Globalisation, Regulation, Urbanisation: The Case of the Netherlands

Abstract

This paper traces some of the linkages between globalisation and social regulation via the example of the Netherlands. The paper is in four main sections. The first section considers recent debates on globalisation through an attempt to identify key economic processes. The second section considers the main objections that have been made to the globalisation thesis, and especially its lack of attention to matters of social regulation. The third section considers the way in which the Dutch economy has been able to become comparatively successful through a judicious blend of globalisation and social regulation. The final section of the paper then considers the special role of the Randstad in promoting this concordat.