Unemployment

Poverty and Difference - A Scholarly Personal Narrative

by William Cerf

Regional unemployment and industrial restructuring in Poland

by Francesco Pastore

Co-authored with Andrew Newell.
Eastern European Economics, 2006, 44(3): 5-28.
(also available as IZA DP, n. 194, November 2000, University of Sussex DP, n. 63, May 2000, e CELPE DP, n. 51, February 2000)

This paper studies regional unemployment inequality in Poland. We find that regions experiencing greater change in... more This paper studies regional unemployment inequality in Poland. We find that regions experiencing greater change in industrial structure have higher unemployment rates. We also find that high-unemployment regions have higher inflow rates to unemployment rather than longer spells of unemployment. These findings suggest that regional unemployment varies importantly with job destruction in Poland. Econometric analysis of the determinants of employment to unemployment flows reinforces this impression. We use our estimates to assess the extent to which regional unemployment variation is due to economic restructuring. We show that this cannot be done unambiguously, and offer reasons why many previous attempts to separate out the effects of restructuring on unemployment have been unsuccessful.

Protest, Acquiescence and the Unemployed: A Comparative Analysis of the 1930s and 1980s

by Paul Bagguley

Blood, Sweat, and Smiles: The Search for a Reason

by Diana Ruth Arcega

published in upiu.com; edited version of 'The Search'

Giuntoli G, et al. (2011) Mental health, resilience and the recession in Bradford, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation

by Dr Gianfranco Giuntoli

On 14 December 2011 Gianfranco was interviewed on BBC Leeds to report on the results of this study. Here you can find the radio interview: http://repository.leedsmet.ac.uk/main/view_record.php?identifier=5922&SearchGroup=research.

This study explores the impact of involuntary unemployment
at a time of economic recession on people’s everyday... more This study explores the impact of involuntary unemployment
at a time of economic recession on people’s everyday life and
mental well-being. It explores the relation between people’s
experiences of unemployment and two sets of resilience factors:
coping strategies and practical and emotional support.

The study consisted of 16 focus groups with 73 unemployed
people in a ‘transition phase’ in the job market: young
people (aged 18–25) who recently entered the job market
and older workers (aged 50–65) closer to retirement age.

The report covers the following questions:

• What has been the impact of job losses on
people’s everyday lives and well-being?

• What have been the experiences and views of help and
support from family, friends and formal services?

• What practice and policy recommendations
are there to promote mental well-being and
resilience during economic downturns?

Buddhism and Unemployment - a conceptual reappraisal of social classification systems

by Michel Clasquin-Johnson

in Vorster, W. S. (ed.) 1992. On being unemployed and religious. Pretoria: Unisa. pp. 96-106.

Joan Robinson’s Short-Period Theory of Employment - a development of the contributions of Keynes, Kalecki and Marx

by Brendan Sheehan

A longer version of this paper was originally presented to the Association for Heterodox Economists Conference at the Open University in London in July 2000.

This paper is a pedagogic tool that seeks to re-activate interest in Joan Robinson’s short period theory of... more This paper is a pedagogic tool that seeks to re-activate interest in Joan Robinson’s short period theory of employment, which has been ignored by mainstream economists. This theory develops the arguments advanced by Kalecki and Keynes with respect to employment, whilst the treatment of unemployment synthesises the seemingly disparate perspectives of Keynes and Marx. A simple two-sector model outlines Robinson’s distinctive treatment of the main components of aggregate demand. The distribution of income is the dominant influence on consumption, there is a two-stage multiplier effect and profits in the Consumption sector dictate the rate of investment. It predicts that effective demand determines total output, capacity utilisation and aggregate employment. It then specifies two categories of unemployment - Keynesian (demand deficient) and Marxian (reserve army). The model provides a snapshot of how employment responds to a change in effective demand, which is consistent with the Robinsonian vision of an economy moving along an irreversible time path.

Labour market reforms in Germany and implications for South Africa

by Felix Faulhaber

A dimensão humana do trabalho e do desemprego: uma análise do filme “O adversário”

by Vander Casaqui

Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar o filme francês “O adversário” (2002, direção de Nicole Garcia), que apresenta... more Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar o filme francês “O adversário” (2002, direção de Nicole Garcia), que apresenta no centro da narrativa uma reflexão crítica sobre os encadeamentos entre o mundo do trabalho, o desemprego e a produção de subjetividade. Os choques entre a dimensão humana e a econômica, entre desejo e determinismo, caracteriza a trajetória do protagonista – o desempregado que esconde sua situação da família com rituais diários que simulam uma vinculação empregatícia. Por meio da análise da narrativa audiovisual, buscamos compreender os significados do mundo do trabalho e do desemprego na produção cinematográfica – esta entendida como uma forma privilegiada de materializar pontos de vista sobre a condição humana em meio ao contexto sócio-cultural-econômico de nosso tempo.

Slow and steady wins the race? An appraisal of ten years of economic transition

by Francesco Pastore

Co-authored with Alina Verashchagina.
Economia Politica, 21(3): 437-458.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race? An Appraisal of Ten Years of Economic Transition Historically unprecedented transition... more Slow and Steady Wins the Race? An Appraisal of Ten Years of Economic Transition Historically unprecedented transition from a central planned to a market economy during the last decade took different forms and produced different outcomes across former socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The Optimal Speed of Transition (OST) models elaborated over the 1990s to explain the process of transition provide a fruitful frame of mind. However, they leave unanswered important features of the reform process, such as the persistent output fall of some former Soviet Union countries. In fact, the OST literature adheres to the emphasis of the Washington Consensus on neglecting initial conditions across countries and the role of institutions in the well functioning of market economies.

Financialization and its Consequences: the OECD Experience

by Jacob Assa

Published in the journal Finance Research, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2012

This paper examines the incidence and consequences
of financialization in the industrialized countries of the... more This paper examines the incidence and consequences
of financialization in the industrialized countries of the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD). Using the latest panel data from the OECD and the
ILO, the paper first documents the extent of financialization in
OECD countries and then analyzes the relationships between
financialization and three other variables: inequality, growth and
unemployment. There is strong empirical evidence for
considerable financialization across the OECD, with significant
and negative impacts on all three variables.

Income Inequality in Hungary, 1990-2010

by TARKI Social Research Institute

The presentation covered possible effects of the economic crisis on income distribution and on household well-being in... more The presentation covered possible effects of the economic crisis on income distribution and on household well-being in Hungary, through the results of the latest wave of the Tárki Household Monitor Survey conducted in 2010. Employment declined substantially during the crisis year 2009, which resulted in significant income loss for the households concerned. Households were also affected by the unfavourable movement of Forint exchange rates, which led to an unexpected increase in repayment instalments on mortgages and other foreign currency denominated loans. The survey permitted analysis of both the effect of rising unemployment on incomes and the effect of the crisis on indebtedness of households

A Geografia do Desemprego no Porto.Comunidades e territórios com maior vulnerabilidade à pobreza e à exclusão social.

by Sónia Alves

in Cidades - Comunidades e territórios, 16, pp. 43-67, CET, Lisboa.

A incidência do desemprego não é idêntica para todos os grupos sociais nem para todos os territórios, assim como a... more A incidência do desemprego não é idêntica para todos os grupos sociais nem para todos os territórios, assim como a gravidade da sua experiência depende de um conjunto diversificado de factores, como seja o período de permanência na situação de desemprego ou o nível de protecção social do Estado e da família/amigos. Face a esta complexidade, opta-se por articular, neste estudo, e ao longo de quatro partes, uma perspectiva de análise sociológica e geográfica da problemática do desemprego.
Na primeira parte, discutem-se as relações que se estabelecem entre o desemprego e a pobreza e o desemprego e a exclusão social, notando-se que estas conexões dependem dos mecanismos de apoio do Estado e da família. Num segundo momento, desenvolve-se uma abordagem empírica para a problemática do desemprego no contexto do Grande Porto, procurando identificar-se e explicar-se a variação intra-urbana do fenómeno. Na terceira parte, analisam-se as formas de organização sócio-espacial do desemprego no Porto, bem como a repartição da protecção social associada ao subsídio de desemprego, concluindo-se sobre a existência de uma variação intra-urbana particularmente evidente entre a parte ocidental e a oriental da cidade. Por fim, reflecte-se sobre a permanência e sobre os efeitos de algumas concentrações espaciais de desemprego que foram sendo construídas pela edificação de alguns dos maiores bairros de habitação social na cidade. Para este debate procede-se a uma revisão das teorias dos ‘efeitos de área’ e discute-se a sua relevância para explicar a inércia histórica ou a imutabilidade que anda associada ao desemprego nestas áreas, que favorece processos de desvalorização sócio-espacial e que tendem a aumentar a segregação urbana. A reflexão em torno destes efeitos, leva-nos a apelar a uma maior sensibilidade e bom senso nas culturas e práticas do planeamento do território e da gestão urbanística em Portugal.

The Movement of the Unemployed in Finland

by Eeva Luhtakallio

Co-authored with Martti Siisiäinen
Published - no free electronic copy available at the moment, sorry (please contact the author for further information)!

The article studies the case of the mobilization of the unemployed in Finland. We examine registration of associations... more The article studies the case of the mobilization of the unemployed in Finland. We examine registration of associations of the unemploeyd, associational practices, and media coverage of the unemployed's social movement in Finland from the early 1990s and the 2000s.

Labour turnover and the spatial distribution of unemployment. A panel data analysis using employment registry data

by Francesco Pastore

Co-augthored with Joanna Tyrowicz-
Paper presented at the XXV AIEL Conference, University of Chieti and Pescara, 2010.

This paper aims to study whether the local variation in unemployment rates is related to labour turnover and what is... more This paper aims to study whether the local variation in unemployment rates is related to labour turnover and what is the sign of such relationship. In addition, the paper aims to assess the relative impact of inflow and outflow from unemployment on the dynamics of the local unemployment rate. The empirical analysis is based on a newly available unique dataset from the employment registry of a transition economy (Poland), encompassing nine years of monthly data (from 2000 to 2008) at a county (poviat) level. We find that turnover, as well as inflows and outflows separately, are ceteris paribus positively related to the unemployment level. This general conclusion is robust to sub-sampling that addresses potential heterogeneity of the analysed local labour markets. It is also robust to the use of different panel estimators, such as fixed effect and alternative GMM specifications, as well as for spatial clustering of poviats. Nonetheless, point estimators differ, reflecting the diverse adjustment patterns. We also find that elasticity is larger in the case of the inflow rate than for the outflow rate. Finally, we demonstrate that the effect is stronger in low unemployment regions.

1980 Sonrası Neo-liberal Politikaların İşsizlikle Mücadelede Yerine Getiremediği Vaadler:Rusyayı Çıkmaza Sürükleyen Yol

by Volkan ISIK

“I’m too old to work but too young to retire”: involuntary job loss in middle age men

by Rita Borges Neves

Rita Borges Neves, Alice Delerue Matos Oral presentation at the European Sociological Association Conference 2011

Early Occupational Aspirations and Fractured Transitions: A Study of Entry into 'NEET'Status in the UK

by Scott Yates

Published in Journal of Social Policy
Co-authored with Angel Harris, Ricardo Sabates and Jeremy Staff

There has been significant recent research and policy interest in issues of young people’s occupational aspirations,... more There has been significant recent research and policy interest in issues of young people’s occupational aspirations, transitions to employment and the antecedents of NEET (not in employment, education or training) status.Many have argued that changes to the youth labour market over the past 30 years have led to transitions to work becoming more individualised, complex and troublesome for many, particularly those from poorer backgrounds. However, little research has examined the connection between early uncertainty or misalignment in occupational aspirations and entry into NEET status. This paper draws on the British Cohort Study to investigate these issues, and finds that young people with uncertain occupational aspirations or ones misaligned with their educational expectations are considerably more likely to become NEET by age 18. Uncertainty and misalignment are both more widespread andmore detrimental for those from poorer backgrounds. These findings are discussed in the context of recent research and debates on emerging adulthood and the youth labour market.

Luhmann & Eid_Does it really feel the same? Changes in life satisfaction following repeated life events

by Maike Luhmann

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2009

Unemployment, divorce, and marriage are common life events for most people in Western societies. In a longitudinal... more Unemployment, divorce, and marriage are common life events for most people in Western societies. In a longitudinal study, the authors investigated how these life events affect life satisfaction when they occur repeatedly. Data came from the German Socio-Economic Panel, a large-scale representative panel study, and were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Results showed that, in general, life satisfaction decreases with repeated unemployment (sensitization). For repeated divorces, life satisfaction is higher at the second divorce than it had been at the first divorce (adaptation). Finally, life satisfaction is similar at repeated marriages. Neuroticism, extraversion, and gender accounted for interindividual differences in changes in life satisfaction. For instance, the general sensitization pattern associated with repeated unemployment was less pronounced for women. The authors also found main effects of age and the duration of the first event on general differences in life satisfaction. Finally, those with repeated events generally report lower life satisfaction than those with only one occasion of these events, even before the first event actually occurred. Findings show that repeated events can have very different effects on life satisfaction that depend on the nature of the event.

Theorizing unemployment: toward an Argentine anthropology of work

by Mariano Perelman