I examine the causes and the consequences of differences in labor market outcomes across local labor markets within a country. The focus is on a long-run general equilibrium setting, where workers and firms are free to move across localities and local prices adjust to maintain the spatial equilibrium. In particular, I develop a tractable general equilibrium framework of local labor markets with...

This paper examines the effect of trade openness on the productivity of skilled and unskilled labor in a group of 36 developing countries using panel data and fixed effect approach. We have developed and utilized an empirical model that readily lends itself to testing the hypothesis posed. Our results support the hypothesis that trade openness has a positive and significant impact on labor prod...

Labor Productivity and Vocational Training: Evidence from Europe In this paper we show that vocational training is an important determinant of productivity growth. We construct a multi-country, multi-sectoral dataset, and quantify empirically to what extent vocational training has contributed to increase the growth rate of labor productivity in Europe between 1999 and 2005. We find that one ext...

This paper presents a German/U.S. comparison of labor productivity in mining and manufacturing for two benchmark years, 1909 and 1936/35. German manufacturing productivity had a level of ca 56 per cent of the U.S. level in 1909, and around 50 per cent in 1935. Variation across industries was large. Next we analyze for 1909 whether the scale of production has been a decisive factor in the differ...

A factor that complicates female labor supply analyses is the variety of ways in which women engage in productive work. Besides wage labor these include ‘home’ work (nonparticipation), work without pay in a family enterprise, and paid work on one’s own account. We combine the last two (as self-employed) but treat unemployment as a fourth distinct state, and examine the participation choices of ...

Unit labor cost (ULC) is defined as labor compensation per value added. It captures the cost competitiveness of industries and countries. As labor compensation is wage multiplied by hours worked or number of people employed, it is easy to show that ULC is wage divided by labor productivity. Thus, changes in ULC are often discussed in the context of wage increases and labor productivity. However...

According to a survey in 2008, about 50 percent of Americans perceived immigration as a problem rather than as an opportunity (Transatlantic Trends 2008). Similar surveys conducted in the prerecession years of 2007 and before also showed that Americans were much less supportive of more open immigration policies than they were of other aspects of globalization such as free trade or free capital ...

Using the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) 2003-12, we estimate time spent by workers in non-work while on the job. Non-work time is substantial and co-varies positively with the local unemployment rate. While the fraction of workers who spend some time in non-work varies pro-cyclically, the average time spent by workers in non-work conditional on any positive non-work varies countercyclically. ...

In the last decade, a rising number of firms have adopted international environmental management and product standards such as the international ISO 14001 management standard or organic certification. While emerging research analyzes the impact of these practices on environmental performance or financial performance, there is, to our knowledge no empirical research on the effect of these standa...