Looks at industrial relations systems across 25 EU Member States and seven global economies: Australia, Brazil, China, India, Japan, South Africa and the US. It explores the most significant effects of globalisation, including labour market flexibilisation, increasing labour migration, the rise of atypical employment forms, as well as changes in work content and working conditions. Through an analysis of the various components of industrial relations systems (actors, processes, outcomes and impact), it tries to identify which type of social model may survive in terms of global competition.