This paper examines the effect of international outsourcing of intermediate inputs on labour productivity at the level of the plant that engages in outsourcing. To do so we use plant level data for the electronics industry in the Republic of Ireland. Using a fresh perspective on international outsourcing and productivity, we focus on the nature of outsourced inputs (services or tangibles) and t...

This brief essay provides a selective discussion of how in recent years economists in the neoclassical tradition have addressed the questions whether and how immigration affects native workers’ labour market outcomes. In particular, it discusses: the distinction between the displacement, productivity and amenity effects of immigration; the issues that arise in using wage changes to identify tho...

Peter Dawkins is one of many expressing surprise that unemployment remains the wrong side of 6⁄2 per cent ‘after eight years of sustained strong growth’. An Okun-accounting approach might help. Albeit very crudely applied here, the Okun concentration is on GDP, labour productivity and labour force growth rates rather than elapsed recovery time alone. When the 1990s expansion is viewed through O...

The study examined gender analysis of energy use for Rice production in north central Nigeria using a sample of 60 Rice farmers. An analysis of gender relations provides the information on the different conditions men and women face, and the different effects that policies and programs may have on them. Simple descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Energy efficiency and energy pr...

Occupational safety and health (OSH) is increasingly recognized by Latin American and Caribbean governments and international organizations as an important part of public health. OSH concerns extend well beyond the obvious health consequences of work-related illnesses, accidents and deaths. OSH is a key element in the process of social and economic development, with direct and indirect impacts ...

This paper estimates the determinants of labour productivity and employment in European NUTS2 regions. We focus on technological capabilities (proxied by regional patents), agglomeration economies (employment density), and openness, proxied by the number of airplane passengers embarked and disembarked in the region. We employ 1989-1996 data drawn from the Eurostat REGIO data base. By using inst...

The development of information and communication technologies has led to the rise of new working forms in firms, some of which are temporally and spatially dispersed, such as telework practices. However, ‘telework’ is a broad concept, including different forms of remote work as well as diverse reasons and performance implications for the separation of work from ...

Product and labour market reforms are likely to have significant cross-market effects OECD countries have pursued product and labour market reforms over the past two decades to increase employment and enhance productive efficiency. For example, countries have adjusted their employment protection and minimum wage legislation, reformed their benefits systems and modified their tax policies with t...

Purpose – A range of studies have shown that performance is typically higher in organisations with employee share ownership (ESO) schemes in place. Many possible causal mechanisms explaining this relationship have been suggested. These include a reduction in labour turnover, synergies with other forms of productivity-enhancing communication and participation schemes, and synergies with employer...

The paper describes the development of energyintensity at a detailed sectoral level for 14 OECD countries for the period 1970-1997 (distinguishing 13 sectors). The analysis is based on a database that merges energy data from IEA Energy Balances, economic data from the OECD International Sectoral Database and constructed energy prices, using IEA data. We document a number of stylised facts focus...