This paper analyses the way immigration can help to alleviate the burden ageing presents for the welfare states of most Western Economies. We develop a macroeconomic framework which deals with the impact of both ageing and immigration on economic growth. This is combined with a detailed model of...

Paper presented at the AEA-Conference in Göteborg, Sweden, 9-11 May 1996 In this paper we discuss the influence of tax shifting on wages and employment. The paper is related to earlier research in this field, both for the Netherlands and for other European welfare states. Our approach differs...

Abstract not available

The Netherlands is well known for its high employment growth and corresponding low unemployment rate. At various occasions the so-called Dutch miracle has been applauded, together with the underlying ‘Polder model’. A feature that initially was less recognised in the international debate,...

In this paper we recognize that reforms of the welfare state can be necessary from an economic point of view. We stress, however, that these reforms also have important social and political dimensions. The social dimensions are conceptualised by using Hofstede''s cultural characteristics. The...

In this paper the effects of different institutional scenarios on rent creation and rent distribution in a labour market are studied. Rent is generated by sinking costs in human capital investment and this rent is distributed between firms and workers by the wage set. In the bench-mark scenario...

The focus of this paper is on rent distribution under different labour market regimes. When workers determine human capital investment and wages freely, while the firm sets labour demand, the rent created is shared. Investment in human capital is then inefficiently low. When there are unemployed...