Union density declined in Finland by more than 10 percentage points in less than ten years. This paper analyses the reasons behind the decline, using micro data from the 1990s. According to our results, the changes in the composition of the labour force and the changes in the labour market...

Price Effects of Regulation draws on research undertaken at the OECD to quantify the effects of domestic regulatory regimes on prices in up to 50 economies for 3 sectors — international air passenger transport, telecommunications and electricity supply. The study finds wide variations in...

The setting of user prices for enterprises with large fixed costs and marginal costs below average costs – “natural monopolies” – raises important policy questions regarding both efficiency and equity. It has become well accepted among economists that, in a variety of settings, welfare...

This study considers the joint role of job and housing location as they affect the earnings of different race and gender groups. Building on Wial's (1991) case study of networks in Boston which distribute good jobs, the `network hypothesis' suggests that the channels which distribute high wage...

Over the past 20 years, finance has become commodified. Firms increasingly obtain finance from securities markets, instead of borrowing from commercial banks with which they have long-term relationships, while Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac package a growing number of mortgages into bonds. When...

Substantial variation in recognition rates for asylum claims from the same countries of origin and therefore prima facie equal merit subjects refugees to unfair and discriminatory treatment. This article demonstrates the extent of variation and lack of convergence over the period 1980 to 1999...