Corporate mergers and union wage premiums

Corporate mergers possibly enhance the labor negotiation advantage of employers. This study investigates the association between wage levels and merger activity to test the employer bargaining strength hypothesis. The results indicate significantly lower union wages as a consequence of merging. Merger activity, however, does not influence wage levels of non-union workers. These findings are supportive of the employer bargaining strength hypothesis.     

Marginal risk aversion and preferences in a betting market

An individual's behavioural attitudes toward variance and non-symmetry in the payoff distributions of pari-mutuel gambles are empirically examined using the von Neumann - Morgenstern expected utility of wealth paradigm. Preferences over payoff distributions for a representative bettor are estimated from observed payoffs at a greyhound racetrack. The results indicate that the representative bettor exhibits increasing absolute risk aversion and, given that the representative bettor is locally non-satiated with regard to wealth, exhibits preference for variance and aversion to positive skewness in the payoff distributions of the gambles examined.     

Specific factors,unemployment and trade theory

Conclusions In this paper we have argued that the specific-factor model of trade is more suitable to the analysis of trade problems in the presence of unemployment than the traditional Heckscher-Ohlin, non-specific factor model used by Brecher and others. Among other things we have shown that protection granted to a land-using industry is unlikely to reduce unemployment, benefiting landlords at the expense of capitalists, while protection conferred to a non-land-using industry is likely to stimulate employment.

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Zusammenfassung Spezifische Faktoren, Arbeitslosigkeit und Theorie des internationalen Handels. - In diesem Aufsatz wird ein Zwei-Sektoren-Modell bei allgemeiner Arbeitslosigkeit konstruiert und in das Hauptgeb?ude der Au\enhandelstheorie integriert. Ein Vorzug des Modells ist, da\ es den Produktionsfaktor Boden nicht ignoriert, den die moderne Au\enhandelstheorie als praktisch nicht existent behandelt. Unter anderem zeigt das Modell, da\ eine Protektion von Industrien, die Land und Boden nutzen, der Protektion anderer Industrien unterlegen ist und da\ deshalb der Schutz bodennutzender Industrien vor ausl?ndischer Konkurrenz wahrscheinlich die Arbeitslosigkeit vergr?\ert.

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Résumé Facteurs spécifiques, ch?mage et théorie de commerce extérieur. - Dans cet article les auteurs construisent un modèle à deux secteurs en présence du ch?mage général et ils l’intègrent avec le cadre principal de la théorie du commerce international. Une qualité de ce modèle est qu’il n’ignore pas le facteur de production ?terre? qui est traité par la théorie moderne du commerce extérieur comme presque non-existant. Entre autres choses, le modèle démontre que la protection en faveur des industries qui utilisent le facteur terre est inférieure à la protection en faveur des autres industries, et c’est pourquoi la protection des industries qui utilisent le facteur terre probablement mène à un accroissement du ch?mage.

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Resumen Factores específicos, desempleo y teoría del comercio. - En este trabajo se construye un modelo bisectorial en presencia de desempleo generalizado compatible con el cuerpo central de la teoría del comercio internacional. Una virtud de este modelo es que no ignora el factor ?tierra?, que es tratado como si no existiera por la teoría moderna del comercio. Entre otras cosas, este modelo muestra que la protección dada a sectores industriales que insumen tierra es inferior a la dada a otras industrias y que por lo tanto la protección de industrias que insumen tierra trente a la competencia extranjera podrfa contribuír a aumentar el desempleo.

     

Predicting capacity utilization: Federal Reserve vs time-series models

This study evaluates the Federal Reserve forecasts of manufacturing capacity utilization employing, as benchmarks, the forecasts from a univariate model which utilizes past information in capacity utilization, and from a bivariate model which utilizes past information in both capacity utilization and the federal funds rate. In addition to accurately predicting the directional change in capacity utilization, the Federal Reserve forecasts are “weakly” rational and generally superior to the bivariate forecasts. In light of another finding that monetary policy is non-neutral, we argue the Federal Reserve forecasts of capacity utilization have positively contributed to the Fed’s success in maintaining a low inflationary environment.

Urban unemployment, informal sector and development policies

We analyze the effects of wage subsidy policies on unemployment and welfare in the model that is characterized by the existence of both open unemployment and the informal sector that producesfinal goods. Our main findings are as follows. Wage subsidies to the agricultural and informal sectors increase welfare and decrease urban unemployment. The effects of a wage subsidy to manufacturing sector on welfare and unemployment are conditional. We identify some sufficient conditions for the definite results and interpret them.     

Downsizing, wage inequality and welfare in a developing economy

This paper focuses on the cost cutting effects of firm downsizing in a developing economy. Using a dualistic production structure to depict a developing economy, the impacts of downsizing on wage inequality and social welfare are examined. Downsizing is revealed to not only narrow the wage gap between skilled and unskilled labor but also to raise the level of manufactured output and reduce the unemployment ratio in the urban sector. These effects improve the social welfare of the economy.     

Single‐loop project controls: Reigning paradigms or straitjackets?

This article reports on the results from an ongoing research program to study the role mental models play in project decision making. Project management belongs to the class of multiloop nonlinear feedback systems, but most managers do not see it that way. Our experimental results suggest that managers adopt simplistic single‐loop views of causality, ignore multiple feedback interactions, and are insensitive to nonlinearities. Specifically, the article examines single‐loop models of project planning and control, discusses their limitations, and proposes tools to address them.