The underlying argument of this book is that societies which organize work differently from practices in the US and the UK (German, Japan, Scandinavia, and East Asia) have something to teach us about how talents can be better deployed to promote social harmony and economic competitiveness. This book offers a significant contribution to an increasingly important subject of study. The essays in this book are uniformly well written, well researched and of high quality, reflecting the work of authors who are without exception well-respected experts in their various areas of concentration. Jacoby and colleagues are to be commended for a first-rate book in a new area of research , a book that deserves to be widely read (and used for teaching) by those interested in the place of labor in the new global economy, - Lower Turner. Cornell University.