The sector bias of skill-biased technical change and the rising skill premium in transition economies

We test the hypothesis that the sector bias of skill biased technical change is important in explaining the rising relative wage of skilled workers in the manufacturing sector in three Central and Eastern European transition countries. The econometric results broadly confirm that the concentration of skill biased technical change in the skill intensive sectors had a significant effect on the skill premium in these transition countries.

Information and communication technology diffusion and skill upgrading in Korean industries

We examine the relationship between the directly observable indicator of new technology, information and communication technology (ICT) investment intensity, and skill upgrading by analyzing changes in employment and wage structure of 25 Korean industrial sectors over the 1993–1999 period. The estimation results indicate the following implications. First, although ICT expenditure and investment have increased sharply since 1993, it appears that ICT investment has begun to be complementarily combined with skilled labor only since 1996. Second, our results support the ‘limited substitution hypothesis’. ICT has substituted low-skilled non-production workers, whereas the increased demand for high-skilled workers is driven by ICT diffusion in the second sub-period. This asymmetric trend between high-skilled and low-skilled non-production workers in Korea reveals significant differences in comparison with the experiences of other OECD countries. Third, the existence of substitutability between ICT diffusion and low-skilled non-production workers in Korea may cast doubt on the appropriateness of the non-production workers' category, a category regarded as a proxy variable of high-skilled workers in most previous studies.     

Economic growth, skill-biased technical change and wage inequality: A model and estimations for the US and Europe

In recent literature skill-biased technical change has been viewed as a major cause for wage inequality. Some modelling and presentation of stylized facts have been undertaken for US time series data. A preliminary study of wage inequality in a model with knowledge as input in an aggregate production function has been presented by Riddell and Romer [General Purpose Technologies and Economic Growth, 1998, MIT Press]. Although some important forces determining wage inequality are widely accepted we know little about the quantitative impact of each source and differences across countries. We present a growth model of the Romer type with innovation-based technical change and two skill groups where the growth of knowledge, the relative supply of the two skill groups, externalities and substitution effects among the two groups are the driving forces for wage inequality. We undertake estimates for US time series data and contrast those estimates with results from some European countries. In particular, we compare parameter estimations for US and German time series data. The paper concludes that there is less wage inequality across skills in Europe in contrast to the US on the macroeconomic level. But, considering disaggregated data we observe some increases in inequality for Germany, too. Although our model reveals important variables for the explanation of wage inequality there may, however, also be other factors, such as trade unions, which have impacted the wage spread.     

Shifts and twists in the relative productivity of skilled labor

Skill-biased technical change is usually interpreted in terms of the efficiency parameters of skilled and unskilled labor. This implies that the relative productivity of skilled workers changes proportionally in all tasks. In contrast, we argue that technical changes also affect the curvature of the distribution of relative productivity. Building on Rosen (1978) [Rosen, S., 1978. Substitution and the division of labor. Economica 45, 235–250] tasks assignment model, this implies that not only the efficiency parameters of skilled and unskilled workers change, but also the elasticity of substitution between skill types of labor. Using data for the United States between 1963 and 2002, we find significant empirical support for a decrease in the elasticity of substitution at the end of the 1970s followed by an increase at the beginning of the 1990s. This pattern of the elasticity of substitution has contributed to the labor productivity slowdown in the mid-1970s through the 1980s and to a speedup in the 1990s.     

Technical and environmental efficiencies and best management practices in agriculture

An Input Distance Function (IDF) is estimated to empirically evaluate and analyse the technical and environmental efficiencies of 210 farms located in the Chaudière watershed (Quebec), where water quality problems are particularly acute because of the production of undesirable outputs that are jointly produced with agricultural products. The true IDF is approximated by a flexible translog functional form estimated using a full information maximum likelihood method. Technical and environmental efficiencies are disaggregated across farms and account for spatial variations. Our results show that there is a significant correlation between the two efficiencies. The IDF is used to compute the cumulative Malmquist productivity index and the Fisher index. The two indices are used to measure changes in technology, profitability, efficiency and productivity in response to the adoption of two selected Best Management Practices (BMPs) whose objective is to reduce water pollution. We found significant differences across BMPs regarding the direction and the magnitude of their effect.     

Skilled and unskilled wage dynamics in Italy in the 1990s: changes in individual characteristics,institutions, trade and technology

In this paper, we use individual micro data on workers combined with industry and regional data to study the wage dynamics of skilled and unskilled workers in Italy in the 1991–1998 period. In contrast to previous empirical studies, our data make it possible to analyse, within a single framework, the role of many of the factors indicated in the literature as possible determinants of skilled and unskilled wage dynamics: changes in the individual characteristics of workers, changes in labour market institutions, increasing international integration, and skill‐biased technological progress. Our results show that international integration, both in terms of trade in goods and in terms of international labour mobility, plays a role in determining the wage dynamics of skilled (white‐collar) and unskilled (blue‐collar) workers. Moreover, in line with labour economics research, our findings show that the individual characteristics of workers and the institutional variables are more relevant in explaining skilled and unskilled wage dynamics than wage differentials.     

我国全要素生产率变化解构及区域收敛性分析

笔者利用Malmquist生产力指数将1991年~2007年间中国29个省(自治区、直辖市)的全要素增长率按照构成分解为技术变动和技术效率变动,并对区域技术效率的收敛性进行了分析。结果表明:(1)以1997年为界限,东部、中部和西部三大区域的全要素生产率和技术变动均呈现先升后降的趋势,而技术效率在整个研究期间都是逐步降低的。(2)技术变动解释了全要素增长率区域差异的75%,技术效率变动则解释了剩余的25%。1997年之前的全要素生产率及其构成因素的变化有利于缩小地区生产差距,1997年之后则成为区域差距扩大的重要原因之一。(3)29个省份之间以及三大区域内部各省份之间的技术效率随时间变化均呈现出明显的发散趋势。     

Technical and scale efficiencies of meat goat farms in the USA

This study determines i) scale and technical efficiencies, ii) marginal productive contributions for inputs and outputs and iii) efficiency drivers of meat goat farms in the USA. We estimate an input distance function (IDF) using a stochastic production frontier (SPF) technique. The average technical efficiency (TE) for the USA meat goat whole farm was 0.74. The operator education level, percentage of annual net farm income from the goat operation, regional differences and holding of an off farm job are the efficiency drivers of USA meat goat farms. We find increasing returns to scale (RTS) for USA meat goat farms. Our results suggest that USA meat goat farms can be scale efficient if their optimal size of operation is greater than approximately 64 goats or greater than 40 breeding does. Empirical Monte Carlo (MC) simulation techniques show the consistency of finite-sample properties for the input distance function.     

中国工业劳动生产率分解及其对地区收入差距的影响研究

用非参数生产前沿方法将我国1978-2007年工业劳动生产率增长分解为效率变化、技术变化、物质资本和人力资本变化的贡献四个部分,并用方差分解方法估算了各部分对地区工业劳动生产率增长差异的贡献,然后采用核密度分布方法分析了上述四个部分对工业劳动生产率差距以及三次产业对地区收入差距的影响。研究发现:(1)物质资本积累是我国工业劳动生产率增长和地区差距的主要来源,人力资本积累的贡献较小;(2)效率虽然对工业劳动生产率增长的贡献较小,但却是工业劳动生产率地区差异的重要原因;(3)技术是要素非中性的,且技术进步主要发生在有效劳均资本较高的地区。(4)1978-1992年期间,地区收入差距主要来自农业劳动生产率增长差异,而在1992-2007年期间,地区收入差距则主要来自工业劳动生产率增长差异。     

劳动力迁移、人力资本与农业技术进步分析

采用比较分析法和数据包络分析法（DEA）,分析了劳动力迁移、人力资本与农业技术进步之间的关系。认为劳动力迁移有利于劳动力人力资本水平的提高;农业技术效率在短期内受到物质资本投入、劳动力素质等因素的强性约束。长期来看,约束因子会不断放松;劳动力迁移对迁入地的农业技术进步是有贡献的。     

农村劳动力流动的过去、现在和未来

回顾新中国成立以来农村劳动力流动的历史,世界上还没有哪个国家像中国一样,在推进现代化过程中,伴随如此大规模人口的迁移,并且在今后很长一段时间还将继续保持,并指出农村劳动力流动对中国的经济崛起发挥了重要作用。而当前农村劳动力转移也在发生变化,这是基于中国的政策变迁、地方政府行为和劳动者自身行为的变化所导致的。未来中国的城市化和工业化能否深度推进,农村劳动力流动起着重要作用。适时调整政策以适应农村劳动力流动的变迁将是对中国政府新的考验,如果成功,将走出中国独特的农村劳动力迁移道路。     

Openness,productivity and growth in the APEC economies

The 1980s and 1990s have witnessed the emergence of many Asian economies as important traders in the world. How has openness to trade and investment affected productivity and growth performance in those economies? This question is often tackled with the traditional growth regression method. However, the findings in the existing literature are still inconclusive. This paper proposes an alternative approach which is employed to examine the impact of openness on the sources of productivity and growth in the APEC economies. Specifically, the proposed technique distinguishes technological progress (innovation) from efficiency changes (catch-up) and attempts to isolate the influences of openness on these two distinct factors. The findings in this study may help gain fresh insight into the relationship between openness and productivity and growth performance in the APEC economies.First revision received: July 2001/Final revision received: May 2003The author thanks two anonymous referees for very helpful comments.     

Informality and productivity in the labor market in Peru

This article analyzes the evolution of informal employment in Peru from 1986 to 2001.

Contrary to what one would expect, the informality rates increased steadily during the 1990s despite the introduction of flexible contracting mechanisms, a healthy macroeconomic recovery, and tighter tax codes and regulation. We explore different factors that may explain this upward trend including the role of labor legislation and labor allocation between/within sectors of economic activity. Finally, we illustrate the negative correlation between productivity and informality by evaluating the impacts of the Youth Training PROJOVEN Program that offers vocational training to disadvantaged young individuals. We find significant training impacts on the probability of formal employment for both males and females.     

改革开放以来我国劳动关系发展的问题及对策

改革开放以来,我国劳动关系经历了不断变化和发展的过程。但在现阶段,我国劳资力量仍然存在较大的不平衡,劳动者处于相对劣势的地位,劳动者权益也受到较大影响,劳资关系中存在诸多亟待解决的问题。解决的办法主要是要完善劳动法律法规,从制度上明确并完善三方协调机制,以求建立起公平、公正、和谐的劳动关系。     

我国城乡间产业的迁移与分工协调发展

城乡产业分工与协调发展是社会生产力发展到一定阶段的必然趋势,也是消除城乡差别、实现城乡一体化发展的有效途径。在我国进入工业反哺农业、城市支持农村的发展新阶段后,我国城乡产业需要重新进行发展定位,并在城乡间进行产业的迁移和布局调整,以突破城市搞工业、农村搞农业的旧格局,引导城市非农产业和资本进入农村地区,使农民和农村地区能够分享工业化和城市化的巨大收益。这种城乡产业的迁移与调整应顺应产业组织演进和产业分工的新趋势,进行产业链层面的分工与重新布局,在城乡之间建立起一体化的产业体系,并最终形成我国产业体系与产业组织体系、城镇等级体系三者协调发展的局面。为此,在宏观层面需要政府推进制度创新和技术创新,深化体制改革,加快农村地区的基础设施建设,构建起城乡间产业分工发展的制度基础和物质基础;在微观层面则需要企业加快组织转型与创新,形成城乡间新型的产业网络组织。     

Innovation and growth: supply and demand factors in the recent US expansion

It is widely held that the social-economic context of the US,characterised by labour market flexibility and deregulationof product and capital markets, lies at the basis of the innovativecapacity displayed by the country's productive system in the1990s, thus accounting for the growth differential with Europe.Starting from a different interpretative model of innovationand growth, the paper focuses on both supply (institutionaland technological) and demand factors. It is argued that, whentheir interaction is taken into account, there is no strongevidence that more deregulated labour and product markets areamong the factors allowing for US growth. In accordance withthe view that there is no single road to innovation and growth,this leaves room for the exploration and implementation of policiesthat might reconcile innovation and growth with safeguards suchas those provided by Europe's social institutions.     

珠三角地区资本结构与劳资关系的实证研究

根据资本-劳动替代的“拐点论”,经济发展的初期总是伴随着物质资本的积累,物质资本将在相当长的时期占据经济增长的主导地位;由于资本劳动的边际替代率递减,当物质资本积累处于一定阶段,产生对人力资本更多需求,人力资本则成为这个时期的主要资本;只有在经济持续发展,政治文明发展到一定程度,信任、规范、网络和社会公德等社会资本才有可能成为推动经济发展的主导力量。珠三角地区城市的劳资关系在近30年均处于下降趋势,物质资本总体处于上升趋势,人力资本意义上的劳动力尤其是高层次高素质的劳动力较缺乏;社会资本可以显著的促进物质资本和人力资本的积累,物质资本水平的提高并不必然产生人力资本积累和社会资本积累的结果,人力资本积累也不必然促进社会资本的发展。需要转变经济发展方式,为资本演化创造物质条件,促进人力资本和社会资本积累,并在企业管理层面上促进合作型劳资关系的形成。     

The Emerging eSport Market:Analyzing the Impact of Virtual and Augmented Reality

This article explores the impact of immersive technologies like virtual and augmented reality on video game competitions.These electronic games are structured u...     

A comparison of clustering dynamics in the US and UK computer industries

This paper compares the dynamics of the process by which geographical clusters emerge in the US and UK computer industries, by modelling the evolution of firm growth and entry. In both countries, new companies are attracted by industry strength in particular sub-sectors in a particular region. Moreover, incumbent firms located in a cluster that is strong in their own sub-sector of the industry tend to grow faster than average. While there are some second order differences between the models estimated for the US and the UK, it appears that the dynamics of clustering are similar. In particular, there is no evidence that clustering effects are weaker in the UK than in the US.     

Trend shifts in the forward premium and the predictability of excess returns in currency markets

This article provides evidence that the forward premium involves structural changes in the trend function, which might affect the predictability of currency excess returns to be dependent on the choice of the sample period. Accounting for the shifts in trend for the forward premium reveals that currency excess returns for the Canadian dollar, Swiss franc, euro and pound against the US dollar are significantly predictable irrespective of the sample period selected. Another advantage of detrending the forward premium is that we can obtain more consistent slope coefficient estimates in the predictive regression, which enables us to make more consistent, dependable inferences about the excess return predictability.