three chronological parts, it covers: the period of the classical gold standard from 1870 until the First World War, and the associated key issues of the time; the troublesome interwar years, when there was a breakdown in the international economy, the Second World War and immediate post-War years; and the international dimensions of the post-War period up to the present day. It deals with financial crises, periods of stability, and Britain in the international system, and covers topics such as debt management, money and the exchange rate, interest rates and velocity, as well as central bank independence, monetary unions, price controls and the role of the IMF. Combining empirical research and economic theory, this timely publication is essential reading for all scholars of financial, monetary, and economic history.

A critical ER text with an international perspective, designed to map to the CIPD module but just as valuable for non-CIPD students. Completely maps to the CIPD module, Managing Employment Relations Truly integrated international approach, not just through case studies and examples Critical approach, for those wanting to engage with critical debates Academic approach, drawing on the latest research Excellent links between theory and practice Full range of interactive learning features including case studies (at least half will be international), exercises and a glossary of key terms Broad coverage including key developments and current practices Structure split into conceptual debates and functional areas for easy navigation

"Central bankers worldwide welcome the recent increase of research on payment systems. This volume, providing an expert overview on this timely subject, should be required reading for us all". - Erkki Liikanen, Governor of the Bank of Finland Monetary policy has been at the centre of economic research from the early stages of economic thought, but payment system research has attracted increased academic attention only in the past decade. This book’s succeeds in merging these two so far largely separated fields. Innovative and groundbreaking, Schmitz and Woods initiate research on the interdependence of institutional change in the payments system and monetary policy, examining the different channels via which payment systems affect monetary policy. It explores important themes such as:conceptualization and methods of analysis of institutional change in the payments systemdeterminants of institutional change in the payments system – political-economy versus technologyempirics of institutional change in the retail and in the wholesale payments systems – policy initiatives and new technologies in the payments systemimplications of institutional change in the payments system for monetary policy and the instruments available to central banks to cope with it.The result is an accessible overview of conceptual and methodological approaches to institutional change in payment systems, and a comprehensive and yet thorough assessment of its implications for monetary policy. The insights this timely book provides will be invaluable for researchers and practitioners in the field of monetary economics.

Trade Unions and Democracy explores the role of trade unions as products of, and agents for, democracy. As civil society agents, unions may promote democracy within the wider society, especially in the case of authoritarian regimes or other rigid political systems, by acting as watchdogs and protecting hard-won democratic gains.Established democratic institutions in many advanced societies are facing new challenges. The problem with using trade unions for this purpose is that they remain locked in a cycle of political marginalization and decline. Beyond this, there are, ironically, serious questions about whether unions themselves internally function as democracies. Certainly there are tensions between rank and file membership and an authoritarian leadership, with this infighting having possible effects on strategic deals or alliances and member accountability and actions. On the other hand, trade unions continue to represent a significant component of society within most industrialized countries, and in many case, they have a demonstrated capacity for working with other elements of civil society. Looking forward, trade unions may be able to play a vital role in channeling and focusing spontaneous popular upsurges. In the process, they may revitalize themselves through use of greater internal democracy and become geared toward more diverse constituencies. The question is, will they fulfill this promise or continue to suffer from internal breakups and external breakdowns? Can trade unions save themselves and democracy, or will both deteriorate in time?Trade Unions and Democracy brings together a distinguished panel of leading and emerging scholars in the field and provides a critical assessment of the current role of trade unions in society. It explores their capacity to affect political policies to ensure greater accountability and fairness. It also explores the nature of and extent to which internal representative democracy actually operates within trade unions themselves.Mark Harcourt is a professor in the Department of Strategic Management and Leadership at Waikato University in New Zealand.