Der Band präsentiert ausgewählte Beiträge der ersten beiden Konferenzen des internationalen Netzwerks „Regional and Local Development of Work and Labour" (RLDWL), das im September 1998 im Rahmen des World Congress of Industrial Relations in Bologna initiiert wurde. Seine erste und konstituierende internationale Konferenz fand, organisiert vom Institute for Labour Foundation (IpL), unter dem Titel „The Role of Intermediate Institutions for Social Stability and Democracy" im Oktober 1999 in Ravello statt. Die zweite Konferenz wurde vom Unitrabalho Network organisiert und fand im November 2000 unter dem Titel „Regional and Local Development of Work and Labour - The Role of Intermediate Institutions" in Rio de Janeiro statt. Inhalt: Gian Primo Cella: Introduction: Citizenship, Participation and Industrial Relations (27-38). I. Ravello: Franco Ianniello: The European Employment Strategy, Small Enterprises and the Role of Intermediate Institutions (41-49); Francesco Garibaldo: The Social Regulation of Work (50-73); Giovanni Guerisoli: Innovation, Competitiveness and Role of the Social Partners (74-79); Mario Sai: The Role of the Institutional and Social Partnership for Cohesion and Development: The Territorial Pacts in Italy (80-84). Employment and Development: Marco Vivarelli: Unemployment in the Current Economic Debate: The Role of Technology and Structural Change (86-108); Claudius H. Riegler: Employment in the „Green Sector" by New Strategies for Sustainable Development, Pluralisation of Professions and Economic Activities and Equal Training Chances for Both Sexes - Experiences from the Transnational Network Adapt-Arcadi@ (109-115). The Position of the Trade Unions and the Employers' Associations: Fabio Luiz Zamberlan / Carmen Perrotta: Planning Vocational Guidance Projects: A New Approach to Trade Union Actions in Brazil (118-150); Rainer Zoll: Social Peace by „Contained" Conflicts (151-160); Birger Viklund: Conflict and Mediation in Sweden (161-170). The Importance of Social Progress and Participation: Hubert Krieger: Participation: A Driving Force of Economic, Social and Democratic Development in Europe (172-194); Sidney Lianza: The Unitrabalho Network: An Experiment in Co-operation between Universities and the World of Labour (195-205). The Meaning of „Public Good" Today: Paolo Minguzzi: The Role of Intermediate Institutions: Towards „Economic Democracy"? The Example of Institutes concerned with Work and Labour (208-223); Mirella Baglioni: Public Policy, Territorial Agreements and Socio-Economic Regulation (224-233); Rainer Greca: The Role of Universities as Intermediate Institutions (237-258). II. Rio de Janeiro: Governance: Paul Teague: Deliberative Governance and EU Social Policy (262-283); Wolfgang Potratz: Reorganising Regional Development. Between Co-ordination and Benevolent Conspiracies (284-317); Carlien van Empel: The Local Economic Development Agency. An Intermediary Institution in Support to the Promotion of Decent Work at the Local Level (318-326); José Luis Gutiérrez Angulo / Maria Margarida S. Di Filippo / Rosa Maria Medeiros / Eduardo M. Ribeiro: Potentialities of the Rural Development with the Social Participation in the Municipal District of Araçuaí - Minas Gerais/Brazil (327-340). Labour Market: Anita Kon: Brazilian Sector and Occupational Segmentation according to Gender (342-358); Eskil Ekstedt: Pluralistic Integration - A Strategy for Renewal in Project Organised Activity (359-379); Paulo Gusmão: Unemployment, Economic Growth and Technological Innovation in Advanced Capitalist Countries: Views from the ILO and OECD (380-405); Lúcia M. B. Freire: Market and Global Competition Paradigms as Factors of Social De-structuring in Brazil at the Beginning of the New Millennium (406-421); Maria Nezilda Culti / Maria Clara Corrêa Tenório / Dieine Aparecida Cescon Chaves: Popular Cooperative Enterprises: A Process of (Re)Education (422-433). New Technologies: Francesco Garibaldo: SMEs, Cultural Industries and Globalisation: The Reason why Traditional and Idiosyncratic Local Features are Worthwhile Assets in a Globalised Economy (436-471); Bruce Herman: How „High Road" Partnerships Work (472-485); Ivan da Costa Marques: A New Look at an Old Devil: The Computer Market Reserve in Brazil (486-505). Social and Labour Rights: Marika Lerch: Protecting Human Rights or Markets? The Campaign for International Social Clauses (508-530). Sustainability: Dan Swinney: Building the Bridge to the High Road - Expanding Participation and Democracy in the Economy to Build Sustainable Communities (532-573); Alessandro de Oliveira Arantes / Georges Francisco Villela Zouein / Ligia Soares da Silva / Eduardo Magalhães Ribeiro: Local Sustainable Development: The Case of a Constructing Proposal (574-586). Conclusion: György Széll: Fifteen Challenges for a European Social Model (588-606); The International Network for Regional and Local Development of Work and Labour (RLDWL)(607-614).