In this study we investigate the effect of the introduction of premium differentiation (experience rating) in the Dutch Unemployment Insurance system on the demand for labor. We formulate a model of labor demand, based on the model by Bentolila and Bertola (1990), in which we distinguish two...

This paper shows that vertical foreign direct investment will reduce prices but the aggregate welfare effect is unambiguously positive only under free market entry. Using a standard model of imperfect competition, we develop this result by considering two different cases. In the first case, the...

This paper exposes an analysis of the structural changes experienced by the demand of waged workers in Colombia during the 1990’s due to both, structural adjustment policies and the economic crisis that arose since 1998. The cointegration vectors’ methodology is deployed in order to obtain...

Although search-matching theory has come to dominate labor economics in recent years, few attempts have been made to compare the empirical relevance of search-matching theory to efficiency wage and bargaining theories, where employment is determined by labor demand. In this paper we formulate an...

This paper advances on previous work on the effects of trade on labour markets as identified by the Stolper-Samuelson theorem in three respects. First, we employ dynamic heterogeneous panel estimation techniques, which allows to investigate both (possibly homogeneous) long-run relationship and...

The standard literature on working time has modelled the decisions of firms in a deterministic framework in which firms can choose between employment and overtime (given mandated standard hours). Contrary to this approach, we consider the impact of uncertainty and real options on the decision of...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes the challenge of population aging for Belgium. It argues that the aging strategy should be broadened to include more explicitly the objective of raising employment rates to foster potential growth. The paper discusses assumptions underlying the official aging...