This paper engages in a novel comparison of differences in the perceived quality of high and low-paid jobs across six European labour markets. Utilizing data from six waves (1996-2001) of the European Community Household Panel (ECHP), and after correcting for the selectivity problem that is prevalent in the study of the effect of low pay status on job satisfaction, it is shown that, other things equal, low-paid employees are significantly less satisfied with their jobs compared to those who are high-paid in Greece, Spain, and Finland. In contrast, there appears to be an insignificant difference in the satisfaction of high and low wage workers in the United Kingdom, France and Denmark. The empirical evidence therefore suggests that low-paid jobs in the EU are not universally of low quality, though in some countries low wage workers have experienced the full brunt of both lower paid and bad quality jobs. For these countries policies that centre on the quality of jobs would be of equal importance to those that focus on the level of pay. A homogeneous policy of removing low wage employment through regulation, however, would not necessarily lead to improvement in the welfare of low-paid citizens across all European economies.
This paper develops a theoretical analysis of training regimes as outcomes of a complementarity between organizational and institutional factors that determine firms' and workers' incentives as regards skills. Specifically, the paper proposes that, on the one hand, knowledge embeddedness within firms is the determinant of firms' preferences concerning training, while, on the other, labor market institutionalization provides the framework for workers' preferences. Applying a criterion of coherence between firm and worker incentives, two stable configurations are singled out. The former is shown to correspond to the Japanese model of training, while the latter conforms more to the German experience.
Over the issue of the difference or otherwise between economically active children and home-care children, there are two competing claims by researchers. One holds that economically active children and home- care children are the same in that both groups of children have identical determinants, while the other contradicts this view. Using the probit analysis for both groups of children in Pakistan, our study compares the determinants of the two groups to check whether they have same determining factors and ultimately are the same or they differ with each other in this matter. It is found that a significant number of explanatory variables have shown opposite effect on economic activity of children and home-care activity of children. So it is concluded that economically active children and home-care children are two different groups which cannot be merged into each other. However, policies focused on elimination of economically active children trickle down the effect to home-care children as some determining factors of both groups are the same.
In the absence of any official measures of old age poverty, this paper uses National Sample Survey household-level data to investigate the extent and nature of living standards and incidence of poverty among elderly in sixteen major states in India. We construct both individual and household-level poverty indices for the elderly and examine the sensitivity of these poverty indices to different equivalence scales and size economies in consumption. In general, these adjusted estimates indicate that households with elderly members have lower incidence of poverty in all of the states, albeit to different degrees. Part of the explanation appears to be related to differences in dependency ratios in households with and without elderly, where a significant percentage of elderly, especially men, continue to work well past the age of sixty. The favourable effect of the presence of elderly on household living standards and incidence of poverty is however weakened once we control for dependency ratio, among other things, with significant inter-state variation noted in our sample.
This paper examines human capital gap between titular ethnicities and Russianspeaking minorities, which has emerged in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania during the transition and remains significant after controlling for parental education. For recent cohorts, unexplained gap is declining in Lithuania (despite absence of Russian language tertiary education) and in Estonia. Furthermore, we investigate intergenerational mobility in the Baltic countries. Parental education has a strong positive effect on propensity to obtain tertiary education, both in Soviet era and in post-Soviet period. Transition to the market has weakened mother’s education effect for titular ethnicities, while the opposite is true for minorities.
Research on time and financial transfers is often conducted along two distinct lines—transfers within the family and transfers beyond the family—without considering the fact that the two types of transfers are actually interrelated. Using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this article investigates the links between the time and financial transfers within and beyond the family. The concepts of within and beyond the family transfers are discussed. Several data quality problems with the transfer measures in the HRS are corrected. Focusing on the interrelationships among the four types of transfers, the study finds that the transfers within and beyond the family are complements in the sense that households that are more willing to make within-family transfers are also more willing to make beyond-family transfers, and vice versa. Income and wealth are strong predictors of financial transfers. Black and Hispanic households lag systematically in the generosity to help the people both within and beyond their families.
We develop a theoretical model of mating behavior and parental investment in children under asymmetry in kin recognition between men and women that provides a microfoundation for the institution of marriage. In the model, men and women derive utility from consumption and reproductive success, which is a function of the number and quality of own offspring. Because of paternal uncertainty, men unlike women may err in investing resources in offspring that is not biologically theirs. As a socially sanctioned commitment device among partners, the institution of marriage reduces this risk by restraining promiscuity in society. Both women and men are shown to benefit from lower levels of paternal uncertainty, as does average child quality because of increased parental investments. As an analytical framework, the model is suitable to study a number of societal, economic, and technological changes in their effects on marriage patterns. A combination of factors is argued to underlie the demise of marriage.
This article evaluates the fertility impact of family planning program by using prevalence model in Iran. Prevalence model, which introduced by John Bongaarts, estimates potential fertility and the number of births averted by program and non-program sources by using population and acceptor based data. The difference between potential fertility and observed fertility is related to contraception. The greater the differences between potential and observed fertility, the higher the impact of family planning program on fertility. The study uses the Base Line Survey-2001 (BLS-2001) data, collected by Statistical Center of Iran (SCI) and UNFPA-Iran in selected districts of Bushehr (Bushehr and Kangan Districts), Golestan (Gonbadkavoos and Minoodasht Districts), Kurdistan (Marivan and Divandareh Districts), Sistan & Bluchestan (Zahedan and Zabol Districts) and Tehran provinces (Islamshahr District). The results of the study indicate that Marivan and Zahedan districts had the high and low reduction rates in TFR and CBR, respectively. The findings also, show that the high reduction in ASFR belongs to age groups 30-34 in Marivan, 35-39 in Islamshahr, Gonbadkavoos and Bushehr, 40-44 in Zabol, Divandareh and Kangan districts and 45-49 in Zahedan and Minoodasht districts. In terms of each method contributions in reducing fertility, results show that the highest contribution of program contraceptives in preventing births in different districts are female sterilization in Bushehr, Divandareh and Islamshahr, and pill in other districts.
This paper sheds light on the determinants of choice between four co- parenting arrangements: father absence, father’s non-residential visitations, cohabitation, and marriage. In our theoretical framework, we use an adaptation of Becker’s Demand & Supply (DS (2) fathers who have more children with other women are less likely to have contact with a given woman’s children, but this discouraging effect of men’s other children is smaller for blacks than for whites; and (3) employment in the last year reduces the likelihood that a white mother is married to her child’s father, while increasing that likelihood among black mothers.
As criancas fazem parte da vida economica das sociedades. A evidencia historica mostra que o contributo das criancas para o rendimento das familias e consistentemente significativo. O trabalho infantil e, ainda nos dias de hoje, um fenomeno expressivo, quer nas sociedades menos desenvolvidas, quer nas mais desenvolvidas. Este estudo analisa os factores determinantes na decisao das familias, relativamente a afectacao do tempo das criancas entre a escola; a escola e o trabalho, o trabalho ou o lazer. O modelo logit multinomial e o modelo utilizado para identificar as caracteristicas pessoais, familiares, locais e sazonais que influenciam a decisao das familias Ukranianas. Os resultados mostram que todos estes factores sao considerados pelas familias nas suas decisoes. Assim, politicas que promovam o desenvolvimento economico, a reducao do agregado familiar e alternativas a escola no terceiro trimestre, podem contribuir significativamente para a reducao do trabalho infantil na Ukrania
Based on a model of two-stage life cycle, this paper investigates and measures intergerational relationships in lifetime earnings. Using data from PSID, I have found that the lifetime earnings transmission equation is non-linear. The elasticity of a son's lifetime earnings with respect to his father's, which may be loosely regarded as the inverse of intergenerational earnings mobility, is not constant across families. Specifically the relationship between the elasticity and the father's log lifetime earnings is of an inverted U- shape: the elasticity is relatively small at both ends of the spectrum, with the maximum in the middle.
The social science literature has done much to document pervasive racial discrimination in Brazil and there is little doubt that a very dark color is a handicap to social advancement. Nevertheless, very few empirical economic studies have attempted to quantify the impact of ethnic discrimination in Brazil. Using data culled from the Pesquisa National por Amostra de Domicilios (PNAD), this paper fills this void by analysing ethnic wage and employment gaps, as well as sectoral segregation in Brazil, using the Oaxaca decomposition methodology. In addition, we use a quantile regression approach to see whether the inter-ethnic wage gap is heterogeneous over the conditional wage distribution
LISTE EINIGER WICHTIGER ABKURZUNGEN 4 ZUM GELEIT 6 EINFUHRUNG UND PROBLEMAUFRISS - INTERNATIONALE SOZIALPOLITIK BEDEUTET FORDERUNG DER KONVERGENZ DER LEBENSBEDINGUNGEN 7 TEIL A: SOZIALRECHT UND SOZIALPOLITIK DER EU 14 1) ENTWICKLUNGSLINIEN UND GRUNDPRINZIPIEN DER EUROPAISCHEN SOZIALPOLITIK 14 2) ORGANE, VERFAHREN UND AUSSCHUSSE DER EUROPAISCHEN UNION 35 3)VERBRAUCHERINNENSCHUTZ IN EUROPA 101 4) SOZIALE SICHERHEIT IM GEEINTEN EUROPA 105 5) DIE ERWEITERUNG DER EUROPAISCHEN UNION 111 TEIL B: SOZIALRECHT UND SOZIALPOLITIK INTERNATIONALER ORGANISATIONEN 131 6) DIE SOZIALCHARTA DES EUROPARATES 131 7) DIE SOZIALPOLITIK DER UNO 147 8) DIE SOZIALPOLITIK DER ILO 158 9) SOZIALPOLITISCHE ASPEKTE DER TATIGKEIT ANDERER INTERNATIONALER ORGANISATIONEN 164 TEIL C: WIEDERHOLUNG UND VERTIEFUNG - DIE WICHTIGSTEN BEGRIFFE DER EUROPAISCHEN UNION 177 WIEDERHOLUNGS – UND VERTIEFUNGSTEXT: SOZIALPOLITIK DER EU 234 GLOSSAR DES EURO-JARGONS UND DER WICHTIGSTEN EU-BEGRIFFE 242 TEIL D: SOZIALPOLITIK IM DERZEIT GELTENDEN PRIMARRECHT DER UNION 249 SOZIALPOLITIK, ALLGEMEINE UND BERUFLICHE BILDUNG UND JUGEND 253 ZUM AUTOR DES SKRIPTUMS 261
This paper provides an assessment of employment and working conditions in Latvia before and immediately after the EU accession. The issues addressed include self-employment, multiple jobs, fixed-term contracts, unreported wages, overtime, unsocial working hours, health and safety at work, social dialogue. The study combines different methods: statistical and econometric analysis of recent Labour Force Surveys and enterprise surveys (Earning Structure Survey and Survey of Occupations); firm level case studies; interviews with experts. Findings indicate that despite recent improvements in legal and institutional environment, as well as some progress in working conditions, significant proportions of workers are exposed to serious risks; health and safety conditions are slow to improve (several bottlenecks are identified). 15 percent of employees in 2003 were usually working 50 or more hours per week, and often this overtime was involuntary and/or unpaid. The analysis suggest that, other things equal, unpaid overtime is more likely to be found in small firms, for temporary workers, for workers with short tenure. Presence of a trade union improves workers’ prospect to be paid for eventual overtime work.
Amid the dynamics of the labour market in the 1990's, two growth areas stand out: self-employment (when analyzed by class of worker) and knowledge industries (when analyzed by sector). In this paper, we combine these two perspectives to explore self-employment in the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services Industry (NAICS group 5400 -- roughly equivalent to the Business Services Sector of SIC). Using data from the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics, we examine our target population against two control groups: paid workers in the industry, and self-employed in other service industries. The main measure used is median earnings, along with interquartile ranges to describe the earnings distribution. For the study, earnings are defined as being the sum of wages and salaries, non-farm self-employment income, and an adjustment for dividends drawn by self-employed persons with an incorporated business. Using this framework, the article explores the following topics: occupation (including differences between those with and without paid help/supervisory responsibilities), education and experience, demographics (sex, age, immigration, family), residence (region, province), hours of work (including full-time/part-time), moonlighting (multiple job holders, and stratum jumpers), job change and stability (business start-ups and deaths), work at home, and stress/health issues. Additional search terms: • labour and income (employees, employers, employment, labour force characteristics, demographics, class of worker, salaries and wages, dividends, entrepreneur, knowledge worker, human capital, skills) • business (professional services, legal services, accounting, management, advertising, business consulting, architecture, engineering, surveying and mapping, design, scientific research and development, scientific and technical consulting, business start-ups, business failures, service sector, services sector)
This communication reports on a work-in-progress project involving managers of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) located in four Italian Regions: one of them is a historically less advantaged location. The research attempts to explore needs of training and education of managers and executives in the framework of a new approach to lifelong learning established by the Social Partners. Based on mail surveys and face to face interviews the research try to identify the knowledge and skills that are necessary for effective management in the current business environment. A practical and extensive test on the use of e-learning technologies was also performed.
The first of May 2004 marked an important date in the history of Europe as a political, geographic, and social entity. After years of negotiations, ten European countries joined the European Union, bringing in their potential and expectations, adding a total population of 75 million people and a territory of 738,000 square kilometres: Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Malta, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The EU will continue its enlargement under the Luxembourg Presidency. The membership treaty with Bulgaria and Romania will be finalised with a view to signature in 25 April 2005, in order to join the EU by 2007. Once it has been signed, this will mark the end of the current accession cycle. Membership negotiations with Croatia should commence on 17 March 2005. In mid-December 2004 EU leaders endorsed eventual Turkish entry into the EU, but said that there could be permanent restrictions on freedom of movement for Turkish workers; earlier, the EU Parliament voted 407-262 in favour of Turkey's entry. Romania feels and acts like a European country. You will rather notice a European flag in Bucharest than in London, for example. Romania is not only a country who makes effort to join the European family, by introducing the necessary legal provisions in the national legislation, but it is already part of one, whole Europe, ruled by law, an area of Freedom, Security and Justice. Romania fights against immigration flows targeting Western Countries and guards the external border of European Union. In the same time, Romanians are spread all over Europe, living there alike other Europeans. Until the European Union Member States will decide that Romania truly deserves to join the family, Romanians have to prove that they do not only feel and act as Europeans, but they truly are Europeans
This paper investigates the efficiency implications of two kinds of worker protection, namely job security and income protection. Both of them have important aggregate efficiency effects in the dynamic labour markets, where worker mobility is costly. In the absence of firing costs, income security has ambiguous effect on production efficiency. If mobility costs are very high, dynamic costs associated to reallocation outweighs a gain from static efficiency as more jobs are created into high productivity sector, but need to reallocated always when the sector is hit by a negative productivity shock. On the contrary, if mobility costs are low a static efficiency outweighs a dynamic costs associated to reallocation. Employment protection is also more costly in terms of productive efficiency, more it involves wasted administrative and red- tape costs for the firms.
