[PEN-L:1799] Comparative capitalisms

["Hugo Radice" <HKR@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

A propos the discussion of Aglietta, I am at present preparing a
new senior honours course on 'Comparative Industrial Policy and
Performance' for next semester (yes, we have adopted the US model in
this as in so much else!).

The course follows an Autumn semester one on industrial policy &
performance in the UK.  The idea is to compare other capitalist
societies' institutions and policies and seek to relate these
differences to differences in long-term industrial performance.
We'll be comparing three broad areas of institutions & policies:  the
organisation of capital (banking system, corporate governance,
ownership, management organisation);  the control of labour (labour
markets, industrial relations, work organisation); and the state
(industrial, trade, technology & competition policies, public enterprise,
education and training).  The main countries to be compared to the UK
bench-mark are USA, Japan and Germany - but others will I'm sure be
brought in, especially where topical (this week, France and South
Korea would come up for sure!).

I'm planning to use the debates over post-Fordism and over
globalisation as possible overarching frameworks, in particular for
addressing questions of convergence/divergence.

So: can anyone help me with student-friendly reading suggestions?
The class group is small (13), able to work under loose direction and
in groups, with seminars as the main mode of teaching/learning.  They
are not hot on economic theory or heavy-duty econometric stuff - they
are more into political economy, industrial relations and policy
studies.  I would be interested in suggestions for reading both on
individual countries, and comparative studies.  I have quite a bit on
Japan, less on the USA and least on Germany;  on the comparative
front, I have stuff by Hollingsworth et al (general), by Whitley et al (on
business systems), Nelson et al on innovation systems, among others.

I should add that this course is also feeding into a book I'm doing
on the UK, dealing with the impact on UK performance of high levels
of inward and outward FDI in industry and finance.

If pen-lers can send their suggestions PRIVATELY to me to avoid
cluttering the list, I will put it all together and make it available on
the list.

Hugo Radice
hkr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx