Germany is clearly the dominant economic force in Europe. It occupies the pivotal position of being at the centre of both the EC and of attempts to rebuild the economies of East Central Europe. "The German Economy" traces German economic policy and growth from 1945 to the present. These include: the German economy in perspective; the regional dimension; fiscal policy; monetary policy; social policy; the labour market; banking and finance; and industry, trade and economic policy. In "The German Economy", Eric Owen Smith has produced a comprehensive account of contemporary German economy. Smith has also published "Trade Unions in the Developed Economies" (Croom Helm, 1981), and "The West German Economy" (Croom Helm, 1983), and edited, with Frick and Griffiths, "Third Party Involvement in Industrial Disputes: A Comparative Study of West Germany and Britain" (Avebury Press, 1988).

Originally published in 1981, Trade Unions in the Developed Economies is a collection of studies on the growth, structure and policies of trade unions in 7 developed economies. The early growth of trade unions has been summarised so that a post-Second World War analysis could be undertaken. The section on growth contains an examination of the extent to which conflict between the parties has either increased or decreased. All developments are viewed against a backcloth of general economic developments and the statistical data deal with trends rather than particular developments at any one point. The section on structure analyses how changes in the structure of the labour force have been reflected by changes in the structure of trade unions. Inter-union relations are examined in this and other contexts. The policy section examines the main bargaining issues and the methods employed to achieve these goals.