Dualistic Discourse and Immigration Policy

Abstract:

The central question in immigration policy is whether to support less immigration through more “restrictive” laws and procedures or whether to support more immigration through a “relaxation” of existing laws. Recently, however, a second debate has arisen on one side of this debate regarding the appropriate types of arguments that may be used to support “restrictive” immigration. Ross Douthat refers to this dispute as the “race versus economics” question: using “race-based” arguments is not legitimate; while an “economic” or a “fact-based” argument is regarded as legitimate. We argue that this distinction in anti-immigration rhetoric is more apparent than real. Using the two most common historical “tropes” in immigration policy, “criminal” and “worker,” we find that racist, anti-ethnic, and classist assumptions pervade U.S. immigration law and policy and have been far more influential in formulating actual policy than either economic or “fact-based” analysis. The central problem with restrictive immigration policy is that its primary purpose is to determine who is eligible to be an American, and who is not; in other words, immigration policy is, by its fundamental intent, invidious. The question is whether it is possible to exclude individuals on these “legitimate” grounds without relying on “illegitimate” invidious distinctions?     

Transaction costs,opportunism, and governance: Contextual considerations and future research opportunities

Transaction cost theory (TCT) is one of the most dominant theoretical perspectives in contemporary business-to-business (B2B) research. Our article provides a brief review of this theory and identifies six important contextual considerations for future research. These considerations center on the topics of opportunism and governance and are intended to help refine and extend TCT’s theoretical, methodological, and substantive scope. In addition to exploring these particular ideas, we also encourage B2B scholars to contemplate ways of enriching TCT to meet the challenges posed by today’s rapidly shifting economic landscape.     

Insights on women’s labor participation in Gulf Cooperation Council countries

In analyzing the many stereotypes surrounding Arab Middle Eastern women’s employment issues, this article focuses on women’s labor participation and their career development in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. We first unpack the stereotypes by demonstrating the progress of women’s labor participation in the region. We then uncover the critical challenges of a high female unemployment rate during GCC countries’ economic transformation in the non-oil sectors. We discuss the factors contributing to low women’s labor participation and the difficulty of career advancement for women, including (1) norms and traditions; (2) job opportunities and workplace discrimination; and (3) role models, mentors, and networking. Finally, we provide recommendations on how to improve women’s labor participation by involving the public and private sectors, deploying technology, and engaging in multilevel mindset change.     

Contingent Labor and Higher Education

Over the past 30 years, the profession of college professor in the US has been changing from a high-status occupation, where faculty have extensive control over their job responsibilities, to a low-status contingent job in the peripheral labor market. This change mirrors the drift toward nonstandard employment in other sectors of the economy. Contingent and part-time faculty have grown at 10 times the rate of growth for tenure-track faculty, leading to a fundamental transformation in the nature of the professoriate. We review data related to these changes as well as the conventional explanations for this transformation. We conclude that the current system of academic labor is best understood within the core–periphery model of nonstandard employment. We conclude with some brief prospects for the future of the academic labor market and higher education.     

The performance of UK textiles and clothing: recent controversies and evidence

This article focuses on the recent performance of textiles and clothing in the UK. The central argument is that the poor international competitiveness of these industries and the long term decline of textiles in particular has not been substantially reversed in the 1980s. Evidence is presented which demonstrates that the industry's uneven development in the 1980s does not conform to the analysis put forward by flexible specialization writers. The role of the state in the industry's decline is emphasized and related to alternative explanations of the industry's predicament.     

Restructuring, productivity and workplace relations: evidence from the textile industry

This study analyses the nature of productivity improvements in the textile industry by focusing on the interplay between micro-electronic technologies and changes in work practices at two hosiery plants and a cotton spinning mill. The findings highlight the uneven impact of technological change on workplace relations and patterns of occupational segregation.     

Consequences of a tax on the brain drain for unemployment and income inequality in less developed countries

Welfare implications of an income tax paid by emigrant skilled workers are analyzed in a model which assumes international capital mobility and allows for unemployed labor in the modern sector of a developing country. The tax discourages overinvestment in education and also contributes to the welfare of those remaining through the direct revenue effect. However, expected earnings of unskilled workers decline as a result of the tax, while those of non-migrant skilled workers rise. The tax may thus exacerbate domestic income inequality. In addition, modern sector employment, output, and capital stock may fall.     

Strategic alliances between large and small research intensive organizations: experiences in the biotechnology industry

Abstract
For many firms, entering into some form of collaborative arrangement with other organizations has become a necessary step towards improving their competitive positions. This is particularly true of research intensive companies which frequently participate in such strategic alliances (SAs). This paper reports on the experiences of some 70 North American firms with SAs in the biotechnology industry. The sample includes small dedicated biotechnology companies (DBCs) and large organizations, such as pharmaceutical firms.     

Analyst Following and Equity Offerings Subsequent to Initial Public Offerings

Analyst forecast information is collected for firms following their IPOs and is used in an examination of subsequent seasoned equity offerings (SEOs). Consistent with information asymmetry arguments, the analysis indicates that a larger percentage of firms conducting SEOs within three years of the IPO are covered by financial analysts than those without SEOs, and that analyst coverage is a significant predictor of subsequent SEOs. In addition, the results indicate that long-term earnings growth forecasts are larger for firms with subsequent SEOs, but growth forecasts decline significantly following the SEOs. Further, SEO abnormal returns exhibit a significant negative relationship with earnings growth forecasts. These results are consistent with windows of opportunity arguments since they suggest that SEOs are timed to coincide with the peak of earnings growth expectations, but that market participants compensate by reacting more negatively to offerings by firms with high growth forecasts.     

Arbitrageur Heterogeneity, Investor Horizon and Arbitrage Opportunities: An Empirical Investigation

Evidence is provided that arbitrage profits in integrated currency and credit markets differ according to the initial asset allocation, trading horizon and investment objectives of arbitrageurs. It is shown that several types of profitable one-way strategies can coexist and profits are differently distributed across maturity horizons. Moreover, there are episodes in the markets where particular strategies are consistently profitable. Strategies using the spot market and two credit transactions to create a synthetic forward contract are most likely to result in profitable arbitrage opportunities. This is directly attributable to the higher level of transactions costs in the forward markets.