Self-employment in Denmark and Spain: institution, economic conditions and gender differences

Among the OECD countries, Spain faces one of the highest rates of self-employment and Denmark one of the lowest, being the difference specially relevant among women. These two countries present important differences in their institutional environment and labour market conditions: the level of labour market flexibility and the importance of parttime employment, the generosity of the unemployment benefit systems, and the role of the child care policies, among others. In this paper we compare the Danish and Spanish labour markets and analyze to what extent the different evolution of female and male self-employment rates are influenced by country-specific employment conditions. This study is carried out for men and women separately using a strictly comparable panel data set for the two countries. The results indicate that in Spain self-employment seems to offer individuals who normally are considered as marginalized in the labour market a beneficial alternative to wage employment, while this pattern is not so clear in Denmark. Our analysis suggests that an important factor in explaining the difference in Danish and Spanish self-employment rates is the different employment environment that both countries face

Self-employment in Denmark and Spain: Institution, Economic Conditions and Gender differences

Among the OECD countries, Spain faces one of the highest rates of self-employment and Denmark one of the lowest, being the difference specially relevant among women. These two countries present important differences in their institutional environment and labour market conditions: the level of labour market flexibility and the importance of parttime employment, the generosity of the unemployment benefit systems, and the role of the child care policies, among others. In this paper we compare the Danish and Spanish labour markets and analyze to what extent the different evolution of female and male self-employment rates are influenced by country-specific employment conditions. This study is carried out for men and women separately using a strictly comparable panel data set for the two countries. The results indicate that in Spain self-employment seems to offer individuals who normally are considered as marginalized in the labour market a beneficial alternative to wage employment, while this pattern is not so clear in Denmark. Our analysis suggests that an important factor in explaining the difference in Danish and Spanish self-employment rates is the different employment environment that both countries face.self-employment; transitions; gender differences

Domestic transport cost reductions and firms’ export behaviour

Transport infrastructure investment reduces the cost of distance and enables firms to establish and maintain contacts over larger distances. Spain has developed an ambitious road building programme over the last decades, which has considerably reduced transport costs to access European markets. In this paper we depart from the traditional aggregate approach in analysing the impacts of transport infrastructure investment. In particular, we examine the export decision of Spanish manufacturing firms and test how domestic transport cost reductions affect firms’ probability of becoming exporters. We estimate models that control for unobserved heterogeneity among firms, endogeneity and initial conditions problems. Our results provide some support for a positive effect of domestic transport improvements on firms’ exporting probability. However, the magnitude of this effects is small, being the strongest effect the one due to previous export experience which suggests high entry costs into export markets

Unobserved heterogeneity in multi-spell discrete time duration model

This paper considers the estimation of discrete time duration models. We highlight the enhance identification opportunities embedded in multiple spell data to separately identify the effect of duration dependence and individual time invariant unobserved heterogeneity.Duration models, Discrete choice, Multiple spells, Unobserved heterogeneity, Unemployment.

Unobserved Heterogeneity in Multi-Spell Discrete Time Duration Models

This paper considers the estimation of discrete time duration models. We highlight the enhance identification opportunities embedded in multiple spell data to separately identify the effect of duration dependence and individual time invariant unobserved heterogeneity. We consider two types of models: (i) random effects models specifying a mass point distribution for the unobserved heterogeneity; and (ii) fixed effects models in which the distribution of the effects is left unrestricted. The availability of multiple spell data allows us to consider this type of models, in the spirit of fixed effects discrete choice panel data models. We study the finite sample properties of different estimators for previous models by means of Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, as an empirical illustration, we estimate unemployment duration models using Spanish administrative data with information on the entire labor history of the individuals.Duration models; Discrete choice; Multiple spells; Unobserved heterogeneity; Unemployment.

Unemployment duration among immigrants and natives: unobserved heterogeneity in a multi-spell duration model

This paper studies whether the unemployment dynamics of immigrants differ from those of natives, paying special attention to the impact of accounting for unobserved heterogeneity among individuals. Using a large administrative data set for Spain, we estimate multiple-spell discrete duration models which disentangle unobserved heterogeneity from duration dependence. Specifically, we estimate random effects models assuming that the distribution of the effects is discrete with finite support, and fixed effects models in which the distribution of the unobserved effects is left unrestricted. Our results show the importance of accounting for unobserved heterogeneity and that mistaken policy implications can be derived due to improper treatment of unmeasured variables. We find that lack of control for unobserved heterogeneity leads to the conclusion that immigrant males have a higher probability of leaving unemployment than natives and that the negative effect of unemployment benefits for immigrants lasts longer than for natives. Nonetheless, the estimates which do control for unobserved heterogeneity show the opposite results.Duration models, Discrete choice, Multiple spells, Unobserved heterogeneity, Unemployment, Immigration

Transport infraestructure, sunk costs and firms' export behaviour

Transport infrastructure investment reduces the cost of distance and enables firms to establish contacts over larger distances. We study the impact of transport-cost reductions on firms’ export behaviour, accounting for the role of entry costs and other firms’ characteristics. Using Spanish data we estimate dynamic probability models controlling for firms’ unobserved heterogeneity and for the simultaneity of firms’ export and location decisions. Our results provide support for a positive effect of domestic transport improvements on firms’ exporting probability for small and medium sized firms. We find a strong effect of previous export experience, suggesting high entry costs into export markets.Export decision, Transport infrastructure, Accessibility, Dynamic panel data

Unemployment Duration among Immigrants and Natives: Unobserved Heterogeneity in a Multi-Spell Duration Model

This paper studies whether the unemployment dynamics of immigrants differ from those of natives, paying special attention to the impact of accounting for unobserved heterogeneity among individuals. Using a large administrative data set for Spain, we estimate multiple-spell discrete duration models which disentangle unobserved heterogeneity from duration dependence. Specifically, we estimate random effects models assuming that the distribution of the effects is discrete with finite support, and fixed effects models in which the distribution of the unobserved effects is left unrestricted. Our results show the importance of accounting for unobserved heterogeneity and that mistaken policy implications can be derived due to improper treatment of unmeasured variables. We find that lack of control for unobserved heterogeneity leads to the conclusion that immigrant males have a higher probability of leaving unemployment than natives and that the negative effect of unemployment benefits for immigrants lasts longer than for natives. Nonetheless, the estimates which do control for unobserved heterogeneity show the opposite results.Duration models; Discrete choice; Multiple spells; Unobserved heterogeneity; Unemployment; Immigration.

The effect of immigration on the employment opportunities of native-born workers : some evidence for Spain

Spain is one of the European countries where immigration flows during the last decade have increased noticeably. The Spanish labor market institutions and the Spanish immigration policy exhibit some peculiarities which may be relevant when analyzing the impact of immigration. This paper provides a first approximation to the labor market effects of immigrants in Spain during the second half of the 1990s, the period in which immigration flows to Spain have accelerated. By using alternative datasets, we estimate both the impact of legal and total immigration flows on the employment rates of native workers, accounting for the possible occupationa l and geographical mobility of immigrants and native-born workers. Using different samples and estimation procedures, we have not found a significant negative effect of immigration on the employment rates of native workers. The corresponding estimated elasticity is low, around -0.1, when considering only legal immigrants, and is not significant when considering both legal and illegal immigrants

Una revisión sobre mujeres y liderazgo : ¿los tiempos están cambiando?

Es cierto que la realidad de las mujeres en el mercado laboral ha mejorado de forma significativa durante los últimos años, pero todavía queda un largo recorrido hasta la igualdad, especialmente en lo que se refiere a su visibilidad en puestos de responsabilidad. Por este motivo, en el presente trabajo se lleva a cabo una revisión bibliográfica acerca de la situación de las mujeres en los altos cargos, donde su representación siempre ha sido y sigue siendo menor. Comprobamos cómo pese a los esfuerzos legislativos realizados, los estereotipos de género siguen vigentes. Así persiste el fenómeno del techo de cristal (think manager-think male) –muchas mujeres tienen dificultades importantes para acceder a puestos de alta responsabilidad. Y además, cuando lo logran se ven expuestas a otro fenómeno denominado precipicio de cristal (think crisis-think female). Parece que en las situaciones de crisis se requieren cualidades como la comprensión y la cooperación, que están más relacionadas con el estereotipo de género femenino. Un liderazgo estereotípicamente femenino se adaptaría mejor a las necesidades de la empresa durante una situación de pérdidas. ¿Realmente constituye una ventaja para las mujeres? Se responderá ésta y otras cuestiones y se aportarán nuevas ideas para futuras investigaciones en torno a esta temática.It is true that the reality of women in the labor market has improved significantly in recent years, but there is still a long road to equality, particularly as regards its visibility in positions of responsibility. For this reason, in this work it is carried out a literature review on the status of women in senior positions, where their representation has always been and remains smaller. We see how despite the legislative efforts undertaken, gender stereotypes remain. So the phenomenon of the glass ceiling (think manager-think male) Many women have significant difficulty accessing senior positions persists. And, when they do are exposed to another phenomenon called precipice of glass (think crisis-think female). It seems that in crisis situations qualities as understanding and cooperation, which are more related to female gender stereotyping are required. A stereotypically feminine leadership to the needs of the business suit for a loss situation. Its it really an advantage for women? It will answer this and other questions and ideas for future research on this subject