This paper uses a labor contracting framework to analyze the microeconomics of the Australian unemployment compensation system. The authors find that employers adjust labor inputs by using layoffs rather than shortened workweeks or work-sharing during economic recessions. Increases in government...

This paper examines whether a country's economic reform are affected by reforms adopted by other countries. A simple model of economic reforms is developed to motivate the econometric work. Unsurprisingly, the model predicts that reforms are more likely when factors of production are...

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has grown far more rapidly than trade during the last two decades. As with the other prominent features of globalization, FDI is controversial. The impact of FDI on labour markets has been of growing concern, in particular for source countries. The deterioration...

There is no shortage of theories that purport to explain why globalization may have adverse, insignificant, or even beneficial effects on income and earnings inequality. Surprisingly, the empirical realities remain an almost complete mystery. In this paper, we use data on industrial wage...

"Deindustrialization, stagnant real incomes of production workers, and increasing inequality are latter day features of many economies. It is common to assume that such developments pressure policymakers to relax environmental standards. However, when heavily polluting industries become less...

For a number of OECD countries, the deterioration of labour market outcomes for less-skilled workers since the early 1980s has coincided with a steady decline in union membership. Globalisation is commonly believed to have contributed to both developments. However, recent studies fail to find...