Skewness-kurtosis adjusted confidence estimators and significance tests

First and second kind modifications of usual confidence intervals for estimating the expectation and of usual local alternative parameter choices are introduced in a way such that the asymptotic behavior of the true non-covering probabilities and the covering probabilities under the modified local non-true parameter assumption can be asymptotically exactly controlled. The orders of convergence to zero of both types of probabilities are assumed to be suitably bounded below according to an Osipov-type condition and the sample distribution is assumed to satisfy a corresponding tail condition due to Linnik. Analogous considerations are presented for the power function when testing a hypothesis concerning the expectation both under the assumption of a true hypothesis as well as under a modified local alternative. Applications are given for exponential families.Comment: 8 page

Prospects for HERMES Run II

Data taking for Run II of the HERMES experiment will start in late 2001 with three main physics objectives for the next 4-5 years: a measurement of transversity distributions, an improved measurement of helicity distributions, and measurements of exclusive reactions to access Generalized Parton Distributions.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, subm. to Proc. of DIS01, Bologna, Ital

Single Spin Asymmetries in Proton-Proton and Proton-Neutron Scattering at 820 GeV

The physics case is summarised for the investigation of high energy spin phenomena by placing an internal polarised target into HERA's unpolarised proton beam. The luminosity and experimental sensitivity are discussed. Estimating the physics reach of single spin asymmetries in different final states reveals a considerable physics potential in testing the spin sector of perturbative QCD.Comment: 10 pages + 5 uuencoded ps figures, late

Bargained Wages in Decentralized Wage-Setting Regimes

Collective wage agreements still play an important role in the German wage bargaining system. However, there is a critical debate in Germany whether collective agreements deliver the flexibility needed by firms to adjust to the needs of international competition and technological change. In recent years, the social partners in some industries have responded to this possible lack of flexibility by introducing so called opening clauses into their collective bargaining agreements. These allow firms to deviate from their collective agreement under certain conditions. The aim of this paper is to empirically analyze the prevalence of opening clauses in the German manufacturing sector and their impact on the wage structure. To provide a basis for the empirical analyses, a survey on the existence and intensity of opening clauses in central collective agreements has been conducted. Thereby, these sectoral data about opening clauses are exactly combined with those from the German Structure of Earnings Survey 1995 and 2001, a linked employer-employee dataset from German official statistics. The results show the number of collective bargaining agreements containing opening clauses increasing remarkably since 1991. Furthermore, the implementation of opening clauses into collective contracts creates significant effects on wages.opening clauses; collective bargaining; wage structure

Bargained Wages in Decentralized Wage-Setting Regimes

Collective wage agreements still play an important role in the German wage bargaining system. However, there is a critical debate in Germany whether collective agreements deliver the flexibility needed by firms to adjust to the needs of international competition and technological change. In recent years, the social partners in some industries have responded to this possible lack of flexibility by introducing so called opening clauses into their collective bargaining agreements. These allow firms to deviate from their collective agreement under certain conditions. The aim of this paper is to empirically analyze the prevalence of opening clauses in the German manufacturing sector and their impact on the wage structure. To provide a basis for the empirical analyses, a survey on the existence and intensity of opening clauses in central collective agreements has been conducted. Thereby, these sectoral data about opening clauses are exactly combined with those from the German Structure of Earnings Survey 1995 and 2001, a linked employer-employee dataset from German official statistics. The results show the number of collective bargaining agreements containing opening clauses increasing remarkably since 1991. Furthermore, the implementation of opening clauses into collective contracts creates significant effects on wages.

Impact of Opening Clauses on Bargained Wages

This paper is an analysis of the impact of different bargaining regimes on firm-specific wages and wage dispersion. In recent years, firms in Germany favored more flexible than collective bargained wages. Opening clauses were introduced to combine collective bargaining and flexible adaptation of e.g. wages to firm-specific needs. In an own survey, it was evaluated whether central collective agreements contain these opening clauses. Then, the gathered information about opening clauses were linked to the Salary and Wage Structure Survey 2001. Focussing on central bargaining agreements, it has been tested whether bargained wages and wage dispersion differ under opened central bargaining coverage from that of non-opened central bargaining regimes. While wages with collective bargaining regimes tend to be higher, it could be found that wage dispersion under opened central collective bargaining coverage is slightly wider compared to non-opened central bargaining regime.wages and wage dispersion, opening clauses, collective bargaining