Latin American manufacturing and the First World War: An exploratory essay

In the 1960s many writers on Latin America accepted the idea that the conditions for industrial growth were most propitious when international commercial and financial flows were disrupted, as in the First World War. Recent work has raised doubts, however, about the extent of manufacturing expansion between 1914 and 1918, while drawing attention to the growth of industry in the 20 years preceding 1914. This paper, through a discussion of the secondary literature and a sampling of primary sources on five countries, seeks to explain why increases in production and profits during the war were not accompanied by significant new investment or a diversification of Latin America's industrial structure.     

Uncertainty in/of macroeconomics: An essay on adequate abstraction

Summary The search for microfoundations for macroeconomics has been stimulated by uncertainty about the status of macroeconomics and is closely related to the neo-Walrasian research program. This relationship is explained and criticised, because it obscures the historical connection between macroeconomics and the study of monetary economies and leads to attempts to underpin a pretence of knowledge, which can never be justified. This paper argues that the question which neo-Wairasians try to solve is based on ignorance of the abstract nature of macroeconomics. Once this nature is taken into account, the question loses much of its relevance.Snippe contributed to this article on personal title. Accordingly, Banque Paribas Nederland N.V. does not bear any responsibility for the contents of this paper.We are indebted to H. van Ees, J. de Haan, M.C.W. Janssen and to Professors S.K. Kuipers, A. Nentjes and J. Pen for their valuable comments and discussion on an earlier version of this article. Of course, they cannot be blamed for any remaining errors.     

The standard of living concept: An essay on current perceptions

The paper is concerned with the standard of living theory. It discusses the limitations of traditional conceptions and the advantages of two recent approaches proposed by Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen, along with hurdles to their implementation.     

Employment and growth in South Africa: An agricultural perspective

South African agriculture is analysed with respect to labour‐related structural trends, the impact of a change in agricultural production on production in certain selected Individual sectors and its relative potential with regard to direct and indirect industry multipliers. The paper concludes with some policy aspects that stem from the different analyses.     

调整就业结构促进充分就业

本文分析了我国当前失业和就业形势，指出就业结构性矛盾是妨碍扩大就业的重要因素，阐述了调整就业结构、促进充分就业的必要性、紧迫性和主要对策。     

Methods for forecasting poverty levels inclusive of the disadvantaged

The paper discusses new methods for evaluating the incomes of disadvantaged groups that essentially employ the translation of a lognormal distribution of personal incomes. Some indicators of income polarization are proposed as a supplement to the Gini index and the other indicators of income dispersion currently in use. The proposed and conventional indicators and the poverty rate are calculated on the basis of 2007 statistics. Their behavior is investigated in relation to the amount of translation.     

William E. Simon's capacities' approach to liberty: An essay in economic citizenship

This paper discusses the philosophical underpinnings of William E. Simon's productive public service and his championing of liberty in economic citizenship and the furtherance of entrepreneurial capitalism in America. The discussion suggests that his understanding and advocacy of the instrumental role of liberty made him distinctive among policymakers and unique among political and social conservatives. Two central themes are highlighted: the principle of liberty and private initiatives to further the cause of liberty. Secretary Simon was a passionate advocate for individual liberty being ascribed the highest value in American political life and called for vigilance against the unnecessary intervention of the state in people's lives. He committed his intellectual and financial resources to the promotion of these ideals through significant initiatives in support of institutions including universities and colleges, foundations and community organizations, and groups that exhibited a strong belief in, and support of, the cause of liberty. This, Secretary Simon believed, would strengthen the free enterprise system and the spiritual values on which it rests.The overriding principle to be revived in American political life is that which sets individual liberty as the highest political value—that value to which all other values are subordinate and that which, at all times, is to be given the highest priority in policy discussions.William E. Simon A Time for Truth, 1978, p. 218.     

Housing and Employment in Indonesia: Prospects for Employment Generation in the Construction Materials Sector 1

Indonesia experienced rapid growth in the housing sector in the 1980s, accompanied by large-scale improvement of existing dwellings. There are clear signs of a large potential demand for more and better dwellings; though several bottlenecks exist which hamper this potential. This paper critically examines the credit-related bottleneck and the subsidised credit schemes designed to address it.

Input-output analysis is used in the paper to study the structure of the construction materials sector. Examination shows that the adverse effects of a stimulation of housing demand on the balance of payments are small, and that employment in the construction materials sector is dominated by small-scale and household industry. Finally, an analysis of roofing materials shows that there is scope for further introduction of labour-intensive construction materials.     

Employment and Economic Growth in the Côte d'Ivoire: An Analysis of Structural Determinants

The present study investigated how economic growth and employment in the Ivorian modern private sector evolved over time, and the employment elasticities of selected variables. The empirical results suggest that employment and economic growth in the Côte d'Ivoire do not move together in the long run (they are not cointegrated), that is, jobless growth can occur and had occurred in the country. It also results from the econometric estimation that economic growth and employment were negatively correlated in the Côte d'Ivoire over the time period of analysis. The same negative correlation existed between employment and development aid. Unlike the above, investment is positively correlated with employment. Investment is therefore the key to tackle the crisis of unemployment and poverty. La présente étude avait pour objectif d'analyser l'évolution de la croissance économique et de l'emploi dans le secteur moderne privé ivoirien dans le temps, et les élasticités de l'emploi par rapport à un ensemble de variables. Les résultats empiriques suggèrent que l'emploi dans le secteur moderne privé et la croissance économique n'évoluent pas ensemble dans le long terme (ils ne sont pas cointégrés). Il appert donc de la possibilité d'une croissance sans emploi en Côte d'Ivoire. Les résultats de l'analyse économétrique suggèrent quant, eux, une corrélation négative entre le taux de croissance économique et celui de l'emploi sur la période d'analyse. Cette mé;me corrélation négative existe entre l'aide publique au développement et l'emploi moderne. A l'opposé des résultats ci‐dessus, l'analyse économétrique suggère aussi une relation positive entre l'investissement et l'emploi dans le secteur moderne privé. Il résulte par conséquent de ce qui précède que la clé de la lutte contre le chômage et la pauvreté est l'investissement orienté vers la création d'emploi.     

四位一体:构建农民工进城的基本制度

当前众多有关农民工管理的思路都有意无意将看眼点瞄向城乡户籍制度改革,进而将改革路径导入传统思维框架之中.因此,有必要构建农民工进城的基本体制,以解除"户籍"给农民工造成的困境.本文从就业、教育和培训、医疗保险、社会保障等方面论述了当前农民工进城面临的基本体制问题,并提出了一系列政策建议.     

城市弱势群体就业促进的实践模式分析

我国城市弱势群体规模巨大,并呈迅速增加趋势,失业、下岗人员已成为城市弱势群体的主体,要解决弱势群体问题必须采取特殊的就业援助。目前国内形成的典型就业促进模式主要有：社会公共就业服务体系支持模式、政府就业促进与扶持政策模式、公益性、福利性就业模式、社区就业与NGO、NPO就业模式、政府、企业、社区与社会综合支持体系模式等。     

乡村旅游对农民增收、就业实证研究

对乡村旅游促进农村经济和就业,学术界缺乏定量研究,致使人们无法准确认识乡村旅游的作用与价值。文章利用浙江省三个不同类型乡村旅游点的社会调查资料,运用回归分析法,探讨乡村旅游对农民收入增加、农村就业的比例以及乡村旅游收入与从业人数之间的关系。结果表明：在乡村旅游发展时期,可以促进农民增收12．17％,提高农村就业率13．26％,对新农村建设和城乡一体化发展有重要的现实意义。     

基于产业结构调整的新疆就业前景分析

经济理论揭示,就业结构的变动与产业结构变动密切相关。本文借助量化分析方法发现:根据目前产业发展对就业的拉动状况,今后新疆若只强调发展任何一个单纯的产业,都不能直接带来任何一个产业内部就业人数的增加,只有强调各产业之间的协调发展,才能带动全社会从业人员的增长;另外,量化分析结果折射出:第三产业如果只是第一层次的扩张发展,即交通运输、仓储和邮政业以及批发和零售业的发展,那么,第三产业的发展将不能带来全社会就业人数相对量的增加,甚至会出现抑制作用。     

资活型城市技术进步与就业关系的实证分析--以甘肃省白银市为例

本文以西部典型资源型城市———甘肃省白银市的就业困境为研究出发点,探讨技术进步给资源型城市就业总量和就业结构带来的影响,为减少技术进步对就业带来的负面影响,探索解决就业问题的途径提供了一定的理论依据。     

资源型城市的就业与社会保障

资源型城市就业困难的原因在于向市场经济转型较晚,缺少新兴部门的成长与发育,因此缺少新增就业机会。正是由于国有企业改革起步较晚,资源型城市遭受就业冲击的程度反而不如非资源城市严重。政府对城市下岗失业者的救助同时存在着过度保护和保护不足,而以就业促进为特征的积极劳动力市场政策,虽然能够改善劳动者的市场地位,但却较少得到执行,为此,国家公共财政要为改变这种情况做出努力。     

丰都:帮扶就业与自主创业双管齐下

丰都县城是重庆市唯一跨江迁建的县城,城镇移民数量多且构成情况复杂.在消除三峡移民"零就业家庭"攻坚战中,丰都县按照"精确设计,定点落实"的要求,坚持"三忧先、三结合、五为主"的原则,成功解决了"零就业家庭"移民就业问题.     

Employment and wage adjustments at firms under distress in Japan: An analysis based upon a survey

We use the result from a survey of Japanese firms in manufacturing and service to investigate the choice of wage and employment adjustments when they needed to reduce substantially the total labor cost. Our regression analysis indicates that the large size reduction favors the layoffs of the core employees, whereas the base wage cuts are more likely if the firms do not feel immediate pressures from the external labor market or the strong competition in the product market. We also find some evidence that the concerns over adverse selection or demoralizing effects of wage cuts are real. Firms do try to avoid using base wage cuts if they consider these factors more important.