At the beginning of the 1990's unemployment grew in all industrialized countries: the essays in this collection focus on the causes and cures of this worrying phenomenon. The volume starts by analysing the disparities in the different national experiences and then focusing on European unemployment. This is followed by more theoretical discussions using econometric models. The volume ends with policy recommendations.

Notes on the Contributors - PART 1: UNDERSTANDING DISPARITIES IN NATIONAL EXPERIENCE - Employment and Unemployment; J.Llewellyn - Explaining Disparities in Unemployment Dynamics; M.Karanassou & D.J.Snower - Structural Unemployment and Labour Policies; L.Frey - PART 2: UNDERSTANDING UNEMPLOYMENT IN EUROPE - Wage Distribution and Unemployment; J-P.Fitoussi & G.Zoega - German Reunification, Profit and Growth; L.Paganetto & P.L.Scandizzo - The Italian Crisis of the 1990s: European Convergence and Structural Adjustment; R.Bruenetta & L.Tronti - PART 3: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THE 1990S SLUMP - Some Reflections on the Political Economy of Unemployment; A.Alesina & G.D.Cohen - Coordination and Independence in Monetary and Fiscal Policies; W.D.Nordhaus - Rejection of the Common Funnel Theorem - R.Mundell - The Role of Legislation and Labour Policies in Explaining Structural Unemployment; C.Dell'Aringa PART 4: ECONOMETRIC MODELS - How to Decrease Unemployment; O.J.Blanchard - The Role of Transfers and Monetary Reform in the Current Economic Slowdown; B.C.Greenwald - Do the Main Structural Forces of the 1970s and 1980s Account for the 1990s Slump as Well; E.S.Phelps & G.Zoega - PART 5: STRUCTURAL VERSUS MONETARY FACTORS - The UK Labour Market: Micro Rigidities and Macro Obstructions; P.Minford & J.Riley - Conclusions; E.S.Phelps - PART 7: ROUND TABLE: POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM; R.A. Mundell, L.F.Sanglas, J-P.Fitoussi, J.Lleywellyn, G.M.Rey & P.Minford - Index