Female labour force participation and labour saving gadgets

Abstract

We show under what conditions women would migrate out of the household sector into formal sector jobs, in response to increased ability to use labour saving household gadgets, which raise the productivity of female labour engaged in household tasks. We model a small open economy with three outputs: one labour-intensive manufactured export (cloth), one capital-intensive intermediate good (gadgets) and one non-traded ‘household-sector good’ (meals) which requires both female labour and household gadgets for production. A terms-of-trade improvement capturing greater world demand for labour-intensive manufactured exports enables greater adoption of labour-saving household gadgets in response to changing relative prices. If the elasticity of substitution between female labour and household gadgets exceeds a threshold, this will result in women migrating from the household to formal sector employment. What matters is not the actual date of invention of these labour-saving appliances (female labour force participation may not grow significantly until long after) but their increased adoption by the small economy in response to changing relative prices.     

Economic impact of foreign labour

Over 2.3 mn foreign workers are now employed in the Federal Republic of Germany. They account for 10 p.c. of the total labour force. How many foreigners will work in the Federal Republic in future is necessarily a matter for conjecture. Labour market experts forecast that — depending on the rate at which the productive potential is used — between 2 and 2.8 mn foreign nationals will be constantly employed until 1985.     

Structure of the labour force

Labour force structure can be regarded as an important factor in analysing employment and unemployment problems in a developing economy. Specially in a country where data on the employment situation are very limited, characteristics regarding the structure of the labour force contribute a great deal to the understanding of employment problems.     

Problems of international labour cost comparisons

In the first half of the 1990s, the debate on Germany’s high labour costs flared up again as part of the discussion on Germany as an industrial location. With the strong depreciation of the D-Mark in the past two years and the change of course in wage policy, this debate has now subsided again to a certain extent. However, great attention is still paid to international labour cost comparisons, particularly as they often produce quite varied results. How are these differences to be explained? What are the problems involved in making international labour cost comparisons?     

LDCs and international division of labour

The following contribution represents a critical appraisal of the developing countries’ demands for a reform of the existing international division of labour which may help to find a better way of improving their position in the world trade system. It is based on a detailed analysis of the Japanese experiences in West European markets.     

Globalization,labour and prospects

This collection examined the impact of globalization on labour and its organization. The contributions were drawn from a variety of countries in the Asia Pacific and, based on the evidence presented, four major conclusions can be drawn. These conclusions are presented and discussed under the headings of universalism and determinism, deregulation and labour markets, labour's role in competitiveness, and labour organization. Such comparative work shows that, overall, globalization's terrain is uneven and contested and that labour and states are not the helpless victims of global economic forces.     

Ethical Aspects of Sponsorship

The paper regards sponsorship as an agreement, in which the sponsor undertakes an action with economic nature for the sake of a sponsored subject. Typical cases related to unethical conduct of sponsors and subjects are described, as well as some social contexts of sponsorship and its influence on the public opinion.     

Wages and additional labour costs

The international competitiveness of German industry, so greatly dependent on exports, is in large measure determined by the level of its labour costs in relation to those of its competitors in the world market, as its spokesmen never tire of pointing out. Dr. Salowski undertakes here an international comparison.     

International division of labour and structural unemployment

In INTERECONOMICS No. 12, 1975 the case for relocation of industries in developing countries was discussed by representatives of German industry. The following article deals with the same problem from the trade unions’ point of view.     

Sensory Aspects of Package Design

Packaging is a critical aspect of the marketing offer, with many implications for the multi-sensory customer experience. It can affect attention, comprehension of value, perception of product functionality, and also consumption, with important consequences for consumer experience and response. Thus, while it was once viewed as being useful only for product preservation and logistics, package design has evolved into a key marketing tool. We introduce the layered-packaging taxonomy that highlights new ways to think about product packaging. This taxonomy has two dimensions: the physicality dimension, which is composed of the outer–intermediate–inner packaging layers, and the functionality dimension, which is composed of the purchase–consumption packaging layers. We then build on this taxonomy to present an integrative conceptualization of the sensory aspects of package design as they affect key stages of customer experience.     

Some Institutional Aspects of Advertising

Abstract

According to the author, the public's attitude toward advertising is very low. Virginia H. Knauer. Special Assistant to the President for Consumer Affairs, discusses some of the reasons for this consumer outlook and how some advertisers have overcome consumer objections.     

Aspects of regional rural development

The priority previously given to urban areas by development programmes was replaced in the 1980s by efforts to implement deliberately targeted rural development. These often relatively complex projects showed less sustainable success than had been expected, however. What are the requirements for a regional rural development policy of the 1990s?