Corporatism and social models in the Low Countries: In: Special Issue "Economic history in the Netherlands 1914-2014, J. van Gerwen, C. Seegers, M. van Tielhof and J.L. van Zanden (eds)

The historiography of 'corporatism' consists of three distinct strands, all of which are relevant to the Low Countries (the Netherlands and Belgium). The fi rst is the history of guilds, which is basically limited to the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. The second is the mostly confessional ideal of harmonious labour relations, in evidence during the second half of the nineteenth and fi rst half of the twentieth century. The third refers to a type of society in which capital and labour managed to reach compromises on the bigger issues of socio-economic policy, together with the organisation of society overall. This chapter explores the connections between these three historiographies in the Netherlands and Flanders, and suggests possibilities for further research.