从比较优势学说看我国就业增长

从比较优势学说理论来看,我国应该大力发展劳动密集型产业,以获取比较优势,但从我国出口产品的现状及存在问题来看,我国似乎更应该大力发展高新技术产业以提高出口产品的附加值.本文对这一矛盾形成的原因和对策进行探讨分析,并提出相应对策.     

Firm-level training in local economic systems: Complementarities in production and firm innovation strategies

The paper presents a conceptual review over the main aspects concerning the role of human capital investments and training activities within production processes, followed by empirical evidence on two local economic systems in Northern Italy, based on recent survey data. Theoretical and empirical considerations are brought together in order to provide new insights on the role of training and the factors associated to training activities at firm level.The potential driving factors of training here analysed compounds structural characteristics, labour demand dynamics, human resource management practices, workforce features, and firm performances. We observe that training activities emerge positively associated with high-performance practices, innovative labour demand features, workforce skill level, firm size, and are affected by labour flexibility in various directions. Empirical evidence confirms most previous results but also adds further important insights. The analysis suggests that a widening gap, between few innovatively evolving and many stagnant firms, could characterise the future dynamics of the Region. The high relevance of structural variables, labour demand factors and HRM/innovation practices shows that regional industrial policies and labour policies should be jointly implemented for increasing potential firm productivity. This is a key concern for the current debate on local systems economic development in the European and Italian environment.     

The relationship between paid work and parenthood--a comparison of structures,concepts and developments in the UK and Austria

This article investigates and compares the dominant concepts of public policy concerning the employment-parenthood interface in the UK and Austria. These two countries have been chosen because they represent very different public policy conceptions, particularly in approaching the work-family issue. In order to show the consequences of these policies the paper focuses on working time and time away from employment, when children are very young, and relates these aspects to currently introduced and changed regulatory structures, such as working time regulations and statutory parental leave. The active labour market and family policy in Austria, generally, supports the reconciliation of employment and parenthood. However, the Austrian work-family 'system' suffers from the underlying notion of the male breadwinner model in public support structures and low normative support of employed mothers. The cultural barriers for a more equal distribution of the burdens of combining employment and parenthood seem to be lower in the UK. The market as the political focus, in general, allows more equal opportunities for (qualified) women in the labour market and within families. But the highly flexible and polarised labour market, passive public policy and weak legal protection of employed parents creates a difficult relationship between paid work and family life for many parents, in particular for low-skilled, low-paid parents, above all mothers. These analyses provide the basis for conclusions for public policy aiming at the reconciliation of paid work and parenthood. Ce texte cherche à comparer les concepts dominants de la politique gouvernementale concernant l'interface travail-parent en Grande-Bretagne et en Autriche. Ces deux pays ont été choisis parce qu'ils présentent des concepts de politique gouvernementale très différents, en particulier en ce qui concerne la question de la famille et le travail. Ce texte montre les conséquences de la pratique de ces politiques sur le temps au travail rémunéréet le temps passé à l'extérieur de l'emploi ou sans emploi, et ce, dans un contexte o[ugrave] les enfants sont jeunes. Le texte fait la relation entre ces éléments et la pratique des structures de contrôle existantes et modifiées telles que les lois (ou: les règlements) sur le temps passéau travail et sur les congé parentaux. En général, le marché du travail et la politique de la famille en Autriche encourage la conciliation entre l'emploi et la responsabilité de parent. Par contre, ce système de travail- famille autrichien est un concept qui est fondé à la fois sur le modèle de l'homme comme fournisseur principal du revenu familial dans les structures de soutien public ainsi que sur normes de soutien peu élevées pour les mères employées. Les barrières culturelles face àune distribution plus égalitaire de la responsabilité travail-famille semblent être moins élevées en Grande-Bretagne. En général, le marché et la politique du marché du travail ont offerts plus d'opportunités aux femmes qualifiées. Mais la volatilité (et la polarisation) du marché du travail, la politique gouvernementale passive et la faible protection légale pour les parentstravailleurs créent tous une relation difficile pour les parents entre le travail rémunéré et la vie de famille--en particulier pour ceux qui sont moins qualifiés et mal rémunérés, dont surtout les mères de famille. Cette analyse nous guide vers la nécessité d'une politique gouvernementale qui vise la conciliation entre le travail rémunéré et la responsabilité parentale.     

英国新工党与社会民主党:政策趋同与差异

20世纪90年代以后,经济全球化促使包括英国工党在内的欧洲左派政党出现前所未有的趋同,从经济政策到社会政策等,各国虽有差距,但无疑出现了巨大的共识。同时,由于各国背景不同,英国新工党的反应及相应措施与其他政党仍存在一定的分歧。工党与其他社会民主党对平等和充分就业的理解不同,各党则呈现出复杂的政策差异。这些政策差异及随后国际和欧洲环境的变化,必然导致第三条道路在一阵炒作之后冷却下来。     

Changes in the labour market and health inequalities during the years of the recent economic downturn in Italy

There is widespread concern that episodes of unemployment and unstable working conditions adversely affect health. We add to the debate by focusing on the relationship between work trajectory and the self-reported health of Italian men and women during the present economic downturn. Relying on Italian data in the EU-SILC project (from 2007 to 2010), our sample includes all individuals aged 30 to 60 in 2010, and uses multivariate binomial regression models for preliminary analyses and the Structural Equations modelling (SEM) to observe the cumulative effects of health status according to different job trajectories. Our main findings show similar pictures for men and women. Individuals who are unemployed, ejected or in precarious occupational positions have a higher risk of worsening their health status during these years.     

Perceptions of paternal involvement and labour pain management in Chinese couples during childbirth: A qualitative study

BackgroundLabour pain is an individual experience embedded in a socio-cultural context. In childbirth, the father’s involvement provides important support to the mother during labour. However, few published studies have evaluated couples’ experiences of paternal involvement and labour pain management in the Chinese context.AimThis study aimed to understand the experience of labour pain management and the father’s involvement in childbirth from the perspectives of women and their partners in Hong Kong.MethodsAn exploratory qualitative design was adopted. A purposive sample of 45 Chinese parents was recruited at the postnatal unit of a regional hospital. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews within 1 month after birth. The data were subjected to content analysis.FindingsThe findings revealed six major themes: the mothers’ experience of labour pain, effectiveness of pain relief measures, mothers’ perceptions of support from their partners, mothers’ perceptions of support from healthcare professionals, fathers’ experience of involvement in childbirth and suggested improvements to maternity services.DiscussionChinese mothers experienced intense labour pain and used various pain relief measures. Both parents considered the involvement of fathers and support from healthcare professionals to be highly significant during childbirth.ConclusionsThis study highlights the need for a family-centred model of care during childbirth that involves both parents in the decision-making process. Chinese maternity services should implement individualised birth plans that acknowledge both parents’ expectations and preferences, thus promoting a positive childbirth experience for the parents.     

Can Quasi‐market and Multi‐level Governance Co‐exist? Insights from the Case of Lombardy's Employment Services System

This article explores the functioning of Lombardy's networked employment services system, inspired by quasi‐market and horizontal subsidiarity principles, and specifically addresses a gap in the quasi‐market literature, where little attention is devoted to the role played by institutions at lower levels of government. A qualitative study of the Lombardy system, with a focus on the municipality of Milan, is relied upon in order to explore the extent to which the principles of quasi‐market and multi‐level governance pursued by the regional government are allowed to co‐exist in practice. Here, sub‐regional levels of government are directly involved in services provision, but enjoy a more privileged condition relative to the private providers, thereby jeopardizing the implementation of an effective quasi‐market. The article contributes to existing theories by suggesting that horizontal subsidiarity and marketization cannot neglect multi‐level governance in those sectors where public bodies at various levels of government are directly involved in implementation.     

Reinforcement and erosion of traditional gender roles among young people in a poor metropolitan area of Turkey

This paper aims to contribute to the existing studies on the young women’s transition to adulthood in the case of Turkish women’s exclusion from the labour market. The issue is discussed largely within the boundaries of traditional gender restrictions that keep women out of employment. Herein, we argue that the gender-based control of young women, perceived as the reason for their exclusion from the labour market, may be used by disadvantaged women as a way of avoiding difficult and unfavourable employment situations. Similarly, the gender roles imposed on men could also not be fulfilled due to the same restrictive labour market conditions. Furthermore, we suggest that the poverty simultaneously strengthens and erodes the very base of the traditional gender structure for both young women and young men, while forcing the young women out of employment and the young men to the unstable working conditions. This argument is based on a study conducted in Alt?nda?, Ankara with a sample of 279 females and 340 males aged between 15 and 24. A mixed methodology, comprising a survey questionnaire followed by 60 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions, was employed for this study.     

The Global Politics of Forced Labour

This article examines the politics of governing forced labour. It develops and applies an approach drawing on Marx’s conception of the historical formation of ‘free’ labour in the process of ‘primitive accumulation’ and Gramsci’s conception of the ‘relations of force’. Viewed through this lens, rather than representing discrete ontological categories, the boundary between ‘free’ and ‘forced’ labour is repositioned as largely a contested and ambivalent artefact of governance. The concept of the ‘political relations of force’ highlights the ways in which such constructions are shaped by complex intersections between a diversity of different social forces. This approach is subsequently applied in an analysis of an International Labour Organization project on dealing with ‘traditional slavery’ in Niger.     

The Extent of Economic Vulnerability in the Canadian Labour Market and Federal Jurisdiction: Is There a Role for Labour Standards?

This paper characterizes vulnerable workers in Canada and the federal jurisdiction, based upon characteristics such as employment status, demographic characteristics, and job characteristics, and identifies areas in which labour standards may have a role. Based on this analysis, the paper evaluates the potential for labour standards to address economic vulnerability, focusing on labour standards policies aimed at wages and benefits, hours, and employment arrangements. In addition, the analysis considers the extent to which labour standards are likely to reach vulnerable workers. The results suggest several potential roles for labour standards and highlights policy implications.