This edited volume explores the change in China from a command economy to a more market-led one, looking at the demise of the so-called 'iron rice bowl' policy to one now characterized by more globalized HRM practices with 'Chinese characteristics'.

This edited volume first considers the economic background of the recent changes in HRM in the People's Republic of China from 1978 to the present day, exploring the change from a command economy to a more market-led one. It then goes on to look at the demise of so-called 'iron rice bowl' policy once dominated by a Soviet-inspired Personnel Management model to one now characterized by possibly Japanese, as well as Western-influenced HRM, albeit with what are widely described as 'Chinese characteristics'. Finally, it concludes with a comparative analysis of the contributions in the book on China vis-a-vis an appraisal of these with the national HRM systems of Japan and South Korea. This volume was previously published as a special issue of the International Journal of Human Resource Management.