This important book plays a vital role in bridging the gap between labour economics, law and economics and the legal profession. Beginning with a general overview of the relationship between labour law and economic theory, it then goes on to examine specific areas within the field of law and economics including: the new law and economic theories on contract formation, with a case study from the Dutch system penalty default rules as applied to Israeli labour law dismissal regulation in the UK and US from a comparative perspective overtime hours in the US and severance pay in Germany the European Works Council an historical and economic analysis of the German co-determined corporation.

Reducing labour market inequality between women and men has been a policy objective at both the European level and the level of the Member States of the European Union for quite some time. Various regulations and laws forbid unequal treatment, including measures to advance women's position in the labour market. Nevertheless, women's pay is still substantially lower than men's, they often hold inferior jobs and perform most of the care tasks in society. This volume discusses the central issues in today's policy and the debate on this issue by economic, legal and sociological experts. The focus is on EU law and the necessary redistribution of paid and unpaid labour between women and men. The central question throughout the discussion is to what extent current regulations either favour or hinder the realization of the goal of labour market equality between women and men.