In this paper we present the outlines of an endogenous growth model that focuses on the labour marketand skill-aspects of economic policy measures that may have an impact on technological change, and hence on the long term effectiveness of the policy measures concerned. The link between skills and technology is two-fold. On the one hand, new technology is high-skilled intensive, while on the ot...

In this paper we report evidence on the relationship between trade openness, technology adoption and relative demand for skilled labour in the Turkish manufacturing sector, using firm level data over the period 1980-2001. We first depict the simultaneous increasing trends in international openness and in demand for skills and we show that the shift of the relative demand for labour was mainly d...

The Unexpected Appearance of a New German Model Most Continental European labour markets and welfare states underwent a substantial transformation over the last two decades moving from a situation of low employment and limited labour market inequality to higher employment, but also more inequality. Germany is a case in point as it exhibits growing employment figures and growing shares of low pa...

this paper is analysing the role of economic reforms on the labour market in iranian industry in economic reform period (1990-2005), and in turn, it is comparing it with closed economic period (1979-1989). in order to do the above comparative analysis, the manufacturing industry has been categorized based on hecksher-ohlin and gause methodology. accordingly, we have some industrial groups, incl...

labour. In the present analysis however, this would be an oversimplification preventing a correct assessment of the class structure. The proletariat will therefore include only manual and semi-skilled labour. The distinction has its rationale in the fact that the middle class sells its labour in a seller’s market, or at any rate in conditions less unfavourable to the seller than is the case for...

This memorandum surveys the empirical literature about the effects and determinants of clusters. It finds that clusters generally lead to more innovations, knowledge spillovers, faster diffusion of technologies and knowledge, and competitive advantages. The presence of a skilled labour force is the most important determinant for clusters. Other important factors for the existence of clusters ar...

The widespread view that English Industrial Revolution was driven by labour substituting technical progress caused by high wages suffers from a basic defect: although English wages were high, so too was English productivity. We argue instead that England’s high wages and Industrial Revolution stemmed from a common source: the superior human capability of ordinary English workers, who were talle...

Reasons for Wage Rigidity in Germany This study investigates institutional and economic reasons for downward wage rigidity regarding three occupational skill groups. Based on a survey of 801 firms in Germany and an econometric analysis, we find strong support for explanations based on the effects of labour union contracts and efficiency wages that differ between skill groups. Survey respondents...

This paper presents a specific factor model of a small open economy to show the factor price effect and welfare effect of offshoring. Different to ambiguous wage effect conclusions of offshoring under Heckscher-Ohlin framework, the conclusions of this paper is clear-cut. Offshoring will benefit specific factor (skilled labour and land), hurts some non-specific factor (unskilled labour), and enl...

BACKGROUND The Middle East construction sector is heavily reliant on a migrant workforce that predominantly originates from South Asia. It is common practice for migrant construction workers to pay a local labour recruiter the equivalent of one or more years' prospective overseas salary to secure employment, work and travel permits and transportation. The occupational health and safety implicat...