Knowledge network dissemination in a family-firm sector

The literature on network often assumes that all firms in the net can benefit from knowledge externalities often reserved to the network area. Based on network analysis (historical and social) we will attempt to confirm the idea that social proximity plays a crucial role, especially in Italian clusters of small firms. We demonstrate that local knowledge relations are confined in the investigated area due to the high socio-familial substrate, the firm's capacity to recognise opportunities and co-ordination ability. The empirical analysis is based on the influence of both the characteristics of each entrepreneur and of each unit of innovation, and of the absorptive capacity (cognitive proximity) and social capital on relationships.     

“WHAT DOES SHE SEE IN HIM?”: THE EFFECT OF SHARING ON THE CHOICE OF SPOUSE

All husbands and wives share in the spoils of marriage. Sharing makes each partner a residual claimant and encourages spouses to provide marital inputs. However, because each spouse is only a partial residual claimant, each may be inclined to provide a "suboptimal" level of marital inputs. The choice of spouse influences the level of distortion, and under some circumstances the efficient mating is between individuals of equal value     

In pursuit of a living wage: The ethical and economic thought of father John A. Ryan from the late 1890s until the new deal

Abstract

Father Ryan frequently cited Pope Leo XIII's major encyclical, Rerum novarum (On the Condition of Labor) to lend the support of traditional Catholic social teaching to social and labor reform. Advocating “sane individualism,” Ryan was the first American to argue convincingly that employers were bound in strict justice to pay employees at least a living wage, and his ethical influence gained wide appeal due to his conservative yet fair‐minded approach to distributive justice. Ryan supported labor unions and economic planning as means to gain fair wages and stock ownership for all workers and emphasized income redistribution to reduce depressionary underconsumption.     

The migratory impact of minimum wage legislation: Puerto Rico, 1970-1987

"This study examines the impact of minimum wage setting on labor migration. A multiple time series framework is applied to monthly data for Puerto Rico from 1970-1987. The results show that net emigration from Puerto Rico to the United States fell in response to significant changes in the manner in which minimum wage policy was conducted, particularly after 1974. The extent of commuter type labor migration between Puerto Rico and the United States is influenced by minimum wage policy, with potentially important consequences for human capital investment and long-term standards of living."     

Distribution-neutral provision of public goods

The paper describes a normative approach to budget incidence, given the provision of a public good. The objective is to balance the budget by an income tax such that the budget is distribution-neutral. This property requires that every consumer’s net welfare gain, i.e. the benefit from consuming the public good and the tax burden in financing it, does not change the inequality inherent in the income distribution. The properties of the distribution-neutral tax are investigated and completely determined. The marginal willingness to pay for the public good is decisive for the degree of progression of the tax schedule. My co-author Georg Tillmann passed away in March 2006, much too soon. He was my friend, more than a colleague. I dedicate this paper to his memory.     

The world economic system and international migration in less developed countries: an ecological approach

This study examines net migration in less developed countries (LDCs) within the context of a world economic system and an urban ecological framework. Data are obtained from the "1987 World Development Report," the "1983 and 1987 World Bank Tables," and the 1984 UN Demographic Yearbook. It is posited that international migration is a direct response to the changes in the ecological subsystems in LDCs. The framework of this analysis relies on analyses by Sly and Tayman that found in multi-equation models that migration was a demographic response to environmental conditions created by organization and technology. The maximum likelihood estimates derived from the proposed structural model indicate that net capital flows positively influence net migration rate directly. Large transfers of capital were associated with net migration. It is suggested that a reduced percentage in the labor force in agriculture may have a greater impact on emigration than wages or social disadvantages. Gross national product had a smaller impact on migration than net capital outflows. Exports had a positive impact on net migration. There was a direct negative effect of value added to manufacturing on net migration, and the direct negative effect was greater than the positive indirect effect. The percentage of persons economically active had a positive impact on net migration. Increased economic activity was related to increased emigration. The evidence suggests that world economic systems did have an impact on emigration, when profits were not invested in domestic economies of LDCs. Findings suggest that the value added to manufacturing, the percentage engaged in agriculture, and the economically active population mediated the impact of trade on net migration.     

Open adoption,human capital formation,and uncertainty

A model of child human capital formation is outlined, which is used to assess the consequences of uncertainty experienced by adoptive parents related to practices of openness in adoption. The model predicts that uncertainty in the adoption environment may lead to lower levels of human capital investments in adopted children. Empirical evidence indicates that uncertainty represented by fear of not bonding with the adopted child is the most important predictor of resistance to open adoption. His research interests include labor market mobility and human capital formation in the household. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Utah in 1989.     

Race and Gender Differences in Workplace Autonomy: A Research Note

While many studies have focused on race and gender differences in monetary labor market rewards, few studies have used national samples to examine race and gender differences in nonmonetary labor process rewards. Utilizing multivariate analysis on data from the 1993 and 1997 National Employee Survey, the present study examines how race and gender interact in shaping workplace autonomy. We regress an index of autonomy on human capital, structural level variables, and race and gender interaction terms. Findings show that black and white females, relative to white males, fare worse net of controls for human capital and structural level variables. Black males fare worse than white males when controlling for human capital but this disadvantage fails to retain its significant effect when controlling for structural level variables. We conclude that contrary to some beliefs that black females have experienced greater success in the labor market as a result of affirmative action policies, black females remain hindered by the double jeopardy of race and gender.     

Union membership,economic rents,and migration behavior

This study represents an extension of the human capital paradigm as it relates to an individual’s decision to migrate. It differs from previous studies by incorporating union membership, a labor market variable, into the model. In effect, the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 granted a monopoly bargaining position to unions. The theoretical implication of a union’s monopoly bargaining position is that union wage levels will increase relative to nonunion wages. The increase of relative wages results in union membership granting a property right that possesses positive net present value and hence reduces an employed union member’s probability of migrating. Additionally, the supra-competitive remuneration of union members results in a surplus of labor supplied to union firms. Employers respond by using quality screening to hire workers from the larger labor pool. As a result, unemployed union members will on average possess higher levels of human capital, which will increase their probability of migrating above that of their unemployed nonunion cohorts.     

Determinants of informal employment among working mothers in Mexico

Whether women's informal employment is an involuntary marginal condition or a preferred alternative to formal employment has generated intense debate in academic and policy circles, particularly in view of women's disproportionate representation in the informal economy. We analyzed detailed interviews with 136 working mothers in Mexico to gain a better understanding of the factors leading to informal employment, as well as the impact of this work on these women and their families. Our results show that informal employment was not a choice for many women who entered the informal labor market due to human capital constraints and family responsibilities. Additionally, women commonly faced challenges in meeting the needs of both their employers and their families and earning adequate income. We suggest policy options to address the factors constraining women's employment opportunities and improve the situation of those women already working in the informal economy.     

Occupational Destinations and Economic Mobility of Filipino Overseas Workers1

This study examines employment and occupational shifts experienced by Filipino overseas contract workers in the transition from country of origin to country of destination and examines the impact of labor migration on economic conditions and standard of living of the families left behind. Data for the analyses were obtained from a representative sample of 2,346 households drawn from four primary sending areas in the Philippines. The analyses focus on characteristics of the households and of the household members employed overseas. The findings reveal that a considerable number of overseas workers (both men and women) were unemployed prior to migration and that the overwhelming majority of these workers were recruited to fill low‐status (manual and service) occupations in the host country. The analysis demonstrates that the odds for Filipino overseas workers to be employed in low‐status occupations were extremely high, net of human capital characteristics, net of the occupations they held in the Philippines, and net of country of destination. Further analysis reveals that overseas employment is associated with a substantial increase in earnings (five‐fold for men and four‐fold for women). Comparison between households with and without overseas workers reveals that, net of household characteristics, the flows of income earned abroad are used to purchase household goods to improve standard of living. These findings provide firm support to expectations derived from the household theory of migration according to which labor migration is a strategy adopted by the household unit to allocate family resources rationally to increase the flows of income in order to raise the family standard of living.     

How does a board of directors influence within‐ and cross‐sector nonprofit collaboration?

Board members play a significant, yet largely unexamined, role in nonprofit collaboration. Processes, such as finding prospective partners, creating common ground with a partner, and establishing appropriate collaborative governance implicate nonprofit board members. In contrast to the scholarship of the role of interlocking directorates as potential networks for nonprofit collaboration, this paper examines the role of board members' social and human capital on nonprofit collaboration with other nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies. Drawing on online survey data from 636 nonprofit organizations, this paper finds that board social capital—but not board human capital—is positively related to the presence and number of within‐sector and cross‐sector nonprofit collaboration. However, board human capital enhances nonprofit‐government collaboration, when board social capital is also high. The results provide a novel perspective in nonprofit collaboration and board management research.     

集体协商与“国家主导”下的劳动关系治理——指标管理的策略与实践

中国集体协商依靠"国家主导"模式,走出了一条完全不同于欧美国家的道路。国家推动集体协商的主要目的不在于推动劳资博弈,而是要把劳资双方都纳入到法律制度框架之内,使劳资双方行为能够法制化和契约化。但是,国家规范劳动关系并非简单控制,而是通过指标管理实现对基层产业秩序的治理。所以,指标管理成为国家推动集体协商制度建设的核心策略,地方政府和工会围绕考核指标,调用各种资源来提高集体合同数量。在实践工作中,地方政府"第三方"的角色发生了转变,同时工会"代理政府"的角色也得以强化,集体协商的本质则从劳资博弈转变成党政联合工会与资方的讨价还价行为。     

IMPORTED CAPITAL INPUT,ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY,AND FIRM PERFORMANCE: EVIDENCE FROM FIRM‐LEVEL DATA

Importing capital inputs has been recognized as a critical channel for technology transfer across countries. We examine whether and to what extent the productive impact of imported capital varies with firms' abilities to absorb new technologies using ordinary least squares, instrumental variable, and threshold regression estimators. We find that firms with higher absorptive capacity gain significantly more from importing foreign capital. Our results also suggest a threshold for such benefits. Furthermore, the productive contribution of skilled labor is significantly higher in firms that import foreign capital. Developing policies to augment absorptive capacity will help firms in developing countries to realize benefits associated with imported capital. (JEL F14, D24, L24, O33)     

The determinants of organizations’ usage of employee dismissal: Evidence from Australia

Substantial variation exists across organizations in their use of dismissal. While it has been suggested that this variation reflects organizational-level factors relating to disciplinary issues, little evidence exists regarding the effect of these factors. Using data from 1,596 workplaces in the Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey, we examine how organizational-level factors that reflect the incidence of disciplinary problems as well as the expected costs and benefits of dismissal are related to dismissal usage. For each organization, data were collected on organizational characteristics and practices in interviews with the employee relations manager and the senior line manager. Data were also collected on whether or not dismissal was used by the firm and on the number of employees dismissed. Using both logistic regression and tobit analysis, our results suggest that dismissal is affected by procedural and institutional restrictions on the use of discipline, interactions among those restrictions, compensation level, labor market factors, workforce human capital, operating capacity, work group influence, the use of incentive pay, workforce size, and industry classification. Copies of the AWIRS Data set are available for purchase from the Australian Government Publishing Service, Commonwealth Department of Industrial Relations, Canaberra, Australia. The authors thank Alan Morris and Lindsay Turner for their assistance in managing the AWIRS data set. Michelle Brown is now at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI 53201.     

再论深化养老保险制度改革问题

对当前深化养老保险制度改革过程中出现的新问题,建议:一是每年"两会"期间公布本年度养老金增长速度及其基数,增长基数应与"十二五"规划规定的两个"同步"靠拢;二是反对养老保险制度改革中的新平均主义倾向,坚持劳动差别,建立多劳多得、多缴多得、长缴多得的激励机制;三是坚持优化结构,逐步建立基本养老金为主体的多层次养老保险制度;四是尽快建立社保基金国家财政预算拨款制度.     

Donative labor effect of the nonprofit pay: A multilevel explanation

Studies on the nonprofit pay differential find that nonprofit workers in the child day care industry earn more than comparable for‐profit workers, whereas nonprofit lawyers earn less than lawyers in for‐profit firms. Are nonprofit day care center workers less altruistic than for‐profit day care workers or nonprofit lawyers? The answer is yet to come. The study aims to test the donative labor hypothesis, which is derived from altruistic motivation. To estimate the donative labor effects on the individual level, I apply cross‐classified multilevel modeling to disentangle the confounding effects on the industry level and occupation level. Data are pooled from Census 2000 and American Community Survey 2005–2016 to provide individual, industry, and occupation information. Industries are cleaned based on the Statistics of Income data from the National Center for Charitable Statistics. My analysis finds that nonprofit workers earn 4.3% less than comparable for‐profit workers net of industry and occupation effects. The study contributes to elucidating the explanatory levels of different theories. The random‐effects modeling has established an exhaustive inventory of nonprofit pay differential across industry and occupation levels.     

Cooks Cooking Up Recipes: The Cash Value of Nouns,Verbs and Grammar

In the process of eating, everyone cooks, personally combining ingredients at hand to enhance appetite; but few are called cooks. From this mundane example we can take a new approach to the study of material status. A sociological formula that credits capital as opposed to labor with the source of advantage will obscure the dynamics shaping material status. Drawing on a study of the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, I indicate how, at the lowest and highest levels, people make their material status by innovatively combining what they have, as passively available resources, and what they do in the nature of hourly or task paid labor. The shift of theory from nouns, like labor and capital, to the active and passive verbs, “doing” and “having,” leads to a shift in the search for explanations of status differences. As in cooking, the transformative tricks critical for producing savory results are not simply in the recipes handed down from generation to generation but in those cooked up, in the innovative interactions in relating working for pay and the exploitation of ongoing relations.     

Business Collaboration within the Nazi War Machine: Corporations and the State in the Austrian Semiperiphery

The military strength of German National Socialism was based on the collaboration of large corporations with the Nazi state. Business provided capital, loans, taxes, managerial expertise and production for war industries. I elaborate four ideal‐typical modes of business collaboration. Each mode is illustrated by a case study of a German corporation that acquires an Austrian firm: Krupp (traditional mode); the Reichswerke state conglomerate (coercive); Deutsche Bank (managerial nationalist); and IG Farben (competitive investment mode). The first and the last modes occurred when the state was highly dependent on large businesses for the economic requisites of war. The acquired firms in the Austrian semiperiphery contributed to Nazi war mobilization, as they exploited labor and resources from the peripheral regions of southeastern Europe. Patterns of the state's resource dependency on business led to bargaining interactions between state and business, over time shaping the mix between state and private ownership of war industry.     

Does consensus bargaining control labor costs in Japan? Evidence from the “bubble economy” and its aftermath

Japan’s system of labor negotiations provides an opportunity to see whether consensus bargaining restrains labor costs. The recent volatility of the Japanese economy affords a unique chance to observe how consensus-based labor settlements adjusted to sudden, sharp changes in market conditions. It is also possible to evaluate the role of bonus payments in amending labor settlements. With observations for 1986–1995,1 use measures of productivity gains to calculate the capacity for increasing worker pay and then analyze whether pay increases exceeded that capacity. I report the extent to which changes in labor earnings were scheduled or resulted from adjustments in bonus pay. During the boom years of the late 1980s, employers inflated bonuses so that workers’ pay increased more than had been scheduled, but not enough to exceed the capacity for growth. But during the sluggish years of the early 1990s, pay agreements were excessive. Employers cut workers’ bonuses to keep earnings growth in check. Thus, bonus pay provided a “degree of freedom” allowing employers to adjust labor costs following sudden upswings and downturns in the economy. I am grateful to Professor Hideo Kawada and Mr. Kenichi Matsuki, both of Senshu University, for their assistance in gathering the earnings data for this study. Thanks are also due to Craig MacPhee, Roger Riefler, and Hendrik Van den Berg for thoughtful comments and suggestions. I am responsible for any remaining shortcomings.