Respect and relational contracts

Assuming that people care not only about what others do but also on what others think, we study respect in a labor market context where the length of the employment relationship is endogenous. In our three-stage gift-exchange experiment, the employer can express respect by giving the employee costly symbolic rewards after observing his level of effort. We study whether symbolic rewards are used by the employers mainly to praise employees or as a coordination device to build relational contracts by manipulating the balance between labor demand and supply in the market. We find that a high proportion of long-term relationships have been initiated by the assignment of symbolic rewards. However, the assignment of symbolic rewards decreases when it becomes clear that the relationship is durable, suggesting that employers mainly use symbolic rewards as a coordination device to initiate relational contracts. Compared to the balanced market condition, assigning symbolic rewards in initial relationships is less likely when there is excess demand in the market and more likely when there is excess supply, i.e., when the relationship is more valuable. Receiving symbolic rewards increases the employees’ likelihood of accepting to continue the relationship with the same employer. It also motivates them to increase their effort further but only when the market is balanced. Overall, the ability to assign symbolic rewards does not give rise to higher profits because it is associated with lower rents offered to the employees on average, leading to lower effort levels.     

Labor policies and capital mobility in theory and in EMU

Europe׳s Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) was characterized by large international imbalances and uneven national labor market reforms. In this paper׳s model, labor policies that aim to increase the welfare of capital-poor individuals within each country are influenced by financial integration across differently capital-abundant countries. The model predicts that capital outflows should be associated with labor market deregulation, as was the case in EMU, and helps interpret inequality developments and policy tensions in that experience.     

Wage Determination and Occupational Attainment in the Rural Industrial Sector of China

The development of China's rural township, village, and private enterprises (TVP), in which real wages have grown at around 11% per annum over the past decade, is one of the most remarkable achievements of China's economic reform. This achievement has taken place despite relatively rigid control of labor mobility and job assignment by local authorities. Individual firms, however, have considerable influence over wage determination. This study applies human capital theory to explore the wage setting process in this sector. It is found that the impact of both labor market experience and education reflect labor productivity rather than sociopolitical rules of wage setting. The paper employs a logit model to investigate the links between education and occupational attainment. The relationship between wages, education, and occupational attainment, for those who find jobs through their own efforts, is similar to that of western market economies. Although education does not affect wages of those assigned jobs it affects their occupational attainment.     

Reforms,Finance, and Current Accounts

We analyze the implications of labor market reforms for an open economy's human capital investment and future production. A stylized model shows that labor market deregulation can imply more positive current‐account balances if financial markets are imperfect and labor market institutions not only distort labor allocation, but also smooth income. Empirically, in Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) country‐level panel data, we find that labor market deregulation has been positively related to current‐account surpluses on average and more strongly so when and where financial market access was more limited. These results are robust to inclusion of standard determinants of current‐account imbalances, and do not appear to be driven by cyclical phenomena.     

A generalized Okun's Law: Uncovering the myth of China's labor market resilience

A stable labor market is a policy priority for most countries, especially after the burst of the global financial crisis. Unlike most countries, the labor market in China appears to be holding up well, despite sharp slowdown in economic growth. This paper argues that there are underlying fundamental mechanisms that help explain the resilience of China's labor market. The key to understanding labor market dynamics in China is that rural‐to‐urban migrant flows are more sensitive to growth than urban workers in the process of fast urbanization, which serves as a main shock absorber to buffer employment against adverse shocks. Therefore, we propose a generalized Okun's Law (GOL) that incorporates migrant flows with unemployment rates to capture the relation between labor market dynamics and economic cycles. The original Okun's Law can be regarded as a special case of the GOL for developed countries that have already completed urbanization. Conducting empirical analysis with both China's national‐ and city‐level data and cross‐country panel data, we find strong evidence supporting the GOL theory. Findings in the paper have implications for a deeper understanding of the wisdom of Okun's Law and its application in labor market policies.     

The long-term effects of job search requirements: Evidence from the UK JSA reform

This paper investigates long-term returns from unemployment compensation, exploiting variation from the UK JSA reform of 1996, which implied a major increase in job search requirements for eligibility and in the related administrative hurdle. Search theory predicts that such changes should raise the proportion of nonclaimant nonemployed, with consequences on search effort and labor market attachment, and lower the reservation wage of the unemployed, with negative effects on post-unemployment wages. I test these ideas on longitudinal data from social security records (LLMDB). Using a difference in differences approach, I find that individuals who start an unemployment spell soon after JSA introduction, as opposed to 6 months earlier, are 2.5–3% more likely to move from unemployment into Incapacity Benefits spells, and 4–5% less likely to have positive earnings in the following year. This latter employment effect only vanishes 4 years after the initial unemployment shock. Also, annual earnings for the treated individuals are lower than for the non-treated. These results suggest that while tighter search requirements were successful in moving individuals off unemployment benefits, they were not successful in moving them onto stable or better jobs, with fairly long-lasting unintended consequences on a number of labor market outcomes.     

异质性与跨国公司的战略选择

新新贸易理论将公司异质性引入到国际贸易理论中,从微观层面解释了公司国际化的战略选择。但它们通常假定两国是同质的,所以公司国际化的选择仅局限于出IZl贸易和水平型直接投资。本文构建了三国模型,考察了跨国公司的三种战略选择模式。理论研究表明,生产率最高的公司选择水平型直接投资,生产率较高的公司选择出口平台直接投资,生产率较低的公司选择出口贸易,生产率最低的公司只供应国内市场。发达国家的相对工人工资水平越高、发展中国家建厂成本越小,选择出口和水平型直接投资的公司会越少,而选择出口平台的直接投资公司会越多。     

ABILITY AND AGE-INCOME PROFILES

This paper is devoted to the personal distribution of income. The focus is on the relation between individual age and income and on the observed regularities in these age-income profiles. Empirically, age-income profiles show marked differences by occupation and by education. In general, with increasing levels of education both the level and the slope of the age-income profile increase; there is also a tendency of the variance of income to increase with age. Explanations of these facts are discussed. The human capital model is found defective in two ways: direct measurement of capital formation that occurs through on-the-job training is not feasible and the demand side of the labor market is ignored. Lydall's approach stressing the role of ability development is considered promising, yet lacking a theoretic integration of the relevant factors. The relation between education and ability is also reviewed. It is concluded that IQ is an important variable associated with educational attainment, but that its explanatory power with respect to earnings in addition to length of schooling is almost negligible. Moreover, its development over age cannot be held responsible for the age-income profile, since its peak is far too early. Ability as a multidimensional concept appears attractive, though empirical problems are manifold. Finally, interesting direct empirical evidence on productivity development with experience is found in the literature on the learning curve. In certain jobs, where productivity can be measured directly, increasing experience on the job produces an asymptotic productivity profile. In the final section the conclusions are reviewed and used to briefly indicate a new theory. According to this theory, capabilities are the key variables in the labor market. Individual preferences regarding employment of these capabilities guide decisions about job choice. The labor market rewards capabilities and capability development over age explains the age-income profile.     

劳动力市场分割的可持续性研究

本文借鉴经济学中的内生技术进步理论,从历史变迁的视角对劳动力市场分割的可持续性进行了研究。研究结果表明,我国劳动力市场分割持续存在的原因在于我国劳动力市场分割存在一个局部正反馈的循环系统。我国劳动力市场分割导致劳动密集型产业快速发展,而劳动密集型产业的快速发展又导致我国人力资本收益的减小和人力资本投资量的不足,从而进一步加剧劳动力市场分割程度。因此,退出这个循环是缓解我国劳动力市场分割程度的关键。     

对马克思按分配原则的反思

马克思的劳动价值论不仅是剩余价值的理论基础和分析资本主义分配的理论依据，同时也是马克思设想的社会主义按劳分配的逻辑起点。只是以往我们对按劳分配原则的最本质的含义理解不够透彻。实质上，应该说马克思设想的按劳分配原则最本质的内容包括三点，即在未来的社会主义社会中，个人消费品的分配以劳动量的大小为依据，等量劳动获取等量报酬，承认能力本位。在社会主义市场经济条件下的按劳分配原则，仍然没有偏离这三点本质的含义，但已经有了新的特点和形式。     

中国劳动力市场发育与就业变化

本文通过梳理关于劳动力市场发育和就业状况的统计数据,并结合微观调查数据,对城乡就业增长和结构变化进行了描述,批评了传统的关于"就业零增长"、"农村剩余劳动力一成不变"等判断。本文提供了有关劳动力市场的指标,准确地反映了伴随着经济增长和改革开放的深入,劳动力市场发育水平的提高、就业总量增长和结构多元化、以及城镇就业压力的缓解和农村剩余劳动力大幅度减少的事实。此外,本文还通过对人口转变过程的阐释,预测了劳动力市场供求的变化趋势,做出刘易斯转折点即将到来的判断,并揭示了这个转折点对中国经济持续增长提出的挑战。     

The impact of regional and sectoral labor market conditions on wages and labor supply — An empirical analysis for married women using West-German Panel data

In this paper we examine the effects of regional and industry specific labor market indicators on wages and labor supply of married females. Based on the standard life cycle labor supply theory we derive a two equation censored panel model and estimate it using the Minimum Distance Method.For our empirical analysis we use four waves (1984–1987) of West German Panel data merged with regional indicators and industry specific demand side indicators. We obtain the result that, unlike industry specific indicators, regional demand side conditions have virtually no significant effect on market wages but that a direct effect of regional labor market conditions on labour supply remains. We conclude that regional labor market conditions can directly constrain the individual labor supply decision.     

Labor theory of value and the uncertainty in capitalist economy

This article aims to offer a reply to Steedman’s critique of Marx’s labor theory of value. Although this critique having been there for about three decades, the anti-critiques from Marxists are up to date flawed with fatal limitation, losing sight of an important dimension of labor theory of value, i.e., without taking it as a theoretical tool of understanding the uncertainty rooted in capitalist mode of production. The first part of this article reviews the controversy initiated by Steedman. Part 2 discusses Marx’s dual theory of market value and Rubin’s interpretation. Our view is that, if Rubin’s interpretation is accepted, a refutation of Steedman’s critique towards Marx will be impossible. Part 3 of this article explores the possible reconstruction of market value in the perspective of the dynamics in the pivoting of market value. We concludes that, the relationship between the standard condition of production and value is not, as argued by Steedman, of deterministic and one-directional character. For Marx, labor theory of value is applied to analyze the uncertain relation between the means and the end, the condition and the result of capitalist production. Meanwhile, another reply is attempted towards the negative comment on labor theory of value made by contemporary evolutionary economist such as Hodgson. In our view, Marx’s labor theory of value is not irrelevant as claimed by Hodgson to the main topics of evolutionary economics such as variety and “natural selection.” It is through labor theory of value that Marx explains the co-evolution of technology and economy.     

Directed search with heterogeneous firms: an experimental study

Directed search models labor markets where workers observe wages before deciding where they will apply. This paper tests this model for the case of heterogeneous firms in a laboratory experiment. The theory predicts that more productive firms offer higher wages and workers apply more often to these higher wages. In consequence, more productive firms are more likely to match and the market is more efficient than the prediction of an alternative model where search is random. The main results of the experiment are that average firms offer wages that are close to or a little lower than the theoretical predictions but highly variable and workers apply more often to high offers but not to the extent predicted. The markets are no more efficient than random search predicts, because of the variation in wage offers.     

Employment cycles, low income work and the dynamic impact of wage regulations. A macro perspective

In this paper we investigate, against the background of Goodwin??s (1967) growth cycle model, a dual labor market economy and the consequences of introducing an unemployment benefit system and minimum wages in the second labor market and a maximum wage barrier in the first one. In the framework with free ??hiring?? and firing?? in the both labor markets we show (a) that in fact maximum real wages in the first labor market not only reduce the volatility of this labor market, but also provide global stability to the system dynamics if they are locally explosive, and (b) that larger fluctuations in employment can be made (at least partially) socially acceptable through a (workfare oriented) unemployment benefit system augmented by minimum wage in the low income segment of the labor market.     

劳动力市场搜寻与匹配理论——2010年诺贝尔经济学奖得主的重要贡献

彼得.戴蒙德、戴尔.莫滕森和克里斯托弗.皮萨里德斯三人因在劳动力市场搜寻与匹配理论及其应用的突出贡献,共同获得2010年诺贝尔经济学奖。其中,戴蒙德通过提出著名的戴蒙德悖论,开创了劳动力市场搜寻与匹配理论框架;在此基础上,莫滕森认为,建立工资公告等匹配机制有助于劳动力市场博弈实现均衡,从而拓展了摩擦性失业相关理论研究;而皮萨里德斯则通过推动匹配函数与工资议价等的确立,进一步完成了劳动力市场搜寻与匹配理论的系统化过程。借鉴该理论,中国劳动力市场应做出提高信息传播效率、提高农村的信息水平、政府制定针对性相关政策等改进。     

The stationary wealth distribution under progressive taxation

This paper considers the long-run distribution of capital holdings in a model with complete asset markets and progressive taxation. Households are assumed to be heterogeneous in their labor market productivity. We show that this model is capable of producing a nondegenerate determinate wealth distribution. However, it also predicts that capital and labor income will be negatively correlated. These results are robust to the introduction of elastic labor supply and borrowing constraints.     

Differences in Work Hours and Hours Preferences by Race in the U.S.

Significant differences exist in actual and preferred work hours by race. Specifically, black males work 20 percent fewer annual hours than white males. The differences between black and white women are small. Black workers are significantly more likely than white workers to prefer additional work and fewer are satisfied with their current hours of work. I use the hours-inequality hypothesis of Bell and Freeman (1995,1997) to evaluate the extent to which race differences in work hours and hours preferences are related to race differences in incentives. I demonstrate that whereas white workers work longer hours in response to overall wage variation in their relevant labor market cell, black workers react to the wage variation among black workers but not to the variation overall. The fact that labor market incentives are different for otherwise similar black and white workers is difficult to reconcile with standard competitive theory.     

Exploring different measures of wage flexibility in a developing economy context: the case for Turkey

In this paper we use Turkish household labor force data to address a number of conceptual issues pertaining to the wage curve, an empirically derived negative relationship between the real wage level and the local unemployment rate. First, we show that in developing economies where labor markets are prone to high degree of segmentation by skill level, local unemployment rates disaggregated by education provide more accurate measures of the degree of group-specific wage competition and hence yield more robust results of the wage curve analyses. Second, we estimate the wage curve using various definitions of the unemployment rate, including discouraged and marginally attached workers, and the long-term unemployment rate to explore the most relevant measure of local labor market tension in the wage setting process. We find that broader definitions of unemployment serve as a more effective reference point in measuring wage flexibility for women, whose attachment to the labor market is substantially weak in the Turkish context; while for men the official and long-term unemployment rates perform well. Finally, using quantile regression we show that wage responsiveness to unemployment cannot be assumed to be constant along the wage distribution. In the Turkish case, we find a higher unemployment elasticity of wages around the median segment of wage distribution. This effect is more pronounced for women.     

How does legislative behavior change when the country becomes democratic? The case of South Korea

The Political Legislation Cycle theory predicts a peak of legislative production in the pre-electoral period, when legislators focus on voters’ welfare to be reelected. This paper verifies the theory on South Korean legislative production (1948–2016); it is the first test of the theory in a country undergoing a process of democratization, thus providing evidence relevant also for the conditional political cycles literature. Two insofar untested hypotheses are verified: 1) peaks of legislative production should increase with the degree of democracy; 2) as the party system and the mechanisms of legislative checks and balances develop, the PLC should become more evident in bills of legislative rather than executive’s initiative. A hurdle model estimated on both laws of parliamentary proposal and of government assignment lends empirical support to both hypotheses, with the noticeable feature that PLC in Korea appear more in the form of an upward trend than of pre-electoral peaks.