Information Disclosure to Employees and Rational Expectations: a Game-Theoretical Perspective: a Comment

In this comment we identify the key features of the Frantz and Walker (1997) game theoretic model that drive the non-disclosure equilibrium result in their paper. We argue that, although technically correct, their model fails to capture certain aspects of real-world wage bargaining that will be important in determining optimal disclosure strategies in practice. However, Frantz and Walker's paper illustrates the potential of analytical techniques to contribute to the employee disclosure debate.     

Reexamining Masculinity,Femininity,and Gender Identity Scales

This research compares and contrasts three gender identity instruments, the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ), and the Sexual Identity Scale (SIS), that have been used in previous investigations of various aspects of consumer behavior. Specifically, it examines the dimensionality and internal reliability of each scale, inter-scale correlations, and the relationship of each scale to biological sex. Results indicate that the gender identity scales consist of several dimensions beyond those typically interpreted as masculinity and femininity. The femininity factors emerging in the three scales tended to be highly correlated, and females scored higher than males on the femininity factors. However, the three masculinity factors were not correlated with one another, and were not as strongly associated with biological sex—females identified with typically masculine traits just as much as males. The implications of these results for using gender identity in consumer research are discussed, and future research opportunities are explored.     

Wage protection systems, segregation and gender pay inequalities: West Germany, the Netherlands and Great Britain

This paper provides an empirical test of Rubery and Fagan's(1995) hypothesis that gender inequalities are influenced primarilyby the comprehensiveness of the overall wage protection systemin a country and by the extent of gender segregation. Genderdiscrimination in earnings is compared in West Germany, theNetherlands and Great Britain using 1989 ISSP data. Human capitalearnings functions for married males and married females areestimated. Discrimination is measured using standard decompositiontechniques. Earnings discrimination against females in the morecomprehensive systems was 37% in West Germany and 39% in theNetherlands, much less than the 61% found for the less comprehensivelyregulated Great Britain, the latter figure being higher thanprevious estimates using earlier data. Gender segregation isdemonstrated to have contributed to the relative magnitude ofdiscrimination in Great Britain.     

Compensating Wage Differentials with Unemployment: Evidence from China

We estimate the economic value of mortality risk in China using the compensating-wage-differential method. We find a positive and statistically significant correlation between wages and occupational fatality risk. The estimated effect is largest for unskilled workers. Unemployment reduces compensation for risk, which suggests that some of the assumptions under which compensating wage differentials can be interpreted as measures of workers’ preferences for risk and income are invalid when unemployment is high. Workers may be unwilling to quit high-risk jobs when alternative employment is difficult to obtain, violating the assumption of perfect mobility, or some workers (e.g., new migrants) may be poorly informed about between-job differences in risk, violating the assumption of perfect information. These factors suggest our estimates of the value per statistical life (VSL) in China, which range from approximately US$30,000 to US$100,000, may be biased downward. Alternative estimates adjust for heterogeneity of risk within industry by assuming that risk is concentrated among low-skill workers. These estimates, which are likely to be biased downward, range from US$7,000 to US$20,000.      

安徽省区域经济发展空间差异研究

以17个地级市为研究的地域单元,定量分析了1990年代以来安徽省区域经济差异的动态变化特征,并从经济发展水平、经济发展速度和产业结构等3个层面上阐述了安徽省区域经济差异的空间格局;提出了促进区域经济协调发展的对策。     

缩小数字鸿沟对退休再就业是否有帮助

本文使用CHARLS数据构建了Logit模型,以数字鸿沟为核心解释变量,结合个人特征、社会保障和对外经济支持等方面分析了数字鸿沟对退休再就业的影响。研究发现,其中老年数字鸿沟能够减少退休后的受雇就业,导致更多的退休人口选择不就业,但是对退休后是否自雇就业没有影响。综合而言,缩小老年数字鸿沟对退休再就业有显著的积极作用。此外,男性退休后更倾向于受雇就业,女性通常更需要照顾家庭。年龄对退休后受雇就业和自主经营具有负向影响,且影响程度相当。健康状况和社交活动参与对退休再就业也有显著影响。基于研究结果,本文提出相应的对策建议。     

人力资本需求与工资差距:技术、贸易和收入的影响

人力资本水平的提高和技术贸易的发展都会促进人力资本密集型技术的进步,增加高等人力资本水平劳动力的需求,从而扩大了工资差距.在商品贸易中,制成品出口比例的增加会改变我国的产品需求结构,使高等人力资本密集型产品的生产增加.同时,居民收入水平的提高带来了消费升级,也促进了高等人力资本密集型产品的生产.高等人力资本密集型产品的生产引起了高等人力资本水平劳动力需求的增加,扩大了工资差距.