The effect of working time and labor force participation on unemployment: A new argument in an old debate

This paper introduces a new argument into the theoretical literature on labor market effects of changes in working hours and labor force participation. We advance a general equilibrium model in which increased labor supply reduces unskilled unemployment via consumer demand: longer work hours and higher labor force participation imply higher incomes and less (leisure) time. In consequence, home production is reduced in favor of outsourcing domestic tasks to the market, shifting consumer demand toward unskill-intensive goods. Relative demand for unskilled labor rises and unemployment falls.     

城市化时代的农村劳动力转移分析

农村劳动力转移与城市化一般是指工业化过程中社会生产力的发展引起的在地域空间上的城镇数量的增加和城镇规模的扩大。目前,农村劳动力转移问题已经成为解决三农问题和全面建设小康社会的重中之重。     

A model of working time under utility competition in the labor market

The text develops a model of wage and working-time setting by profit-maximizing firms in a competitive labor market with homogeneous workers. Emphasis is placed on the role played by fixed costs of labor and of workers' varying effectiveness in time. Competition among firms implies a constraint on the utility level associated to the labor contract. The model contributes to explain insiders' rationing and other contemporary stylized facts, and lends itself to a particular approach to the problem of evaluating the consequences of mandatory working-time reductions.     

The impact of stricter criteria for disability insurance on labor force participation

This paper studies the effect of a large-scale policy change in the Austrian disability insurance program, which tightened eligibility criteria for men above a certain age. Using administrative data on the universe of Austrian private-sector employees, the results of difference-in-difference regressions suggest a substantial and statistically significant decline in disability enrollment of 6 to 7.4 percentage points and an increase in employment of 1.6 to 3.4 percentage points. The policy change had important spillover effects into the unemployment and sickness insurance program. Specifically, the share of individuals receiving unemployment benefits increased by 3.5 to 3.9 percentage points, and the share receiving sickness insurance benefits, by roughly 0.7 percentage points.     

The supply of skills in the labor force and aggregate output volatility

The cyclical volatility of US gross domestic product suddenly declined during the early 1980s and remained low for over 20 years. I develop a labor search model with worker heterogeneity and match-specific costs to show how an increase in the supply of high-skill workers can contribute to a decrease in aggregate output volatility. In the model, firms react to changes in the distribution of skills by creating jobs designed specifically for high-skill workers. The new worker–firm matches are more profitable and less likely to break apart due to productivity shocks. Aggregate output volatility falls because the labor market stabilizes on the extensive margin. In a simple calibration exercise, the labor market based mechanism generates a substantial portion of the observed changes in output volatility.     

独立董事声誉与独立董事劳动力市场有效性

一般来说,独立董事能够对管理层起到监督作用从而提高公司治理水平,然而在我国上市公司特殊的制度背景下,独立董事制度实施的效果究竟如何,一直是理论界和实务界争论的热点问题。本文引入独立董事声誉这一长期被忽视的独立董事制度设计的核心理念,构建了引入声誉机制的独立董事激励模型,并采用2004年至2005年沪市A股独立董事作为研究样本进行追踪,实证检验了我国上市公司独立董事所受到的声誉激励水平。研究发现我国独立董事的劳动力市场缺乏有效性,声誉激励只能够促使独立董事避开公开违规事件,却不能激励独立董事更好地履行监管职责。这很可能是影响我国独立董事制度发挥作用最重要的原因。     

The impact of state economic differentials on household welfare and labor force behavior

This paper calculates state-specific income expectations for low-income households, using a simultaneous model of household labor force and welfare participation decisions. A variety of simulations indicate the interlocking effects of existing state differences in welfare, wages and taxes on work/welfare choices and income. Significant differences among similar households in different states occur. Equalization of welfare benefits eliminates some but not all of these differences, but generates potentially serious policy problems for the states.     

Regional diversity of agricultural labor productivity and its driving force in east China

China＇s eastern area is at middle and later stage of industrialization during which the relation between urban and rural areas, industry, and agriculture appears maladjusted. The main problems are shrinkage in agricultural comparative earning and lack of driving force of agricultural development. Based on calculating agricultural labor productivity in east China from 1996 to 2005, this paper analyzes contributing degree of motive forces of agriculture develop in ten provinces and cities of east China applying GCA （Grey correlative analysis）. The results show that there is no absolute correspondence between the level of industrialization and agricultural labor productivity in China＇s eastern area. There is no synchronous development between industry and agricultural labor productiviry in some areas. Fertilizer and agricultural machinery input had high contributing degree for ten years; however; contributing degree in land and irrigation work input was low. Non-materialization inputs became the leading role in most provinces and cities＇ increase of agricultural labor productivity. Modern agricultural development need non-materialization inputs as primary motive force, at the same time, direct material input and facility input as guaranteed function. For some reasons, agricultural development is characterized by ＂more direct material input, less facility input ＂ in east China now. Optimal driving.force model of future agricultural development in east China is that non-materialization inputs are dominant, that perfected facility input arc guarantee, and that certain substance inputs are necessary     

能量函数在优化计算中的应用

在求解优化问题时，通常是先有能量函数，然后再得出微分方程以及对应的神经网络。本文以模数转换问题为例，给出了能量函数设计的一般方法，以及如何用梯度下降法由能量函数推倒出电路运动方程，最后给出其电路实现。     

The pull of inter-provincial migration of rural labor force and its influence on policy-making

As a social phenomenon closely related to development of economy, the population is always the focis of economists＇ attention. Based on the fifth census in 2001, this paper analyzes labor migration in Hubet Provtnce and establishes an econometric model to analyze the pull according to the push and pull theory,, which is the famous theory on the population flow and migration. It points out that the per capita consumption and the employment rate attract strongly the rural labors and makes a deep exploration into the ensuing problems. Such conclusion is a special reference to the decision-making of government. The government can provide some guidance to the rural labors according to the per capita consumption and the employment rate in order to avoid the futility of blind migration.     

劳动力非农转移对城乡发展的实证研究

经过30年改革开放,中国实现了工业化快速发展,农业部门对工业部门的劳动力供给进入到有限供给的新阶段.但农产品价格持续上涨,城乡收入差距逐渐扩大,城市化发展仍相对滞后,劳动力剩余与结构性短缺并存.在这种新旧问题交织的时代背景下,研究农村劳动力转移对城乡发展的影响有着重要意义.本文简要介绍了我国非农转移的历程,继而对非农转移与城乡收入差距、城市化进程以及城镇失业率之间的关系进行实证检验并做出适当解释,最后根据分析结果提出相关建议.     

A gender analysis of U.S. labor market policies for the working poor

Current anti-poverty policy proposals focus on welfare reform to the exclusion of reforming the low-wage labor market. In contrast, we compare two policy proposals aimed at low-wage labor markets: a national comparable worth policy and an increase in the minimum wage. With both policies we pay specific attention to their impact by gender. Our findings suggest that while both would reduce poverty among working women, the impact of a comparable worth policy on female poverty would be greater under most scenarios presented. It is estimated that an increase of 96 cents per hour in the national minimum wage would be necessary to equal the poverty reduction effect for women workers of a comparable worth policy which excludes small employers. Both policies decrease the incidence of povertylevel wages less among men, since roughly 60 percent of minimum wage workers are women. Additionally, not only would a national comparable worth policy improve the economic status of low-waged women workers, it would also narrow the gap between male and female poverty. While an increase in the minimum wage would also reduce this gap, comparable worth would virtually eliminate it.     

A study of the health and economic effects of influenza-like illness on the working population under different working environments of a large corporation in Hong Kong

Objective: The incidence, health and economic impacts of influenza-like illness (ILI) among the working population in Hong Kong had never been studied. Due to the nature of the disease, ILIs can have a significant impact on the operation of a corporation in terms of loss of productivity and reduced work performance. The present study was undertaken to determine the health and economic impacts of ILIs under different environmental conditions on the working population of a large corporation.

Method: Over 2,000 employees of a large corporation in the travelling and tourism industry were studied with three different types of working environment (confined, typical office and well ventilated) by two structured questionnaires.

Results: The most affected group in terms of productivity and health was the group working in a confined area, whilst those working in a well-ventilated area were least affected. However, symptoms of the confined area group seemed to disappear faster. The infection rate appeared to vary according to work environment for the studied population.

Conclusion: Policies on preventive measures and early treatment are important for a corporation to reduce loss in productivity due to ILIs.     

The association of pain with labor force participation,absenteeism, and presenteeism in Spain

Abstract

Objectives:

The aims of this paper are to generate estimates of the association between the severity and frequency of pain in Spain and (i) labor force participation and workforce status and (ii) patterns of absenteeism and presenteeism for the employed workforce.

Methods:

Data are from the internet-based 2010 National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS). This survey covers both those who report experiencing pain in the last month as well as the no-pain population. An estimated 17.25% of adults in Spain report experiencing pain in the past month. A series of regression models are developed with the no-pain group as the reference category. The impact of pain, categorized by severity and frequency, is assessed within a labor supply framework for (i) labor force participation and (ii) absenteeism and presenteeism. Both binomial and multinomial logistic models are estimated.

Results:

The results demonstrate that severe and moderate pain has a significant, substantive, and negative association with labor force participation and, together with the experience of mild pain, a substantive impact on absenteeism and presenteeism within the employed workforce. Compared to no-pain controls, the strongest association is seen in the case of severe pain, notably severe daily pain and labor force participation (odds ratio 0.363; 95% CI: 0.206–0.637). The association of severe pain with labor force participation is also significant (odds ratio 0.356; 95% CI: 0.217–0.585). There is a clear gradient in the association of pain severity and frequency with labor force participation. The impact of pain is far greater than the potential impact of other health status measures (e.g., chronic comorbidities and BMI). Labor force participation is also adversely associated with pain experience. Persons reporting severe daily pain are far more likely not to be in the labor force (relative probabilities 0.339 vs 0.611). The experience of pain, notably severe and frequent pain, also outstrips the impact of other health status factors in absenteeism and presenteeism. In the former case, the odds ratio associated with severe daily pain is 16.216 (95% CI: 5.127–51.283), which contrasts to the odds ratio for the Charlson comorbidity index of 1.460 (95%CI: 1.279–1.666). Similar results hold for presenteeism. The contribution of moderate and mild pain to absenteeism and presenteeism is more marked than for labor force participation.

Conclusions:

The experience of pain, in particular severe daily pain, has a substantial negative impact both on labor force participation in Spain as well as reported absenteeism and presenteeism. As a measure of health status, it clearly has an impact that outstrips other health status measures. Whether or not pain is considered as a disease in its own right, the experience of chronic pain, as defined here, presents policy-makers with a major challenge. Programs to relieve the burden of pain in the community clearly have the potential for substantial benefits from societal, individual, and employer perspectives.