A comparative survey of unemplyment experiences of Argentina, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden. The ambiguity of unemployment in the criteria for evaluating the performance of policy-makers and three different cultures among unemployed are outlined. An overview of what is known about the consequences of unemployment in terms of excess iollness and mortality is given.

Conventional explanations of the sources of South Korean development by the World Bank and others are deeply flawed. Korea's export-led growth is not a result of free markets and free trade. Rather, both government intervention and discrimination against women have played roles. South Korea's experience leaves in question whether export-oriented growth can contribute to gender equality.

The National Union of Teachers organised a discussion forum for Hungarian political scientists to find out what political role trade unions should play in the new situation. Under the government os Socialists and Libetals, unions have not been exposed to political attacks as before but austerity measures imposed upon the society by multilateral financial organisations have posed questions that cannot easily be answered. 

A most interesting debate around the theoretical questions of labour organisation was carried out by Stephen Margin and David Landes. The arguments revolved around the question whether the factory system emerged because of technological necessity or becaue of the hierarchical relations favoured by capitalists. Based on the comparison of the two articles, the author draws some topical conclusions as well.