Malaysian industrial relations at century's turn: Vision 2020 or a spectre of the past?

Malaysia's industrial relations (IR) has been characterized by extensive state control guaranteeing a high level of managerial prerogative within the workplace, minimal overt conflict and very little bargaining power for labour. These arrangements were an integral component of the package to attract investors when Malaysia's industrialization strategy focused on low-cost, export-oriented industries. Since then, however, Malaysia has adopted the goal of developed country status by 2020 and embarked on a higher value-added, more capital-intensive industrialization strategy. This paper analyzes current Malaysian IR at the workplace level, posing the question as to whether the economic progress towards 'Vision 2020' is being accompanied by a transformation of Malaysia's IR. It will be seen that there is evidence of substantial growth in training, the implementation of multi-skilling in some workplaces as well as isolated instances of some 'lean production' practices. Fundamental change, however, is not occurring; workers remain excluded from the decision-making process both within and outside the workplace.     

The transformation of industrial authority and paternalistic capitalism in the global economy: case studies of Taiwan's textiles industries

Abstract This paper is an attempt to theorize changing employment relations in capitalist development, drawing upon Taiwan's experience of industrialization within the context of global economic competition and undertaking case studies in the textiles industries. It aims to investigate changes in the nature of employment relations, with special reference to authority relations, by examining how they have been shaped by changes in Taiwan's textiles industries. It argues that a transformation of paternalistic capitalism is under way in Taiwan. The study also examines how changes in economic activities have profoundly affected people's lives and experiences. It is suggested that the underpinnings of traditional authority are being shaken. Loosened personal ties and claims for statutory working rights have led to the emergence of different sources of industrial authority. Here is a crucial 'ideological break' in terms of workers' consciousness. Moreover, the 'communal paternalism' or 'enterprise paternalism' of labour regimes in Taiwan propounded by Deyo (1989, 1998) is now called into question.     

Forefronts of the Sharing Economy: Uber in Cape Town

The sharing economy, often phrased as ‘platform capitalism’, enables firms such as Uber and Airbnb to monetize, through specific technologies of mediation, the networks, the assets and the precarious labour of those who are described as ‘the entrepreneurs of sharing’. This article explores the urban geographies of ride‐sharing in the marketization of Uber in Cape Town, South Africa. I use empirical evidence collected during the first phase of its operations in the city, between 2013 and 2015, to show how Uber relied upon the developmental entrepreneurialism of Cape Town to embed its ride‐sharing market locally, and how the drivers enacted multiple technical, economic and ethical regimes within and without the constraints of the software platform. The research presented in this article thus contributes to understanding how the discourses of millennial development, with its promises of entrepreneurial empowerment, are adopted by global sharing‐economy firms to enact their markets in the global South. It also reveals how a different genealogy of Uber's urban transactions offers an alternative perspective on the normative rationalities of the sharing economy and on the diverse economies that exist in relation to platform capitalism in the global South.     

在金融危机下发放消费券促消费扩内需的博弈分析

众所周知,2008年注定对世界、对中国来说都是不平凡的一年。始于美国的由于次贷危机引发的金融危机至今都没见减缓的迹象。甚至有愈演愈烈之势,何时见底,没人知晓。同时,在全球经济一体化不断深入的进程中,中国岂能独善其身。自2008年下半年开始,我国的出口额明显下降,并在2009年上半年延续着继续下降的趋势。然而,在这全球经济增缓,甚至下降的环境下,我国为实现我们既定的长期目标,提出了2009年GDP的增长8％的目标,并分解落实到各地方政府。由此,各地方政府为了完成中央下达的增长目标,特别是在以出口为主的沿海城市,开始了一场浩浩荡荡的发行消费券,其中又以旅游券为甚的运作（以下统称消费券）,想以此来促消费,扩内需,保GDP增长。本文拟运用博弈理论首先分析这场运作产生的原因并分析其实效,同时剖析其产生的外在博弈条件,最后提出从实现国家总体目标的考虑方向提出了相应解决的措施建议。     

Mexico under NAFTA: a critical assessment

This paper assesses the evolution and performance of several key economic and social variables in Mexico following the passage of NAFTA. The evidence shows that under NAFTA Mexican trade and foreign direct investment inflows have risen at rapid rates, particularly in the export-oriented assembly-line sector. However, the evidence also suggests that it is hard to disentangle the effects of NAFTA from the other non-NAFTA factors such as demand in the U.S. in explaining the dynamism of the Mexican export sector (and economy). This has been attested by how the Mexican economy has been dragged into a severe recession over the past two years as a result of the relatively mild downturn in the U.S. business cycle.Insofar as employment growth, real wages in manufacturing, and productivity performance is concerned, the evidence presented indicates that the record has been lackluster at best and disastrous at worst. Manufacturing employment fell dramatically after the peso crisis, and remains stagnant. Real wages have plunged since the peso crisis and have yet to recover levels attained in the mid-1980s. In terms of productivity performance, no strong conclusions can be reached given the conflicting estimates in the extant literature. At best, the data show that productivity rose at healthy rates in the tradeable sector, but stagnated in the non-tradeable sector.Finally, the paper presents evidence which shows that both the functional and size distribution of income have become more skewed during the period of trade and investment liberalization (JEL 040,054).     

Determinants of Entry in an Emerging Economy: A Multilevel Approach

The dynamics of the world economy and global competition patterns are encouraging multinational enterprises (MNEs) to expand into emerging economies. This study validates the proposition that entry mode selection in an emerging economy is influenced by situational contingencies at four levels: nation, industry, firm, and project. Analysis of data collected from China suggests that the joint venture is preferred when perceived governmental intervention or environmental uncertainty is high or host country experience is low. The wholly-owned entry mode is preferred when intellectual property rights are not well protected, the number of firms in the industry is growing fast, the need for global integration is high, or the project is located in an open economic region. The importance of these multilevel determinants requires simultaneous and inseparable considerations of the risk, return, control, and resource effects of the entry mode decision. This necessitates a theoretical integration of multiple perspectives such as transaction cost, the eclectic paradigm, bargaining power, and organizational capability.     

Changes in psychological contracts during the global financial crisis: the manager's perspective

The employee–organisation relationship is dynamic and arguably affected by contextual factors, such as a change in the economic environment. This study uses data collected from managers in Australia before and after the beginning of the global financial crisis (GFC) to examine the changes in psychological contract (PC) terms from the manager's perspective. In particular, as industries can be affected differently by economic crisis and gender discrimination can increase in tough economic conditions, we examined if any changes in PC terms were contingent on industry and employee gender. The study's results show that the terms of the employment relationship deteriorated in Australia only for employees working in industries affected by the GFC. Further, we found that some gender differences in the terms of the PC exist independent of the state of the economy. In addition, a three-way interaction indicates that managers working in industries not affected by the GFC are allocating a greater proportion of their resources to their female employees than to their male employees. Ongoing labour shortages and gender inequities in Australia might have prompted managers in non-affected industries to use their relative ‘resource-rich’ advantage to positively influence the employee–organisation relationship for female employees, a traditionally disadvantaged group.     

‘A life on the ocean wave’: the ‘post-socialist’ careers of Chinese,Russian and Eastern European seafarers

The emergence of the global labour market (GLM) provides a novel platform for young professional workers to design and develop their careers. This is particularly true for those from China, the former Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries, where economic liberation has made it easier for professionals to move both internally and internationally. Taking into account national variations in economic transition and political constraints, several questions are raised. How does the GLM, for example, influence its choice of employers and career development? What are the similarities and differences between Chinese and Eastern European seafarers? What factors contribute to these differences? Those questions are addressed here, through a study of the case of seafarers for whom a global labour market has been established since the 1980s. By collecting crew information worldwide, a global seafarer database has been built in the Seafarers' International Research Centre (SIRC) at Cardiff University. Accordingly, this paper develops a methodological framework for analysing and comparing seafarers' careers, and revealing the features of career development amongst four major seafarer supplier countries: China, Russia, the Ukraine and Poland.     

The impact of EU accession on Turkish industrial relations and social dialogue

This article examines whether the European Union membership process is transforming the ‘deep structure’ of Turkish industrial relations. We make an attempt to illustrate this through the prism of Turkish experience in social dialogue regarded as an indispensable tool of the European social model. Turkish industrial relations is characterised by restrictive labour laws, employer hostility to unionisation, a large informal economy and labour market, and strong state intervention, which have historically constituted the main elements of ‘the deep structure’ of Turkish industrial relations. In procedural terms, the institutions for social dialogue have been established but the influence of the social partners is limited because of the dominance of the state and the weakness of labour. The existing attempts at developing social dialogue rest on shaky foundations emanating mostly from the state's and employers' disrespect of basic labour rights.     

An exploratory review of the relationship between enterprise training and technology upgrading: evidence from South African manufacturing firms

The study examines the extent to which disaggregated training variables are related to technological upgrading, in the context of a middle-income developing country trying to manage its integration into the global economy. For a developing country, successful integration into the global economy requires that local manufacturing firms are able to competitively restructure, as a precondition for survival and long-term growth. Consequently, skills and technological upgrading are crucial in raising the international competitive advantage of local firms. Enterprise-provided training is one means that can be used by local firms to continuously upgrade their knowledge bases, increase their international competitiveness, and enhance employment growth over time. This paper uses South Africa as a case study, to demonstrate how economic reform measures can expose skills deficiencies in the manufacturing sector and lead to an increase in capital intensity of the sector. Exposure of skills deficiencies, in turn, raises the importance of skill-upgrading through schooling and training of existing workforce. Despite a couple of studies on the evolution of the labour market in South Africa, no previous research has explicitly examined the relationship between technological upgrading and disaggregated training/learning variables at the firm level. This paper aims to fill that gap by focusing on disaggregated enterprise-based training efforts. The study uses the Human Capital theoretical framework to answer the main research question: Which disaggregated learning variables (i.e., on-the-job or off-the-job training offered to different occupational groups) are significantly associated with technological upgrading? The study raises possible issues of heterogeneity in returns to training offered to different occupational groups in the context of technological-upgrading. On the other hand, technological upgrading may not necessarily always disadvantage all unskilled workers. Possible policy implications of research findings are outlined.     

Do constraints created by economic growth targets benefit sustainable development? Evidence from China

An economic growth target is a declaration by policy authorities of commitment to that target and the corresponding allocation of resources. The constraints created by economic growth target are an important economic management method in China, which has helped China's economy to achieve remarkable achievements. However, it has also brought about serious environmental problems, threatening China's sustainable development. Using the data about economic growth targets in the work reports of 30 Chinese provincial governments from 2006 to 2017, this paper constructs several spatial measurement methods, such as the spatial Durbin model, to examine the constraints created by economic growth target's impacts on air pollution. The main conclusions are as follows. First, a significant “U-shaped” relationship exists between the constraints created by economic growth targets and air pollution. Second, the spatial Durbin model analysis revealed that PM_2.5 across China's provinces display significant positive spatial spillover effects and spatial agglomeration characteristics. Third, the direct, indirect, and total effects of constraints created by economic growth targets on air pollution are all statistically significant and depict a “U shape.” Finally, the constraints created by economic growth targets have an apparent threshold effect on air pollution, and the inhibiting effects increase with human capital and industrial restructuring. However, with the increase in foreign direct investments, constraints created by economic growth targets may increase air pollution. The conclusions of this paper are of great significance for improving the management of local government economic growth targets and sustainable development.     

浅析中国低碳经济标准化

低碳经济发展模式已成为全球经济发展的共识。在没有形成大规模产业的背景下,在碳排放还没有形成统一的标准前,我们理应尽早建立自己的标准,以免处于被动地位。文章从低碳标准、技术标准和低碳经济审计标准三个方面探讨低碳经济标准化,希望能够对中国低碳经济的发展起到战略指导意义。     

2010～2011年中国经济增长回顾与展望

中国经济2010年在全球经济缓慢复苏中保持了稳定增长的态势,增速相对较快.2010年面对的主要不利国际环境是世界经济复苏乏力,发达国家经济增长缓慢,贸易保护主义盛行,对我国经济造成了一定的外部冲击.国内主要问题是通货膨胀压力的持续上升,房地产市场泡沫的积极调控以及结构调整的不断深化.2011年是中国经济"十二五"计划的开局之年,面对许多复杂的国内外形势,中国经济总体运行仍存在许多挑战.然而,我国宏观经济政策已经针对2011年经济运行中主要面对的问题作出了积极的部署,预计2011年中国经济总体运行仍较稳定,结构调整稳步推进.     

The American Pot and the Chinese Kettle: Joining Forces for Human Rights

A bstract NO nation is a virtuoso when it comes to human rights performance In its representations to China, the United States takes stronger action against violations of "intellectual property" rights (in the form of CDs and trade marks) than against violations of freedom of speech and person For its part, China complains about economic inequality in the U.S., but justifies Tiananmen Square with the elusive claim that social harmony is a greater good than free speech.
Both sides believe they have a commitment to human rights Each has something to say to the other, but neither is listening very hard. This article suggests what they might listen for first, the legitimacy of claims of both sides in light of the emerging international consensus on human rights; second, the complaints that each side registers against the other on the basis of those claims, and finally, the likely influence each side can exercise on the other through international actions     

Property Rights Reform to Support China's Rural–Urban Integration: Village‐Level Evidence from the Chengdu Experiment

As part of a national experiment, in 2008, Chengdu prefecture launched a series of property rights reforms, among them complete registration of all land and measures to ease transferability and eliminate labour market restrictions. A comparison of villages inside and outside the prefecture's border using a difference‐in‐difference approach suggests that the reforms have reduced administrative reallocations; aligned land use closer to economic incentives, mainly through market transfers; and stimulated enterprise startups. These results, most of which are more pronounced for villages closer to Chengdu city, illuminate the potential gains from factor market reform.     

Interactions between financial constraints and economic growth

The financial economy and the real economy are interconnected through various, complex, and evolving transmission mechanisms, whose literary coverage is far from comprehensive. In this context, we wish to contribute to the literature on the interactions between financial constraints and economic growth. We introduce financial dynamics in the R&D-based growth literature, by bringing Bernanke, Gertler and Gilchrist’s (1999) informational asymmetries into Romer’s (1990) growth model. With the developed framework, our main goal is to examine if and how such asymmetries impact economic growth. We find that the overall impact of this form of financial constraints on long-term growth is negative.     

我国出口企业如何走出“寒冬”

2008年，全球经济环境和外贸政策被重新调整，是绝大多数中国出口企业“从未有过的艰难的一年”。面对宏观经济环境巨大压力和行业发展的不利因素，2009年出口企业环境不容乐观，出口企业是依赖于环境改善和政策利好维持企业运营，还是依靠自身能力改善和战略调整谋求发展？这值得我们深思。     

FOUR PROPOSITIONS ABOUT INTERNATIONAL LABOUR STANDARDS

International labour rights organisations pay considerable attention to the working conditions in less developed countries. For labour rights activists, labour standards such as collective bargaining rights and maternal leave promote economic progress. We argue that this perspective has the causation backwards and that it is economic development that causes the codification of improved working conditions.     

低碳经济与我国产业结构调整研究

我国经济发展所面临的环境与资源的双重约束,使得转变经济发展方式、调整经济结构已经成为经济持续发展的关键。低碳经济所倡导的低碳发展模式是我国未来经济持续发展的最佳途径。但是,在向低碳发展转型中,存在着产业层次低、工业结构重型化等结构方面的障碍。培育技术创新能力、发展新兴产业、以及建立碳交易机制与征收碳税等措施是推动我国低碳经济的发展,进而加速推进我国产业结构的升级和转型的有力措施。     

East German labour market in transition: segmentation and increasing disparity

The employment system of the former GDR–like that of other socialist countries–could be seen as an aggregation of ‘internal labour markets’ with long term employment, internal promotion and little external mobility. Consequently the rapid integration of the East German economy into the western market economy has led to structural problems of the labour market which combined with and intensified the general effects of the sharp decrease in the demand for labour.