The earnings of self-employed Mexican Americans along the U.S.-Mexico border

We utilize data from the 1990 1% Public Use Microdata Sample to analyze the earnings and occupational status of self-employed Mexican Americans in the five major U.S.-Mexico border metropolitan statistical areas (Brownsville, El Paso, Laredo, and McAllen in Texas, and San Diego, California) relative to those in non-border cities. Our findings suggest that self-employed Mexican American men earned significantly less in Texas-Mexico border cities than in other areas on average, while the earnings of self-employed Mexican American women did not significantly vary between border and non-border cities. We also find evidence that these earnings differentials may be related to differences in self-employment selection and occupational choice. As such, “across the board” policies designed to foster self-employment may not have the desired effect of boosting economic prosperity unless consideration is given to the socioeconomic and demographic composition of the region as well as to the specific occupational sector. Received: June 2000/Accepted: December 2000     

Spatial scale, return and onward migration, and the Long-Boertlein index of repeat migration

Abstract.  Long and Boertlein's (1990 ) measure of repeat migration can be used to infer the effects of repeat migration with data sets that did not specifically ask questions about such migration. While recent work by Rogers et al. (2003 ) evaluated how well this synthetic measure matched empirical fixed-interval measures, the role of spatial scale remains unclear, particularly since scale influences migration levels, spatial structure, and the representation of the primary, return, and onward migration components within the overall flow. Motivated by the implementation of the American Community Survey and the concurrent need to adjust data from one to five-year formats, and using the 1996 Canadian Public Use Microdata File and a custom tabulation from the 1996 Canadian census, the accuracy of the index is evaluated. In particular, the effects of spatial scale upon measures of primary, return and onward migration are described and evaluated, with the Long-Boertlein measure contrasted with fixed-interval measures of return and onward migration. Results show that the measure is sensitive to spatial scale.     

Location and output of the labor-managed firm under price discrimination

This paper considers the impact of location on the output effect of third-degree price discrimination. It shows that the price discrimination may increase, decrease or leave total output of the labor-managed firm unchanged even if the demand curves in two separate markets are linear. This result is significantly different from the conventional non-spatial result. It indicates that the location decision of the labor-managed firm has an important influence on the output effect of third-degree price discrimination.Received: April 2002/Accepted: February 2004I am grateful to Professor Tschangho John Kim and an anonymous referee for valuable comments and suggestions that have substantially improved the paper. All remaining errors are my own     

Matching in the labour market: modelling spatial aspects of the Swedish unemployment benefit rules

In this paper, some consequences of the Swedish unemployment benefit rules are studied. This is achieved by introducing geographical mobility into a labour market matching model. Jobseekers and vacancies are unevenly distributed across space. Therefore, both the probability that a jobseeker will find a job and the probability that a vacancy is filled during a period vary across locations. Moreover, these differences are followed by spatial differences in both the duration of unemployment and vacancy times. It is shown that the potential of geographical mobility to increase the number of matches is limited in a labour market with few or many vacancies per jobseeker. In these labour markets, mobility mostly affects which jobseekers find a job during a period. In a relatively better balanced labour market, the number of matches could be increased by additional mobility.     

基于手机平台下的湿空气状态参数计算

鉴于暖通空调设计人员在设计时经常要翻看湿空气焓--湿图来查找相应参数的繁琐和目前手机已经普遍使用的现实情况,本文运用J2ME技术编制程序,将常用的标准大气压下的湿空气焓.湿图上的一系列状态参数嵌入手机当中计算,此项技术可以极大地方便暖通空调设计和研究人员快速地获取所需要的湿空气状态参数,具有较高的实用价值.     

Spatial mismatch research in the 1990s: progress and potential

This article reviews recent research about the spatial mismatch hypothesis from a range of social science disciplines. Since 1990, researchers have tested the mismatch hypothesis in diverse metropolitan settings; devised more accurate measures of geographical access to employment; and developed models to address issues such as compensating variations, sample selection bias, and contextual effects. We argue for a broader conceptualization of spatial mismatch that considers how social and spatial relations affect employment outcomes for women, immigrants, and other ethnic minorities. This broader view will enhance the contribution of research to current theoretical and policy debates about urban poverty. The effects of metropolitan context and neighborhood-level differences in services, resources, and social networks on spatial access and, independently, on wages and employment also warrant future research attention. Received: April 14, 1998 / Accepted: April 3, 1999     

Regional labour market dynamics in the Netherlands

This article analyzes the response of regional labor markets in the Netherlands to region-specific labor demand shocks. Previous studies show remarkable differences in response between regions in European countries and regions in the United States. The analysis shows that, in Dutch regions, the speed of adjustment is similar to that of the US, but the primary adjustment mechanism is the same as in Europe. Whereas previous studies analyze only average patterns of all regions in a country, we also provide a more in-depth analysis of within country differences in labor market adjustment processes, thus showing remarkable differences between regions within the Netherlands.     

Part-time workers and economic expansion: comparing the 1980s and 1990s with U.S. state data

Economists know little about how the role of part-time workers affect regional labor market dynamics during economic expansion. This study examines this issue using U.S. state data from the 1980s and 1990s. Compared to the 1980s, the labor market during the late 1990s is associated with widespread labor shortages, making this an excellent comparison of how part-time employment responds to economic growth. One key finding is that part-time employment was less responsive to job growth during the 1990s than the 1980s, especially for women. Several explanations are put forth, including firm responses to labor shortages, employer perceptions of inferior part-time worker characteristics and welfare reform. Received: 30 March 2001/Accepted: 20 November 2001 RID="*" ID="*" The author thanks ?rn Bodvarsson, Jamie Partridge and session participants at the 2001 Mid Continent Regional Science Association Meeting for their useful comments and suggestions.     

Accounting for migration in regional occupational employment projections

Occupational employment projections are one of the primary products produced by state labor market information agencies to assist with state and regional job training and worker assistance programs. In theory, the information from occupational employment forecasts should improve both interregional and intertemporal labor market efficiency through better matching between training efforts and job openings. Until recently, the projections methodology was predominantly a demand-requirements approach that failed to incorporate important labor supply effects and interstate/interregional dependencies. Recent research has focused on improving the labor supply specification. This paper reports on one such effort to evaluate the importance of interstate occupational migration and to develop methods to incorporate migration into the existing projections methodology. Initial results indicate that the total number of estimated job openings by occupation have to be revised significantly upwards when migration is taken into account.     

High-technology employment and R&;D in cities: Heterogeneity vs specialization

This paper uses data from high technology industry clusters in U.S. cities to establish a strong positive relationship between city, industry cluster (and university) R&D, and subsequent employment in the same industry cluster and city. Perhaps surprisingly, in view of recent results that heterogeneity favors growth, we found no evidence for spillovers from R&D in any one high technology cluster to employment in any other. However, spillover benefits from specialization appear microeconomically plausible in our context, though the data panel is too short to obtain any conclusions regarding growth.     

Unemployment, selective employment measures and inter-regional mobility of labour

This article examines the impact of selective employment measures on the subsequent migration behaviour of the participants. We hypothesise that employment measures targeted at high unemployment regions may discourage out-migration of the unemployed. Since the possible locking-in effect mainly influences those with the weakest employment prospects, selective employment measures may impede the adjustment process of regional labour markets. Results suggest that employment measures reduce the mobility of the unemployed, but only during an era of low unemployment when the employment prospects in potential destination regions are favourable. In an era of high unemployment, these measures are not likely to contribute to greater regional unemployment disparities. There is also large variation in the locking-in effects across different employment programmes and specific groups of job seekers. Received: 6 December 1999 / Accepted: 16 March 2001 RID="*" ID="*" This study is part of a project supported by the Academy of Finland (project number 43546). I would like to thank the referees for thoughtful comments and suggestions.     

Independent and linked migration: Individual return of employment opportunity and household return of poverty status to African American interstate migration

The thrust of this study is to describe and contrast the determinants and outcomes of African-American interstate migration. We examine two types of migration outcomes – individual return to employment probability and household level return to poverty status. We investigate these motivations and outcomes based on a new typology of migration through the lens of household change that accompanies migration. We specify a pairwise two-stage probit model incorporating individual and state-level variables using Public Use Micro Sample data and various ecological data in the US. We show that independent migrants move to other states envisioning economic models of migration with migration as a derived response to opportunities, pressures, and constraints imposed by spatial inequalities in socioeconomic development. On the other hand, we demonstrate that linked migrants move to other states also for their economic need, but via kinship. In this case, the linked migrants' path does not follow the general pattern of economic circumstances. We show that household composition is an important factor that influences the destination choice for African Americans. While independent migrants are more concerned with diverse economic conditions at destinations, kinship, other ties and household structure at destinations are more significant factors for linked migrants. Received: June 2000/Accepted: June 2001     

The effect of unemployment, aggregate wages, and spatial contiguity on local wages: An investigation with German district level data

Despite spatial rigidity of collectively negotiated wages the local unemployment rate is found to have a significant negative impact on wages. This impact is shown to be consistent with both the wage-curve hypothesis and modern Phillips-curve modelling. Spatial contiguity effects are found in wages and unemployment and their neglect leads to an underestimation of the effect of local unemployment. Yet, the impact of local unemployment on wages turns out to be quite low as compared to studies for other countries. Some support for the hypothesis that negotiated wages suppress spatial wage flexibility comes from the finding that the impact of local unemployment on local wages decreases with its extent. Received: 13 December 1996 / Accepted: 8 June 1998     

Internal migration and wages of Italian university graduates*

In this paper, we estimate wage gains due to geographic mobility of Italian university graduates three years after graduation. By means of a matching procedure we quantify wage premia associated with the choice of studying far from home, moving after graduation and moving back home after graduation. We find evidence of large heterogeneity in the returns to different migration patterns. The results show large gains for those who move after graduation and smaller gains for those who migrate to study. Conversely, those who choose to go back home after having studied in regions different from that of origin suffer small losses. Our findings are robust to a finer definition of mobility and to the subsample of individuals originating from the South.     

Restricting access in a job chains model of local employment creation

The job chains model of local labor market change is a demand-driven analytic device for estimating the effects of new job creation. This paper explores the effects of restricting supply, i.e., limiting job access, on the model’s primary outcomes: vacancy chain multipliers, welfare effects, and distributional impacts. Major sources of labor supply are the local unemployed, out of the labor force and in-migrants. Three simulations are reported relating to (1) restricting new jobs to current local residents (i.e., no in-migrants), (2) restricting new jobs to current residents in the first round of hiring only, and (3) restricting hiring to local unemployed/out of labor force on the first round alone. The results are compared to the basic model that assumes no supply-side restrictions. In terms of chain length, welfare effects, distributional impacts, and policy palatability, first-round restrictions on in-migrants would seem to be the most plausible option. However, as an economic development strategy, well-targeted demand-side initiatives would still seem to be preferable.

Explaining the pattern of regional unemployment: The case of the Midi-Pyrénées region

Unemployment rates vary widely at the sub-regional level. We seek to explain why such variation occurs, using data for 174 districts in the Midi-Pyrénées region of France for 1990–1991. A set of explanatory variables is derived from theory and the voluminous literature. The best model includes a correction for spatially autocorrelated errors. Unemployment rates are higher in urban areas and, where per capita income is higher, are consistent with the view that unemployment differences largely reflect variations in “amenities.” Along with a lack of evidence of housing market rigidities, these suggest that subregional variations in unemployment are not mainly the result of labor market disequilibrium. Received: 9 July 1999 / Accepted: 30 October 2001     

Inter-regional labor market equilibrium: another pattern of spatial mismatch

The inability of the free market to lead to a balanced regional labor market equilibrium has been explained to a certain extent by the spatial mismatch hypothesis: “housing segregation” explains a deadlock situation where a “center” with high unemployment and low income coexists with “suburbs” with high labor demand and income. The author proposes a framework for a theoretical general equilibrium model that may explain the existence of a spatial equilibrium with inequalities in employment and income in various regions. This model explains the interregional imbalances on the labor demand side due to the changes in relative land prices and agglomeration economies and diseconomies in three separate types of economic sectors. On the labor supply side, the model suggests a pattern of a commuting–migration relationship by which labor migrates for housing reasons while retaining present jobs and commuting back to them. Government intervention through influence on travel costs, education, and land allocation can lead to the diminution of such interregional gaps.     

Interstate migration of college freshmen

We examine the economic determinants of interstate migration of college-bound freshmen, using state-level data. Our analysis provides a robust explanation of the striking differences among the U.S. states in out-migration of college-bound freshmen. States that provide more educational choices and higher quality education services, charge lower tuition, have broad-based merit scholarship programs and have lower income levels tend to retain a higher percentage of their college-bound freshmen at home. We thank Andrew Mason, Sang-Hyop Lee and Rhonda Sharpe and two anonymous referees for helpful comments and suggestions.     

基于J2EE平台的住宅性能评定系统的设计与实现

本文简单描述了基于J2EE平台的住宅性能评定系统的开发背景,介绍了该系统的开发与实现,包括实现系统开发的平台与工具,软件构架,提出了系统设计与实现方案。