bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Occupational Structure and Employment. An International and Interregional Comparison
Authors: Schenkel Marina 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT: This paper attempts to describe past experience on the occupational structure and employment in order to better understand what has happened both in major developed countries and in different parts of Italy over the last 20 years. After a brief resumi of other studies on this subject, the occupational structure of the major OECD countries and of the Italian province is examined.The results of a discriminant analysis carried out indicate that the polarization theory can be considered valid only for industry, but not for the entire economy. Some traditional occupations result as having a positive link with employment development, whereas high‐tech occupations are not significant, or have a negative sign.
The Process of Job Creation and Job Destruction in the Italian Economy
Authors: Contini Bruno , Revelli Riccardo 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT: Longitudinal analysis of labour flows provides a number of important indications on the characteristics of job creation and job destruction in the Italian economy, and on the role played by small firms in this process. The main indications may be summarized as follows:1)the ratio of total separations to total work‐force is remarkably high, and almost completely independent of the business cycle: one out of four workers leaves his/her position each year in the economy at large. In the small firms sector alone turnover is much higher, with total separations almost approaching 50|X% of employment;2)as the economy takes a downturn, it is mainly the number of jobs created through expansion of existing firms that follows this cycle, while separations remain roughly constant;3)the proportion of jobs created via the establishment of new firms is modest compared to that attributable to the expansion of existing plants (16.0‐14.491)). Likewise, the proportion of job losses due to closures visi vis employment shedding by contracting firms, is of the same order of magnitude;4)job creation and destruction is very high in the small firm sector. Employment in firms of dimension (0‐19) is 25.8 % of total employment at the beginning of the observation period (1978) and reaches 28% at its end (1984). Yet the proportion of job creation attributable to small firms is approximately 60% of the new positions due to expansion of existing firms in manufacturing, and 68% in the services. The fraction of jobs destroyed by small firms is somewhat lower: about 46% in manufacturing and 59% in the services;5)he small firms contribution to net job creation appears even more remarkable both in the aggregate, as well as within all sectors of economic activity and geographical areas.In 1978‐80 net employment change in manufacturing is 106,000 units per year; correspondingly net job creation by firms (0‐19) is alone 222,000. In the services the proportion between net employment change and the share of the small firms is 1:3.In 1981‐83, while in manufacturing over 213,000 jobs are destroyed on average each year, net creation by small firms is still positive (+ 48,000); in the services the overall change is very small (+ 3,000), while the net contribution of small firms is + 53,000.
Insolvency Proceedings and Workers’Rights: the Italian Case
Authors: Biagi Marco 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT: In this paper the author analyses different types of insolvency proceedings in the context of the Italian legal system, focusing on the possible effects of bankruptcy law on employment relationships. The concept of‘privileged workers’claims is discussed, taking into account their rank of preference as stated by statutory law and according to the interpretations offered by jurisprudence.One section is expressly devoted to the recent legislation providing a Guarantee Fund for severance allowance claims in case of insolvency, but also in the event of mere nonpayment by the employer. After having covered the concept of 'super‐privileged claims', the paper discusses more widely possible forms of protecting workers in a situation of company crisis and links between social legislation on the one hand, and bankruptcy law on the other.Finally, the author emphasizes the more effective protection now offered by the Italian legal system to workers’claims, although the trade unions have considerable difficulty in keeping the workforce united when insolvency proceedings are opened.
Longitudinal Analysis of Employment and Unemployment Based on Matched Rotation Samples
Authors: Mehran Farhad 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT:The purpose of this paper is to provide methodology to fit longitudinal data on employment and unemployment generated by the rotation sampling schemes of national labour force surveys. The proposed methodology, referred to as infinite‐lag Markov models, is a generalisation of autoregressive Markov models developed for application in stochastic reservoir theory (Pegram 1980, Raftery 1985). Infinite‐lag Markov chains have infinite memory and, therefore, can usefully serve to model labour supply behaviour taking into account, in principle, the complete past work experience of individuals, and not just the most recent past or the most recent spell.After a brief review of the rotation sampling schemes of 20 national labour force surveys, the different types of longitudinal sequences that can be obtained from the rotation schemes are examined. A review of various models proposed in the literature for analysing longitudinal data on employment and unemployment, expressed under simplified assumptions and in discrete forms, set the stage for the formulation of the proposed infinite‐lag Markov model. The method is illustrated using matched longitudinal data derived from the US Current Population Survey.
Regional Differentials in Unemployment Rates: The Economic Causes
Authors: Caroleo Floro E. 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. Recent studies on the causes that bring about the increase in unemployment rates of the Mezzogiorno area and Italy are mainly based upon demographic and social causes. The aim of this study is to verify if they can be also influenced by economic factors. Through a dynamic model with partial adaptive hypothesis, some ways by which demand affects the differences of regional unemployment rates has been tested. In this respect it has been considered whether variations in economic activity can lead to different growth rates of regional production owing to the different industrial structures; whether the employers are influenced by local factors in varying the occupation when the production increases, and finally in which way the regional unemployment rate depends on the excess of desired, over effective, labour demand.Data base are from 1959 to 1976, and the unemployment rate is referred only to unemployed workers that is the better proxy of the unemployment connected with the economic cycle. The results show a slight reactiveness to demand, both in industrial labour demand and supply in the Mezzogiorno.
An International Comparative Study on Job Mobility
Authors: van Ours Jan 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. Job mobility refers to the movement of people between jobs with different employers. It is an important means of adjustment in the labour market because it facilitates structural changes in the economy. This paper presents the results of a comparative study on job mobility in 6 countries: France, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom and the USA.Some of these countries use both labour force surveys and establishment surveys to gather information on job mobility, while other countries only use one of them. The paper uses information from both types of survey held in the seventies and the eighties and describes the developments and the structure of job mobility in the 6 countries. An empirical cross‐country analysis shows that job mobility is positively correlated with the growth of employment and negatively correlated with the unemployment rate. There appear to be hardly any structural differences in job mobility between the USA, Sweden, France and the UK. Job mobility in the Netherlands is structurally lower than in the other countries, while job mobility in Japan is structurally lower than in the Netherlands.
Labour Costs and Employment in the Service Economy
Authors: Giannelli Gianna C. , Esping‐Andersen Gosta 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. In this paper we analyse the direct relationship between the cost of labour and employment in diverse service industries. In contrast to most existing studies, we assume that the tertiary sector is highly differentiated h terms of reactions to both supply and demand factors.The study suggests that we must reasses the relevance of demand factors, but it also confirms that the real cost of labour is a crucial determinant of certain kinds of service employment. Country comparisons have made US sensitive to the fact that the relationship between employment and the cost of labour is far from being globally similar. Each country exhibits behaviour in line with the peculiarities of its labour market.
Unemployment and the Composition of Labour Slack: An International Comparison
Authors: de Neubourg Chris 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe present statistical apparatus allows us to construct a single indicator of the degree of non‐utilisation of labour resources that mitigates the shortcomings of the traditional unemployment rate. This paper defines a method to measure aggregate labour slack, and applies it to post‐1973 data for four countries: Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden and the U.S.A. The estimates take into account non‐utilised labour resources due to unemployment, to changes in the number of hours actually worked and to changes in registered labour force participation. Since changes in and the manipulation of working time schedules on the one hand, and of labour supply on the other, have become more frequent over the last few decades, it is highly relevant to investigate international and intertemporal differences in the non‐utilisation of labour resources by means of a ratio that accounts for these changes. Unemployment is ill‐suited for this purpose, and therefore a labour slack estimate is constructed, which takes working time developments and changes in labour force participation into consideration. The estimate is cyclically more sensitive and more internationally comparable than the traditional unemployment rate.
A Structural Approach to the European Labour Market
Authors: Tronti Leonello , Turatto Renzo 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe structure of the European labour market is highly differentiated by geo‐graphical area. If the 1992 integration is likely to induce short‐medium term adjustment effects on employment, these will mostly affect regional labour markets. Negative adjustments will follow different distribution patterns, probably exacerbating current regional disequilibria. On the other hand, still little known are the geographical features of the European economic, social and production structures. Although many studies have recently concentrated on the analysis of local labour markets, few of them have addressed the issue of Community regions.Through multivariate and cluster analyses of structural data on regional labour markets, the paper offers a confirmation of the explanatory power of local market analysis, as applied to the European area. The structural features of each elementary area are captured by three factors only that allow the construction of a coherent classification of EEC regions in four major clusters. This classification is used to identify the “weak areas” that, after a reconsideration in unified terms of European cooperation policies, should be the object of new development interventions.
Labour Economics: History and Theory
Authors: Brunetta Renato 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. In recent years, labour economics has been the area of study of most interest to economists, both from the theoretical and practical perspectives. The new field of labour microeconomics and the resultant new approaches that have arisen are a fundamental part of what has recently been called ‘microeconomic foundations’. Despite the newness of this topic, recent developments are in fact the result of phenomena recognized throughout the history of economic thought.This paper begins by analyzing the historical and theoretical origins of labour economics, and provides an overview of labour economics theory during the 1960s. 1970s and 1980s. It goes on to examine the relation between the labour market and technological innovation, and labour policy measures at the microeconomic and macroeconomic levels. Finally, it underscores the need for a theoretical construct that sets Keynesian and neoclassical explanations of unemployment in the same framework as demographic, social, institutional, time and economic factors.
Employment Protection and Labour Market Segmentation: the Fiftieth Anniversary of the “Cassa Integrazione Guadagni”
Authors: Tronti Leonello 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. This paper analyzes the evolution of the Cassa integrazione guadagni (CIG), according to 7 different theoretical models, which offer a classification for the different cases of application that have developed since its introduction, as well as for the many policy targets pursued by the Public Authorities.Then an assessment of the economic role of CIG is attempted, divided into three separate sections. The first is aimed at evaluating the economic long‐term effect on macro performance, where the crucial balance is between a “crowding‐out effect” on private investment and a “profit‐maintenance effect” by lowering the effective wage rate. The second section approaches the employment consequences of the CIG by examining a second crucial balance: that between the protection granted to the employed and the obstacles raised for the employment of the non‐employed (above all, freezing workers' turnover). This issue is tackled too in terms of the insider‐outsider theory, showing the possible relevance of CIG in segmenting the labour market and keeping the wage rate dynamics.Finally the paper briefly examines the profound revision of the CIG recently approved by the Italian Parliament, aimed at avoiding excessive costs while enhancing labour mobility.
Appendix. Incomes Policies in Europe during the Eighties
Authors: Cucchiarelli Alberto 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. Moving off from the lessons of the Italian incomes policy experience of the 1980s, this paper presents a new framework to interpret the performance of incomes policy (LP) agreements and institutions, and propose new strategies for the 1990s. IP is viewed as a cooperative outcome that evolves from a non‐cooperative long‐term game between several players (workers, unions, firms, government, parliament, etc.), along the lines of the model drawn up by Brunetta and Carraro (1988).The paper is divided into three sections. The first summarizes the history of IP in Italy, starting from the phase of the predetermination of disinflation (1983‐84). We firstly outline some of the fundamental features of recent Italian development (the “Italian model”), noting how new IP measures could be taken to create an adequate response to the new European and international deadlines. The difficulties and uncertainties that presently exist at both national and international level make the introduction of IP in new, cooperative and evolutive terms, necessary.The second section examines the various topics and new objectives of a “strategic” IP resumption, particularly relevant to the concerted action on the cost of labour, presently being discussed. The topics we consider are: the link between wage reform and IP; the recent concerted agreements reached on fiscal drag (26.1.89) and on the cost of labour (25.1 and 6.7.90); the importance of the role of productivity gain‐sharing; programmed inflation and price control; indexation of gross wages and safeguarding the net wage; increase of the tax base; profit‐sharing.The third and final section presents a few observations which further investigate the distribution of productivity gains between sectors and uses: how it is articulated amongst the various bargaining levels (central, sectoral or enterprise). Redistribution amongst sectors is dealt with in terms of “protected” and “unprotected” areas of the economy, showing the need of a concerted regulation at the central level. Sharing between factors and allocations presents a very different case, and is dealt with at sectoral and firm level.
Potential for Flexibility in EC Countries
Authors: Konle‐Seidl Regina , Walwei Ulrich 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. There are two economic reasons for supporting the Internal Market Programme of the EC by social policies: the fust argument refers to welfare theory, the second to policies of distribution. First, it could be possible that an economic integration without social completion will lead to welfare losses. Therefore, it could be necessary to correct market forces or to support them respectively because, due to market imperfections, they do not provide the best possible use of productive facilities. Second, it cannot be excluded that level and structure of social provisions will not be accepted because of superior aspects of policies of distribution. Market results could miss the aim of adjusting life and working conditions within the EC and developing them further. These two arguments mentioned above should be followed up in the discussion of the pros and cons of a harmonization of social systems in the EC.For the purposes of this paper these. rather fundamental considerations are applied to the following concrete items: dismissal protection, non‐standard forms of employment, and working hours. These regulations influence numerical flexibility of enterprises, i.e. the possibilities of quantitative adjustments in staff use. The steadily growing competition in Europe will also increase the importance of flexibility potentials of enterprises in the different countries as a relevant factor for enterprise location. Extensive flexibility restrictions could prove to be competitive disadvantage in view of countries with more possibilities of flexibilization.Therefore, after the comparison of flexibility potentials in the EC‐countries the implications for European laws (key‐word: Social Charter) are to be discussed.
Improving Migration Statistics: Policy and Conceptual Issues
Authors: Garonna Paolo 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. The availability and international comparability of migration statistics pose a severe handicap to analysis and policy debate. This paper explores a few of the underlying policy and conceptual issues at stake and identifies some of the institutional factors contributing to the slow and uncertain in progress in this field.Three main issues are discussed: the statistical definitions of migration; the administrative sources of data; and the international initiatives to improve the comparability of statistics.At the beginning of the 1990s the context appears promising for a renewed effort of national and international organizations and statistical agencies. New opportunities and challenges for the improvement of migration statistics are being developed.
Labour Mobility in Europe as a Result of Changes in Central and Eastern Europe*
Authors: Samorodov Alexander 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. International migration of labour has become a burning issue and is on the lips of politicians, social scientists, employers and workers. It has has become a global issue, with national borders becoming less important due to process of economic integration.The issue is very complicated since many factors are involved: unemployment, the stand of trade unions and national movements often opposing more liberal immigration rules, non‐adherence of countries to international norms, in particular ILO labour standards. However, there are also gains for both labour‐exporting and labour‐importing countries.The article tries to trace the history of international norms concerning international migration of labour, as well as to touch upon hard facts accompanying such migration. It is difficult to collect these in a systematic manner, given the dearth of information on the subject, due to its sensitivity. However, the paper provides a variety of contro‐versial information which is from the press rather than from official data, and therefore difficult to verify. It is a subject on which considerable prejudice clouds rational debate.
Are we going towards a society of “activity” or “work”?*
Authors: Accornero Aris 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. The aim of the article is to discuss the perspective of a decline in dependent work ‐ which Dahrendorf and Braverman had argued was coming ‐ either due to an emerging society of “activities” or a process of work “degradation”. Why did such a scenario not prove to be realistic?The author shows from which concepts such a downgrading stems and points out the responsibility of approaches that do not see work as a social activity and see technology as a deus ex machina. As a matter of fact, the western world is not experiencing a dissolution but, rather, a persistent (if not growing) importance of work.The author sketches the great technical and organizational transformation in the ongoing production patterns and work schemes in contemporary society. He maintains that these processes, decreasing the homogeneity and increasing the heterogeneity of work, make a society of “works” more likely than one of “activities”.
The Social Embeddedness of Labor Markets and Cognitive Processes
Authors: Piore Michael J. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractConventional economic theory explains labor market outcomes in terms of the interaction of autonomous individual actors who continually calculate the relative advantages of different possible actions they might take. But it has trouble explaining cooperation among individuals in these terms; and even individualistic behavior in this model is based upon a series of prior misunderstandings, or causal models, which the actors are simply assumed to possess. This paper utilizes cognitive theory to explore the nature of these prior understandings, how we got them and the way in which they are likely to be revised and updated through experience. This explanation suggests that economic behavior is much more dependent upon direct interaction among individuals than conventional theory implies and it makes trust and cooperation central to economic activity. But it raises serious questions about whether a dynamic economic system could ever be housed in the competitive institutional structure which conventional theory prescribes.
The Economics of Equal Value
Authors: Rubery Jill 
Published: June 2007

AbstractEqual pay for work of equal value has come to be seen as the policy most likely to reduce the gender earnings gap. This paper explores the theoretical basis for widespread undervaluation of women's work and argues that institutionalised discrimination in the labour market also affects internal pay and grading structures. Recent recognition of the scope for discretion in pay determination undermines the “market forces” argument against equal value. The current wage structure reflects an outdated model of social and family organisation. Much poverty is now the result of women seeking economic independence in a market which rewards them as subordinate family members. However, the main obstacles to equal value lie in labour market institutions. The increasing fragmentation of pay bargaining and moves to performance‐related pay will reduce rather than promote the relationship between pay and job content.