Reviews (1)

Crimes of government against Americans' economic well-being.
Out of Work, the best economic history of 20th Century America. The authors document the crimes of government against Americans' economic well-being, an indictment of taxation and all the monstrous and stupid things our government has done to us. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume presents a collaborative effort by 22 labor economists who examine worker displacement and the attempts to address it in 10 industrialized countries. Using large nationally-representative data sets and detailed policy analysis, the authors focus on two key questions related to worker displacement: 1) whether the experiences of displaced workers in the Untied States, and the patterns of experiences across workers, echo patterns seen in other developed countries, and 2) what can be learned, both from the similarities and from the differences across countries?

For instance, do commonalities in displaced workers' experiences across all countries reveal fundamental features of modern industrialized economies? Are international differences informative about the efficacy of different public policy approaches to worker displacement across countries?

Within-country patterns are described using a number of demographic characteristics including age, tenure, gender, and skill level. Results are also offered from cross-national comparisons in the levels of key variables (such as the frequency of displacement, and the duration of post-displacement unemployment) and the association of these variables with international differences in labor market structure. While these sorts of results are generally the most difficult to generate, they are potentially the most rewarding. And in the case of these efforts, they are thought-provoking as well. ... Read more

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"Labour economics is in ferment [and] this book is a good point of entry to the argument." -- The Economist

The Wage Curve casts doubt on some of the most important ideas in macroeconomics, labor economics, and regional economics. According to macroeconomic orthodoxy, there is a relationship between unemployment and the rate of change of wages. According to orthodoxy in labor economics and regional economics, an area's wage is positively related to the amount of joblessness in the area. The Wage Curve suggests that both these beliefs are incorrect. Blanchflower and Oswald argue that the stable relationship is a downward-sloping convex curve linking local unemployment and the level of pay. Their study, which is one of the most intensive in the history of social science, is based on random samples that provide computerized information on nearly four million people from sixteen countries. Throughout, the authors systematically present evidence and possible explanations for their empirical "law" of economics. ... Read more

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The diffusion of information and communication technologies is rapidly changing the structure of advanced economies and the fear of mass technological unemployment has emerged. This book addresses this controversy. ... Read more

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With much of Europe plagued by high levels of unemployment, it became the conventional wisdom in the 1990s that deregulated labor markets - the "American Model" - were a necessary condition for good employment performance. Leading policy and banking institutions like the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank and many mainstream economists strongly advocated reforms that would fundamentally transform the economies of many developed countries by limiting union strength, reducing wages and raising inequality, increasing job insecurity (and perhaps decreasing efficiency) by repealing employment protection laws and sharply scale back unemployment and social welfare benefits. Fighting Unemployment provides a critical assessment of this free market orthodoxy. Through both cross-country statistical analyses and country case studies, leading economists from seven North American and European countries argue that the accepted view has greatly exaggerated the extent to which the unemployment problem can be blamed on welfare state institutions, that there is no simple tradeoff between unemployment and wage inequality, and that the justification for dismantling the welfare state to fight unemployment rests perhaps more on free market ideology than on the empirical evidence. The larger message of this book is that many labor market models - ranging from the relatively free markets of the U.S. to the much more regulated markets of Scandinavia - are compatible with low unemployment, but strong labor market institutions are required to limit the incidence of very low wages, high earnings inequality, and excessive job insecurity. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from International Labour Review, published by International Labour Office on December 22, 1998. The length of the article is 7914 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: For more than 35 years the United States has offered assistance to workers displaced as a result of freer trade. The rationale lies in the welfare economics argument for compensation of those who lose from a shift in policy to meet broader social interests. The programme has failed to compensate fully for adjustment costs, of course, and the originally enthusiastic support of workers has given way to scepticism. Politics lie at the heart of the programme's origins, and institutional inertia is key to its longevity, the author argues. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Citation Details
Title: Trade liberalization and the politics of trade adjustment assistance.
Author: Ethan Kapstein
Publication: International Labour Review (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 1998
Publisher: International Labour Office
Volume: 137Issue: 4Page: 501(1)

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Every year, hundreds of thousands of Americans and their families accept the challenge of living and working abroad. But many of these prospective expatriates have little idea--beyond the mystery of changing money and finding the consulate--of the extraordinary experience that awaits them. Upon their return, many discover they have undergone a dramatic personal transformation. Now in possession of great self-confidence and expanded horizons, they feel capable of handling greater challenges than they would have dreamed possible.

People who work abroad are off on an adventure--what Joseph Campbell called a hero's journey, complete with miraculous deeds to perform, inscrutable instructions, and important gifts to bring back. Joyce Sautters Osland, a veteran expatriate with fourteen years of experience abroad, tells the story of this modern-day Odyssey as it is lived by the working people who are exploring today's global frontier. Using Campbell's metaphor as a guide, Osland creates a pragmatic framework for understanding--and mastering--the predictable challenges of each stage in the expatriate journey.

The Adventure of Working Abroad won't prescribe what to pack or how to find the train station, but it will convey the genuine grittiness of the overseas experience--all the fear, excitement, and exhilaration, as well as the transformation that expatriates undergo as they rise to the challenges of unknown languages and customs, an alien landscape, and unfamiliar obstacles.

Here thirty-five seasoned expatriates tell in their own words of the unexpected perils andenormous opportunities, the turmoil and triumphs, of life in an exotic new world. Osland uses their personal stories to provide insights and important tips that will help expatriates adjust to diverse cultural norms, face new responsibilities and sudden autonomy, and better equip themselves for the difficulties of repatriation.

Osland also explores why U.S. companies are not as proficient a ... Read more

Book Description

This innovative study reviews the remarkable economic and labor market recovery madeby four small European countries: Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands. It analyzes their success and highlights the specific factors responsible, in particular the promotion of social dialogue and the institution of critical macroeconomic and labor market policies. While assessing the progress and examining the remaining problems in these four countries, the book compares their progress with that of other European Union countries and examines how similar policies and action could help combat unemployment and make progress towards full employment.

The study presents a detailed comparative analysis of the labor markets of the four countries. It analyzes employment and unemployment developments in detail, covering gender gaps, the sectoral distribution of employment, and the shares of people which are dependent on social transfers. It shows the employment intensity of economic growth and gives readers a substantial, broad overview of the economic and labor market situation in each country. Finally, the book makes relevant policy recommendations for promoting further growth and social progress in these countries, as well as others across Europe. ... Read more

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This book offers a comprehensive empirical analysis of educational inequalities and their consequences on individual labor market outcomes for men and women in France and Germany, two countries with different education systems. Using microdata from the two countries, the analyses mainly rely on econometric methods. After a detailed comparison of the French and German education systems, the social determinants of school and post-school attainment are analyzed. Then, the extent to which education reduces the unemployment risk is examined, distinguishing between risk of entering unemployment, unemployment duration and recurrence of unemployment episodes. Finally, evidence is given on the impact of education on individual earnings prospects.

Book Description

This book investigates whether a lack of wage flexibility is at the root of the unemployment problem in West Germany. In the presence of a skill bias in labor demand, only the choice between higher wage inequality or higher unemployment rates seems to exist. Whether and in what way this line of thought is consistent with the experience of West Germany is scrutinized empirically. The analysis ranges from extensive descriptive evidence on labor market trends to the estimation of a structural model of wage bargaining. ... Read more

Book Description

Governments of economies in transition face formidable labormarket problems. Many countries of Central and Eastern Europe aredevoting considerable efforts to building labor market institutions anddesigning policies and programs to meet the challenge of growingunemployment and the underutilization of labor. These problems willonly be solved by restructuring the economy toward profitability andefficiency, and by reviving the demand for labor.

This volumecontains country studies on Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary,Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Ukraine. It looks atgovernment responsibilities in relation to employment, ways ofimproving the operation of the labor market (e.g., through laws,regulations, assistance with job search), the range and content ofprograms, and the financing of employment services and unemploymentbenefits. An introductory chapter summarizes the labor marketperformance of Central and Eastern Europe in light of the West Europeanexperience.

The book is filled with valuable information forpolicymakers, economists, and students concerned with the economies intransition. As these countries face major financial constraints, it isparticularly important to determine which policies and programs are themost cost-effective. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from European Journal of Social Quality, published by Berghahn Books, Inc. on July 1, 2000. The length of the article is 15154 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: European Employment: A New Approach to Analysing Trends.(Statistical Data Included)
Author: Monica Threlfall
Publication: European Journal of Social Quality (Refereed)
Date: July 1, 2000
Publisher: Berghahn Books, Inc.
Volume: 2Issue: 2Page: 13

Article Type: Statistical Data Included

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