On the optimal choice of capital intensity in LDCs with migration

"Sen's classic work on the choice of capital intensity of investment is generalized in the light of new theoretical developments and empirical findings concerning rural-to-urban migration in LDCs. This is done by explicitly incorporating a migration function into the basic choice model. Revised conditions for maximization of surplus are derived and compared with Sen's original condition. Some justification for the particular migration function used in the presence of risk-aversion is suggested."     

Right-to-Work Laws and Geographic Differences in Living Costs: Comment

A bstract . M. Reynolds and M. Edwards , commenting on R. J. Cebula's study of geographic differences in living costs in states with Right-to-Work Laws , seek to extend his results and explore the relevance of alternative variables. Cebula, in reply, addresses the comment and re-estimates the living cost impact of such laws, taking into account additional factors. Even after allowing for additional South/non-South differences , Cebula reports, the original basic model is resilient.     

Ein Index zur numerischen Bestimmung der Niveau-Eigenschaft eines psychologischen Tests

Zusammenfassung Es wird ein Index definiert, der den Grad, in dem ein Intelligenz- oder Leistungstest die Eigenschaften und Bedingungen eines ideal-typischen Niveau-Tests erfüllt, kennzeichnet. Der Index variiert in den Grenzen von 0 bis 1, wobei der Wert 0 einem idealtypischen Schnelligkeitstest (Speed-Test) und der Wert 1 einem idealtypischen Niveau-Test entspricht. Dieser Index kann aufgrund einer einmaligen Testdurchführung bestimmt werden; er ist abh?ngig von der Zeitbegrenzung des Testes und vom Leistungsniveau der untersuchten Stichprobe. Es wird vorgeschlagen, einen Test mitw> > 0,7 als Niveautest, einen solchen mitw<0,3 als Schnelligkeitstest zu bewerten. Die Berechnung vonw wird an Hand bekannter Tests demonstriert und einige Anwendungsbeschr?nkungen er?rtert.

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Summary An index (w) for determining a test as to its degree of being a speed or a power test is proposed varying like a coefficient of correlation from zero to one. This index may be derived from a single testing a posteriori. It is dependent on the given time limit and on the achievement level of the sample tested. From empirical evidence it is suggested to accept a test with an indexw>0,7 as a power test and a test withw<0,3 as a speed test. Numerical examples for calculatingw are given and some restrictions for its application are discussed.

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Herrn Prof. H. Münzner (Berlin) danken die Verfasser für die Durchsicht des Manuskriptes und für seine wertvollen Anregungen.     

Work and Welfare in Economics:

Abstract . Today's conventional economics typically ignores the impact of alternative forms of work organization upon the welfare of the worker. In effect, its methodology is concerned with the welfare of the individual as a consumer, but not with the welfare of the individual as a worker. Hence, welfare conclusions of economics are subject to challenge on grounds of being incomplete. Whether the worker is alienated or achieves self-fulfillment, etc., stands in no necessary relationship to either the formal lines of enterprise ownership, political ideology or form of economic system. Questions of authority and power in work organizations and the workplace conditions affecting the worker on the job transcend them.     

Research notes and communications corporate restructuring and strategic change: The effect on diversification strategy and R & D intensity

In the 1980s a number of large corporations restructured their diversified businesses through divestitures. It is hypothesized that restructuring activity focused on firms at intermediate levels of diversification (e.g., related-linked) which have a mixture of related and unrelated business units. Results confirm this hypothesis which explains that such mixed corporate strategies create organizational and control inefficiencies in managing both related and unrelated types of business units. Restructured firms were also found to move towards two types of different internal capital markets (related and unrelated). Most restructuring firms moved toward lower levels of diversification (e.g., related-constrained), although some moved toward higher levels of diversification (e.g., unrelated business). Also, this study finds restructuring firms that changed their corporate strategy by reducing diversified scope increased their R&D intensity. Firms that restructured and increased their diversified scope decreased R&D intensity. This result suggested a partial substitution between diversification and R&D activity.     

The impact of SARS on China's human resources: implications for the labour market and level of unemployment in the service sector in Beijing,Guangzhou and Shanghai

In this paper, we examine the effects of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) on China's human resources, its labour-market and its level of employment and unemployment, looking specifically at what was one of its economically most vulnerable points, the hotel industry. The paper hypothesizes that the greatest impact would be on human resources in the service-industries and on particular sub-sectors, such as employment in hotels, located in three main cities in the PRC, in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, catering to both overseas as well as domestic tourism. It tentatively concludes that the almost dramatic demand and supply ‘shocks’ may have directly affected both the demand for and the supply of labour in the sub-sector, with discernable employment consequences.     

The “frequency divide”: implications for internet-based surveys

Those who use the internet more frequently are more likely to notice a request to participate in a survey than less frequent users. The frequency of internet use is thus likely to affect the likelihood of participation in internet-based surveys. If frequent and infrequent users are different in relevant features, this could influence survey estimates. This study aims to identify which demographic characteristics most differentiate frequent and infrequent users of the internet and whether those distinctions have an influence on substantive responses. The effect of internet usage frequency when conducting internet-based surveys on specific subgroups of the population is also examined. Results suggest that frequent and infrequent users are different both in demographic characteristics and substantive estimates. Differences in substantive estimates are also found when comparing frequent and infrequent users in the 15–24 years subgroup. Weighting can reduce the discrepancies found for most of the substantive estimates, but the differences between frequent and infrequent users remain statistically significant for some specific items.