Introduction Clair Brown, Barry Eichengreen and Michael Reich; Part I. Political Economy and Labor Market Institutions: 1. Institutions and wages in post-World War II America Frank Levy and Peter Temin; 2. American exceptionalism and comparative political economy David Soskice; 3. Finance and labor: perspectives on risk, inequality, and democracy Sanford Jacoby; Part II. Institutions and Firm and Worker Behavior: 4. How good are U.S. jobs? Characteristics of job ladders across firms in five industries Clair Brown, Benjamin Campbell, Fredrik Andersson, Hyowook Chiang and Yooki Park; 5. Increasing labor flexibility in Japan: the role of female workers in manufacturing Yoshi-Fumi Nakata and Satoru Miyazaki; 6. Ties that matter: cultural norms and economic behavior in Western Europe Paola Giuliano; Part III. Contemporary Labor-Management Relations: 7. The new treaty of Detroit: are VEBAs labor's way forward? Teresa Ghilarducci; 8. Symphony musicians and symphony orchestras Robert J. Flanagan; 9. Wage effects of works councils and collective agreements in Germany Knut Gerlach and Wolfgang Meyer; 10. Apprentice strikes, pay structure and training in twentieth-century UK metalworking industry Paul Ryan; Part IV. Public Policy and U.S. Labor Market Structure: 11. Minimum wages in the U.S.: politics, economics and econometrics Michael Reich; 12. Understanding the causes and labor market consequences of the steep increase in U.S. incarceration rates Steven Raphael; 13. Local labor market adaptation to increased immigration David Card.