Abstract

The aim of the paper is to produce a both theoretical and empirical analysis on the existence and nature of a causal link between industrial relations systems and national employment performances, considering the Italian case in a comparative perspective. In Section 1 we first discuss the recent literature, with a particular attention to the methodological and measurement problems, and than we present a model for highlighting the possible complex nature of the relationship between industrial relations systems and national employment performances. In Section 2 the characteristics and changes of the Italian industrial relations system and employment performance are analysed, considering the variables of the model and using a comparative approach. In Section 3 we show that the Italian case and some evidences form other countries confirm the probable "asymmetric" nature of the relationship: (1) the existence of a "good" industrial relations system is a necessary but not sufficient condition for a high (er) national employment performance, due to the possible dominant effect of the negative exogenous factors, while (2) the presence of a "bad" industrial relations system is a sufficient (but not necessary) condition for a low(er) national employment performance.