Essays on labour demand and wage formation

The first essay in this thesis is on gender wage differentials among manufacturing sector white-collar workers. The wage differential is decomposed into firm, job (within-firm) and individ-ual-level components. Job-level gender segregation explains over half of the gap, while firm-level segregation is not important. After controlling for firm, job and individual characteristics, the remaining unexplained wage cap to the advantage of men is six per cent of men s mean wage. In the second essay, I study how the business cycle and gender affect the distribution of the earnings losses of displaced workers. The negative effect of displacement is large, persistent and strongest in the lowest earnings deciles. The effect is larger in a recession than in a recov-ery period, and in all periods women s earnings drop more than men s earnings. The third essay shows that the transition from steady employment to disability pension de-pends on the stringency of medical screening and the degree of experience-rating of pension costs applied to the employer. The fact that firms have to bear part of the cost of employees disability pension costs lowers both the incidence of long sick leave periods and the probabil-ity that sick leave ends in a disability pension. The fourth and fifth essays are studies on the employment, wage and profit effects of a re-gional payroll tax cut experiment conducted in northern and eastern Finland. The results show no statistically significant effect on any of the response variables.

Agglomeration front dynamics: Drying in sessile nano-particle laden droplets

The drying of sessile, nano-silica laden water droplet is studied under ambient conditions, in the absence of any convection. The drying process can be divided into two distinct regimes. During regime 1, the outer edge of the droplet remains pinned and particles agglomerate at the droplet periphery similar to the traditional coffee ring. However in regime 2, with further evaporation, both the liquid contact line and the agglomeration front starts moving radially inwards from the initial contact edge. The contact between the liquid and the agglomerate is maintained throughout regime 2 and the vaporisation driven liquid edge recession essentially drives the inward growth of the particle deposition. Fast kinetics of particle aggregation results in rapid growth of this agglomeration front as seen from the experiments. A theoretical formulation involving a simplistic model of the agglomeration front growth based on particle mass balance has been proposed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved,

Estimation of `drainable' storage - A geomorphological approach

Storage of water within a river basin is often estimated by analyzing recession flow curves as it cannot be `instantly' estimated with the aid of available technologies. In this study we explicitly deal with the issue of estimation of `drainable' storage, which is equal to the area under the `complete' recession flow curve (i.e. a discharge vs. time curve where discharge continuously decreases till it approaches zero). But a major challenge in this regard is that recession curves are rarely `complete' due to short inter-storm time intervals. Therefore, it is essential to analyze and model recession flows meaningfully. We adopt the wellknown Brutsaert and Nieber analytical method that expresses time derivative of discharge (dQ/dt) as a power law function of Q : -dQ/dt = kQ(alpha). However, the problem with dQ/dt-Q analysis is that it is not suitable for late recession flows. Traditional studies often compute alpha considering early recession flows and assume that its value is constant for the whole recession event. But this approach gives unrealistic results when alpha >= 2, a common case. We address this issue here by using the recently proposed geomorphological recession flow model (GRFM) that exploits the dynamics of active drainage networks. According to the model, alpha is close to 2 for early recession flows and 0 for late recession flows. We then derive a simple expression for drainable storage in terms the power law coefficient k, obtained by considering early recession flows only, and basin area. Using 121 complete recession curves from 27 USGS basins we show that predicted drainable storage matches well with observed drainable storage, indicating that the model can also reliably estimate drainable storage for `incomplete' recession events to address many challenges related to water resources. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Capacidad de crecimiento de la Argentina en el largo plazo

Resumen: En los últimos cuatro años la Argentina creció 39% aproximadamente. Varios factores se conjugaron para permitir este crecimiento, pero sin duda, uno clave fue la existencia de una importante capacidad productiva ociosa, algo que se está diluyendo. En este contexto es importante conocer cuánto margen hay para crecer en el corto plazo, o sea, cuánto es el output gap o brecha del producto, y a qué ritmo se puede crecer en el largo plazo, o sea, la tasa de crecimiento del PBI potencial. Para ello en el presente artículo se calcula el PBI potencial en base al “método de la función de producción”. La principal conclusión es que para crecer a 4% en el largo plazo, una tasa mucho menor a la registrada recientemente, se requiere un esfuerzo inversor mayor al actual, tanto en cantidad como en calidad.

Some considerations on coastal processes relevant to sea level rise

The effects of potential sea level rise on the shoreline and shore environment have been briefly examined by considering the interactions between sea level rise and relevant coastal processes. These interactions have been reviewed beginning with a discussion of the need to reanalyze previous estimates of eustatic sea level rise and compaction effects in water level measurement. This is followed by considerations on sea level effects on coastal and estuarine tidal ranges, storm surge and water level response, and interaction with natural and constructed shoreline features. The desirability to reevaluate the well known Bruun Rule for estimating shoreline recession has been noted. The mechanics of ground and surface water intrusion with reference to sea level rise are then reviewed. This is followed by sedimentary processes in the estuaries including wetland response. Finally comments are included on some probable effects of sea level rise on coastal ecosystems. These interactions are complex and lead to shoreline evolution (under a sea level rise) which is highly site-specific. Models which determine shoreline change on the basis of inundation of terrestrial topography without considering relevant coastal processes are likely to lead to erroneous shoreline scenarios, particularly where the shoreline is composed of erodible sedimentary material. With some exceptions, present day knowledge of shoreline response to hydrodynamic forcing is inadequate for long-term quantitative predictions. A series of interrelated basic and applied research issues must be addressed in the coming decades to determine shoreline response to sea level change with an acceptable degree of confidence. (PDF contains 189 pages.)

Explorando la relación entre políticas crediticias y resultados de la banca española ex-post

© Este trabajo está licenciado bajo la licencia Creative Commons Attribution 3.0.

Fishing gears survey of Lake Chad

The paper reports on a survey on gear assessment for the three intensive fishing seasons in Lake Chad (Nigeria). These seasons coincide with the flood period (Nov-Feb), the receding (March-June)and the recession period (July-September 2001). During this year the questionnaires were requested to ten fishers in each of the selected fishing islands. In the flood season, identified fishing gears on the lake included baited and un-baited Malian traps which constituted about 35% of the total gears recorded. While Ndurutu and Heri (Kung)traps represented, each, 3.2% of the total. About 15.9% of fishers employed hook lines of various length and sizes: Another 15.9% of fishers mounted fish fences (Dumba) during the season. Those that employ seine net accounted for about 11.1% while 9.5% use gill nets.The species belonging to the Cichilidae, Claridae and Osteoglossidae families dominated fish catches. During the receding period, hook lines and fences (Dumba) (6.20%) were found to be predominantly used on the lake due to reducing water level, followed by gill net and draw net which accounted for 17.9% and 16.1 % respectively. During the lake recession only two groups of active gears were recorded. Sixty percent of fishers use combined seine net with cutlass and scoop net, while 40% use to combine only cutlass with kabara net. Fish fences (Dumma)during the flood season were mounted with giant Malian traps of abut 1.5m by 0.5m diameter, covered with net of mesh size (6.3mm-25mm).Each Dumba contained between 150 and 2000 of such traps. Larger number of species was recorded from seine net followed by gill nets and the l kilometre multi mesh fleet drift net. The use of seine net and cutlass known as Genima was predominant during the lake recession

Managing and resisting ‘degeneration’ in employee-owned businesses: a comparative study of two large retailers in Spain and the UK

Employee-owned businesses have recently enjoyed a resurgence of interest as possible ‘alternatives’ to the somewhat tarnished image of conventional investor-owned capitalist firms. Within the context of global economic crisis, such alternatives seem newly attractive. This is somewhat ironic because, for more than a century, academic literature on employee-owned businesses has been dominated by the ‘degeneration thesis’. This suggested that these businesses tend towards failure – they either fail commercially, or they relinquish their democratic characters. Bucking this trend and offering a beacon - especially in the UK - has been the commercially successful, co-owned enterprise of the John Lewis Partnership (JLP) whose virtues have seemingly been rewarded with favourable and sustainable outcomes. This paper makes comparisons between JLP and its Spanish equivalent Eroski – the supermarket group which is part of the Mondragon cooperatives. The contribution of this paper is to examine in a comparative way how the managers in JLP and Eroski have constructed and accomplished their alternative scenarios. Using longitudinal data and detailed interviews with senior managers in both enterprises it explores the ways in which two large, employee-owned, enterprises reconcile apparently conflicting principles and objectives. The paper thus puts some new flesh on the ‘regeneration thesis’.

Gestión de recursos humanos en empresas cooperativas

ESPAÑOL Desde 2008, a causa de la crisis internacional, Mondragón Corporación Cooperativa se ve obligado a emplear ciertas políticas de gestión de los recursos humanos para sobrevivir a esa situación. La finalidad de este trabajo es identificar dichas políticas y valorar si realmente ofrecen los resultados esperados, analizando minuciosamente la relación entre el absentismo laboral y el compromiso y la motivación de los trabajadores. Este estudio propone que en situaciones de recesión económica, las políticas de formación y empleo y las prestaciones cubiertas por Lagun-Aro EPSV aumentan la motivación de los empleados y en consecuencia reducen la tasa de absentismo. La investigación se fundamenta en la lectura de artículos académicos, memorias de Lagun-Aro y una detallada entrevista realizada al que fue jefe de contabilidad en Eroski durante 9 años y director administrativo y responsable de las participadas de Lagun-Aro EPSV durante 30 años. Los resultados obtenidos muestran la existencia de una relación inversa entre el compromiso y la motivación y el absentismo laboral. Además se comprueba la eficiencia de las políticas llevadas a cabo por las cooperativas de Mondragón y se destaca el principio de intercooperatividad para la efectividad de esas políticas.

Realidad y retos de la protección social en Euskadi

El nº 81 de Ecomiaz lleva el título de: Estado de bienestar y gobierno multinivel

El efecto de la crisis económica en los suicidios: una revisión sistemática

[Es]Introducción y objetivo: La actual crisis económica ha llevado a algunos países a plantear políticas basadas en el recorte del gasto social para hacer frente a sus deudas. Los efectos de la recesión económica junto con las políticas de austeridad impuestas por algunos gobiernos podrían causar un aumento en la desigualdad social, que desembocaría en un empeoramiento de la salud pública de la población. El objetivo de esta revisión sistemática es conocer si han existido variaciones en los casos de suicidio influenciados por la crisis económica actual en los países que han sido objeto de un rescate financiero (Grecia, España, Irlanda, Portugal y Chipre) desde el inicio de dicha crisis, en el año 2008. Asimismo, se pretende evaluar si han existido aumentos en los casos de trastornos mentales y de alcoholismo por la misma causa. Metodología: Revisión sistemática en base a las disposiciones PRISMA. Se elaboró un protocolo de búsqueda para ser utilizado en 5 bases de datos (Medline, Scopus, WOS, IBECS y CINAHL) y se consideraron los estudios observaciones publicados entre el 1/1/2005 y el 31/12/2014. Resultados: Fueron seleccionados 16 estudios observacionales, con niveles de evidencia de calidad VI – VII (regular – baja). En la mayor parte de los estudios se observó un incremento en los suicidios relacionados con la crisis económica, excepto en 3 artículos, en los cuales no se evidenciaron cambios en las tasas de suicidio durante los años de crisis. Todos los artículos excepto uno concluyeron la existencia de un deterioro en salud mental, dándose sobre todo aumentos en los casos de depresión. Por otra parte, los resultados no fueron determinantes en cuanto al alcoholismo. Conclusiones: Se observa de forma general una relación entre la crisis y los suicidios y el deterioro en salud mental; sin embargo, es necesaria la realización de más investigación en este campo.

The impact of economic crises on social inequalities in health: what do we know so far?

Since 2008, Western countries are going through a deep economic crisis whose health impacts seem to be fundamentally counter-cyclical: when economic conditions worsen, so does health, and mortality tends to rise. While a growing number of studies have presented evidence on the effect of crises on the average population health, a largely neglected aspect of research is the impact of crises and the related political responses on social inequalities in health, even if the negative consequences of the crises are primarily borne by the most disadvantaged populations. This commentary will reflect on the results of the studies that have analyzed the effect of economic crises on social inequalities in health up to 2013. With some exceptions, the studies show an increase in health inequalities during crises, especially during the Southeast Asian and Japanese crises and the Soviet Union crisis, although it is not always evident for both sexes or all health or socioeconomic variables. In the Nordic countries during the nineties, a clear worsening of health equity did not occur. Results about the impacts of the current economic recession on health equity are still inconsistent. Some of the factors that could explain this variability in results are the role of welfare state policies, the diversity of time periods used in the analyses, the heterogeneity of socioeconomic and health variables considered, the changes in the socioeconomic profile of the groups under comparison in times of crises, and the type of measures used to analyze the magnitude of social inequalities in health. Social epidemiology should further collaborate with other disciplines to help produce more accurate and useful evidence about the relationship between crises and health equity.

Krisiari aurrea hartuz: SAKANA S. COOP. enpresaren estrategia aldaketaren ezarpena eta analisia

[EU] Gradu Amaierako Lan honetan SAKANA kooperatiba da aztertzeko erabili dudan enpresa. 1975. Urtean sortu zen fundizio enpresa industrial bat da. Enpresa hau Lakuntzan dago kokatuta (Nafarroa) eta gaur egun 290 langile ditu. SAKANAK krisi ekonomikoarekin batera etorri zen eskariaren jaitsiera sufritu zuen. Hala ere, gaur egungo egoera ona da, lehiakide batzuen porrota ikusita, krisiari aurre egitea lortu duen enpresa bat izan da. Egungo egoera honen erantzulerik nagusiena 2007. urtean egin zuten aldaketa estrategikoa da. Aldaketa hau integrazio bertikalean oinarritu zen. SAKANAK pieza eolikoak funditzeaz gain, mekanizazioa eta margotzea gehitu zituen bere balio katera. Aldaketa honek kooperatiba honen etorkizunerako norabide bat markatu zuen. Estrategia aldaketa horren kudeaketari dagozkion atal nagusiei egingo zaie aipamena lan honetan, hau da, estrategia horren ezarpena aztertuz eta balorazioa eginez.

Community water access, availability and management in the Tonle Sap region, Cambodia.

During the rollout of CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) in Tonle Sap in 2013, water management was highlighted as one of the key development challenges. With limited capacity to regulate water, the situation oscillates between too much water in the wet season and too little water in the dry season. Access to and availability of water were seen by local communities as major limitations for aquatic and agricultural production, impacting on functions that include the lake fishery, intensive (dry season) rice crops, recession rice, rainfed rice and floating rice by the lakeside. For both fish and rice production, water and water management are determined principally by the natural flooding of the Tonle Sap Lake. This study is based on a community survey on water access, availability and management and was conceived out of the AAS consultation process and was developed to help identify existing practices in water use and management, as well as best practices where lessons can be learned and promising activities scaled out to other communities. The community survey also aims to understand, identify and analyze constraints and opportunities related to water, and includes a gender perspective to better understand the role of women in water management and use.