Economic integration and labor flows: stage migration in farm labor markets in Mexico and the United States

"This article examines the probable effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on migration from Mexico to the United States, disputing the view that expansion of jobs in Mexico could rapidly reduce undocumented migration. To the extent that NAFTA causes Mexican export agriculture to expand, migration to the United States will increase rather than decrease in the short run. Data collected in both California and the Mexican State of Baja California show that indigenous migrants from southern Mexico typically first undertake internal migration, which lowers the costs and risks of U.S. migration. Two features of employment in export agriculture were found to be specially significant in lowering the costs of U.S. migration: first, working in export agriculture exposes migrants to more diverse social networks and information about U.S. migration; second, agro-export employment in northern Mexico provides stable employment, albeit low-wage employment, for some members of the family close to the border (especially women and children) while allowing other members of the family to assume the risks of U.S. migration."     

Patterns of remittances and labor migration in the Arab world

This is a review of the history of labor migration as it has affected the Arab world from the oil boom of the early 1970s to the present, with particular attention to the changing flow of remittances from migrants to their country of origin. (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)     

The impact of labor migration on the Jordanian economy

"This article considers the effects of labor migration on the economy of the East Bank of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The article is presented in two sections. The first attempts to quantify the external migrant flows which impinge on the Jordanian labor market. The second section presents a theoretical model of the macroeconomic impact on output and employment of flows of migrants and migrants' remittances and an empirical analysis of the effects on the agricultural and construction sectors."     

Information technology issues in an era of greater state responsibilities: policy concerns for seniors

Five areas of state information technology policy are of special concern to seniors and senior service providers: obtaining access; closing the digital divide; developing information management systems; creating portals; and maintaining privacy. Increasing their activities in each of these areas, states continue to vary considerably in their responsiveness to meeting the challenge of including older adults, especially those living in rural areas, with the benefits of information technology.     

The current state of the labor queue: National and regional Evidence

We employ vector autoregressive techniques to determine the current state of the labor queue. Unemployment rate differentials have narrowed in recent years, potentially due to a change in the queue ordering, though a tight labor market and a stable queue would yield similar results. We find no evidence that the queue ordering has changed, which brings into question the resiliency of gains made by minority groups. We employ the same techniques to reveal the state of the queue across geographic regions and find that substantial differences exist across regions, implying variation in the relative labor force status of demographic groups.     

Slavery in the Americas: Resistance,liberation, emancipation

Author: BERGAD, LAIRD W.; Slavery and the Demographic and Economic History of Minas Gerais, Brazil, 1720-1888; Author: HIGGINS, KATHLEEN J.; 'Licentious Liberty' in a Brazilian Gold-Mining Region. Slavery, Gender and Social Control in Eighteenth-Century Sabara, Minas Gerais     

Gender differences in determinants of temporary labor migration in China: a multilevel analysis

Data from a 1998 migration survey in Hubei province are used to examine gender differences in the determinants of temporary labor migration from a multi-level perspective. The authors find that community level factors play a key role in temporary labor migration; models omitting community level variables are poor in predicting temporary labor migration. Significant gender differences exist in determinants of temporary labor migration. For men, temporary labor migration is mainly a response to community level factors; individual or household characteristics have little predictive power. For women, by contrast, temporary labor migration is predominantly determined by individual characteristics; community level factors are not as important.     

Differentiation of capital and international labor migration: constructing a working hypothesis

Various studies on trends in international labor migration are first reviewed. A hypothesis is then constructed to explain international labor migration in terms of the differentiation of capital. An important distinction is made between the oligopoly capital and non-oligopoly capital of industrialized countries (core states): non-oligopoly capital needs migrant workers, whereas oligopoly capital tends to go abroad and employs the labor it needs in less developed countries (peripheral states). The hypothesis is tested using data for European industrialized and semi-industrialized countries. Suggestions for further research projects are given.     

Appropriate bargaining units for state employees: Potential impacts for labor relations and public administration

This article reviews the literature and empirically examines the long-held assumption that occupational bargaining units for state employees are more appropriate and more in the public interest than are departmental units. The payroll records of Michigan state employees were analyzed on six demographic and organizational variables to test five hypotheses concerning the greater appropriateness of departmental units. Four of the five hypotheses supported the greater appropriateness of departmental units. In addition, because the mean highest job level in departmental units was significantly greater than in occupational units, career mobility and affirmative action programs for employees within occupations were more severely limited. Smith is now with General Motors Corporation. The authors wish to thank Harold Angle, James Perry, and especially Lizabeth Barclay for their helpful comments.     

Access and accommodation in the Canadian welfare state: the political significance of contacts between state, labor and business leaders

J'examine dans les pages qui suivent la question de l'existence de contacts entre diverses élites, et l'importance politique de telles relations en termes de leur association avec l'appui ou l'opposition que ces élites apportent à certaines politiques sociales. J'utilise les données d'un sondage mené en 1977 auprès de 600 leaders canadiens, au sein du gouvernement et des secteurs syndical et des affaires. Les contacts personnels entre élites - et en particuliers ceux impliquant des employés de l'Etat - sont envisagés comme un terrain où se déploient des conflits politiques, où les élites de plusieurs secteurs (affaires, syndicats …) tentent de promouvoir leurs intérêts, l'une face à l'autre et auprès des politiques de l'Etat. A ce titre, les données ne confirment pas l'existence d'une élite monolithique au Canada. Elles suggèrent par ailleurs que, plus que les dirigeants syndicaux, les gens d'affaires importants ont accès à l'Etat et aux autres élites sectorielles. Mais il est plus important de noter que les contacts qu'entretient l'Etat avec les gens d'affaires sont plus importants politiquement que ceux qu'il maintient avec les dirigeants syndicaux. En effet: d'une part, les contacts Etat-gens d'affaires prédisent les positions des employés de l'Etat face aux politiques sociales; d'autre part, les contacts Etats-dirigeants syndicaux ne produisent pas et ne sont produits par un appui pour les positions syndicates dans les hautes spheres de l'Etat canadien.     

Reshaping the social contract: emerging relations between the state and informal labor in India

As states grapple with the forces of liberalization and globalization, they are increasingly pulling back on earlier levels of welfare provision and rhetoric. This article examines how the eclipsing role of the state in labor protection has affected state–labor relations. In particular, it analyzes collective action strategies among India’s growing mass of informally employed workers, who do not receive secure wages or benefits from either the state or their employer. In response to the recent changes in state policies, I find that informal workers have had to alter their organizing strategies in ways that are reshaping the social contract between state and labor. Rather than demanding employers for workers’ benefits, they are making direct demands on the state for welfare benefits. To attain state attention, informal workers are using the rhetoric of citizenship rights to offer their unregulated labor and political support in return for state recognition of their work. Such recognition bestows informal workers with a degree of social legitimacy, thereby dignifying their discontent and bolstering their status as claim makers in their society. These findings offer a reformulated model of state–labor relations that focuses attention on the qualitative, rather than quantitative, nature of the nexus; encompasses a dynamic and inter-dependent conceptualization of state and labor; and accommodates the creative and diverse strategies of industrial relations being forged in the contemporary era.

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Termination of foster care for the older adolescent: Issues of emancipation and individuation

Adolescents currently constitute almost one-half of the foster care population and social work with this population now often includes helping the adolescent make the often fairly abrupt transition to independent living. The authors suggest that this process can be productively viewed as a microcosm of the first individuation process, analogous to the early individuation of self from mother with opportunities for individuation and further growth. The effect of the worker's own level of individuation and self-awareness on this process is discussed.is also in private practice.National Catholic School of Social Service, is also Principal Researcher and Program Consultant, Project Stepping Out of Foster Care Into Independent Living.     

New migration policies in Europe: the return of labor migrants,remigration promotion and reintegration policies

On the basis of the working papers presented at t conference, new information on the subject of return migration in Europe and conclusions on the effectiveness of policies to promote remigration were discussed aiming to stimulate further research on this subject. Mainly 3 findings resulted from the discussions. 1) On the subject of promoting remigration, the effects of the law to encourage voluntary return to home countries from the Federal Republic of Germany have remained far below expectations. 2) Concerning effects of the migration policies on the foreign residents in the host countries, it was stated that these prevent a clear definition of their status by the foreigners themselves, because they obscure the decision whether to stay or leave the host country. Especially regarding the increasingly critical attitude of the population of the host country towards the guest workers, a growing insecurity of the foreigners must be noted, which has led recently to overhasty emigration decisions with alarming economic and social results for those affected. 3) Concerning possibilities for international cooperation on return migration, it was stated that the indirect instruments of promoting return have shown little success. On the other hand, direct promotion by means of financial incentives is to be rejected because of its mainly negative side effects on the expectations of the labor migrants and also on those of the indigenous population. New and promising approaches to remigration policy must consider the economic and social interests of the countries of origin and improve their economic, political, and administrative capacities.     

Changing patterns of wage labor migration in the Kilenge area of Papua New Guinea

Using data obtained from a village census completed in 1977, the authors examine the importance of economic and social factors in migration decisions in the village of Ongaia, Papua New Guinea. The effects on migration of opportunities at place of destination, pressures in place of origin, and connections between town and village are investigated; motivations for return migration are discussed     

The delayed transition from folk to labor migration: the Netherlands, 1880-1920

"This article analyzes Netherlands government statistics on overseas emigration, 1880-1920, which reveal that the process of industrialization caused a major social structural shift in the 1890s. A system of urban labor migration replaced the traditional rural folk movement and the primary destination shifted away from the United States to Dutch colonies in Asia and South America. The Netherlands belatedly 'caught up' with the rest of Western Europe in the shift from family to industrial overseas emigrants."