A SURVEY OF TRADE AND WAGE INEQUALITY: ANOMALIES,RESOLUTIONS AND NEW TRENDS

This paper surveys recent studies on trade and wage inequality. We first introduce some trade‐based explanations for increased wage inequality. There are, however, a number of criticisms of this line of thought based on the ‘trade‐wage inequality anomaly’, the ‘price‐wage anomaly’, and the small volume of trade. Mainly due to these criticisms, trade‐based explanations for rising wage inequality have been limited in the economic literature. Rather, the primary explanations for wage inequality have been based on skill‐biased technological change. Some trade models, however, have weakened the above criticisms, and more economists now argue that the effect of trade, though relatively small compared to that of technological change, is more significant than generally believed. Finally, we attempt to link new trends in inequality, such as job polarization and within‐group inequality, to the trade and wage inequality literature.     

技能竞赛在高职院校专业建设中的导向作用分析——以金融专业为例

在行业协会的支持、企业的认可、以及全国职业院校的积极响应下,职业技能大赛的规模在逐年扩大,社会影响力和社会关注度不断提升.职业技能大赛不仅成为评价高职院校教育教学水平、人才培养质量的一种重要方式,同时,职业技能大赛在职业院校专业建设及课程改革过程中也发挥着不可替代的导向作用.     

性别、学历、职位等与管理人员的政治技能——基于人口统计特征的分析

本文通过对长江三角洲地区的363名管理人员进行问卷调查,对不同人口统计特征的管理人员在政治技能4个维度的差异进行了比较研究。结果显示,男性管理人员和女性管理人员在政治技能的人际影响和交际能力两个维度上均不存在显著差异,但在社会敏锐度和外显真诚两个维度上存在差异;管理层级对管理人员的政治技能四个维度都有显著影响。年龄、学历以及职业背景对政治技能均不存在显著性差异。     

Foreign Capital,Skill Formation,and Migration of Skilled Workers

We study the interaction between foreign capital inflow and international migration of skilled labor when a small open economy is subject to exogenous shocks. The presence of a skill formation sector is central to our analysis, such that import liberalization and increased foreign capital inflow may lead to increased skill emigration both in absolute terms and as percentage of gross skill formation. Furthermore, a positive product price shock for the sector that uses foreign capital may turn out to be immiserizing. Finally, growth in the agricultural sector can lower the rate of skill formation as well as skill emigration.     

Skill Classification and the Effects of Trade on Wage Inequality

The extent to which rising wage inequality in developed nations can be attributed to increased North-South trade has been a contentious issue over the last 20 years. We contribute to the debate by outlining a new skill classification method and evaluating the link between trade and wages using an economy-wide model. Our skill classification considers both academic and vocational qualifications and uses cluster methods to group together occupations with similar skill characteristics. JEL no. F16, J24, J31     

Societal effects meet sectoral effects: work organization,competencies and payment systems in the Volvo Commercial Vehicle Division

By comparing the development of competence payment systems in Volvo's Commercial Vehicle plants in Sweden, Belgium, and the UK, the paper seeks to explain some of the reasons why the UK is lagging behind in the development of innovative pay systems. In the Commercial Vehicle sector the reticence of UK-based assemblers such as Volvo and Leyland Trucks to introduce new forms of payment systems can be only partially explained with reference to societal factors. One has to look further, to the historical development of the UK automotive sector and the perception of management that the introduction of a payment system based upon individual effort would lead back to the restrictive practices and demarcation disputes which exemplified the employment relationship in the 1960s and 1970s.     

The perceived influence of travel experiences on learning generic skills

Empirical work exploring the role of travel in assisting the learning of skills is of interest to travellers, educators and employers. Pearce and Foster’s generic skills attributes list was used as a basis to investigate the amount and nature of perceived learning by North American University students. It was established through survey research and tested with ANOVA comparisons that travel experiences were perceived as assisting the learning of generic skills, especially amongst those who had travelled internationally four or more times. Key skills seen as influenced by travel included independence, being open-minded and feeling comfortable around all kinds of people. There was a moderate increase in communication skills. The findings showed close links with previous studies of youth budget travellers. Employers and educators can consider travel to be a learning opportunity affecting the acquisition of key business and generic skills.     

Complementarity or competition: the development of human resources in a South-East Asian Growth Triangle: Indonesia,Malaysia and Singapore

Globalization has led to the emergence and strengthening of regional and subregional economic co-operation as a means of promoting economic growth. In East Asia, a new kind of sub-regional economic zone known as a 'Growth Triangle' is gaining increasing popularity. This article explains the concept of the Growth Triangle and traces its proliferation in East Asia. It examines the conditions for the success of Growth Triangles and the policies pursued by the various participating governments. It then argues that effective human resource development (HRD) policies are essential for the participating governments to enjoy the benefits of the Growth Triangles. Arguably, the HRD policies within the Growth Triangle should be complementary rather than competitive. But using the 'Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore' Growth Triangle (IMS-GT) as an example, this research asserts that in reality co-operation and complementarity in the HRD arena will give way to competition as the Triangle develops.     

Tax smoothing in a business cycle model with capital-skill complementarity

This paper undertakes a normative investigation of the quantitative properties of optimal tax smoothing in a business cycle model with state contingent debt, capital-skill complementarity and endogenous skill acquisition under technology and public expenditure shocks. We find that skilled and unskilled labour tax smoothing maintain quantitatively under externalities and exogenous shocks in skill acquisition, as well as when the relative skill supply is exogenously determined. We further find that the government finds it optimal to reduce both the size of the wedge between the marginal rates of substitution and transformation in skill attainment in the long-run and the standard deviation of this wedge over the business cycle. This is achieved by subsidising skill creation and taxing both types of labour income.