Revisiting Openness : A Research Agenda

Inequality is a lively topic. With the trends in the US and Europe, researchers have formulated two major explanations for the problem. Trade/Openness on the one hand and Skills/Computers on the other. The quot;conventionalquot; explanation is the dominant view, primarily because empirical studies found that the impact of trade on workers is relatively small and because of the computer revolution. However, there are flaws in the conventional explanation. Thus, the trade/openness explanation should be revisited. After a discussion of the skills/computers argument, the trade/openness explanation is confronted. Threat effects against Labor are then presented as part of a research agenda