Labour market performance of immigrants in the UK labour market

From executive summary: This document is a report commissioned by the Home Office to analyse the performance of immigrants in the UK labour market. It attempts to draw a comprehensive picture of the labour market performance of immigrants, and the process of adaptation relative to the UK-born white population. Four indicators of economic performance are investigated: (i) employment, (ii) labour force participation, (iii) self-employment, and (iv) wages. The analysis distinguishes between males and females, and between groups of different origin. The effects of specific variables on these outcomes are investigated in detail. The report also considers labour market outcomes of ethnic minority individuals who are born in the UK, and compares their outcomes with those of UK-born white individuals, and of ethnic minority individuals who are foreign-born

Estimation of household demand systems with theoretically compatible Engel curves and unit value specifications

We develop a method for estimation of price reactions using unit value data which exploits the implicit links between quantity and unit value choices. This allows us to combine appealing Engel curve specifications with a model of unit value determination in a way which is consistent with demand theory, unlike methods hitherto prominent in the literature. The method is applied to Czech data

Estimation of household demand systems with theoretically compatible Engel curves and unit value specifications

We develop a method for estimation of price reactions using unit value data which exploits the implicit links between quantity and unit value choices. This allows us to combine appealing Engel curve specifications with a model of unit value determination in a way which is consistent with demand theory, unlike methods hitherto prominent in the literature. The method is applied to Czech data

The impact of immigration on the UK labour market

This paper provides an empirical investigation of the way immigration affects labour market outcomes of native born workers in the UK, set beside a theoretical discussion of the underlying economic mechanisms. We discuss the problems that may arise in empirical estimations, and suggest ways to address these problems. Our empirical analysis is based on data from the British Labour Force Survey. We show that the overall skill distribution of Britain’s immigrant workforce is remarkably similar to that of the native born workforce. We investigate the impact of immigration on employment, participation, unemployment and wages of the resident population. We find no evidence that immigration has overall effects on any of these outcomes at the aggregate level. There is some evidence that effects are different for different educational groups

Polyphenol alkyl ester inhibits membrane cholesterol domain formation through an antioxidant mechanism based, in nonlinear fashion, on chain length

Under conditions of oxidative stress, cholesterol aggregates into discrete membrane bilayer domains that precipitate the formation of extracellular crystals, a hallmark feature of the advanced atheroma in cardiovascular disease. Molecular intervention using membrane-directed antioxidants, such as polyphenolic esters, alkylated to increase their lipophilicity and bioavailability, may reduce cholesterol domain formation and associated pathology. In this study, we tested the effects of rosmarinic acid (R0) and rosmarinic esters, with alkyl chain lengths ranging from 4 to 16 carbons (R4-R16), on membrane lipid oxidation and cholesterol domain formation. Model membranes were prepared as binary mixtures of dilinoleoylphosphatidylcholine and cholesterol (at a cholesterol-to-phospholipid mole ratio of 0.6:1), in the absence or presence of each of the various rosmarinic compounds, and exposed to oxidative conditions for up to 72 hr. Changes in lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) and cholesterol domain formation were measured using iodometric and small angle x-ray diffraction approaches, respectively. Rosmarinic acid and the various esters were observed to have differential effects on LOOH formation based on alkyl chain length. R8 had the greatest antioxidant effect, reducing LOOH levels by 60 ± 18% as compared to vehicle. R8 also inhibited cholesterol domain formation. By contrast, R0 and R16 failed to inhibit LOOH formation (6 ± 19% reduction, 5 ± 13% increase compared to vehicle, respectively), resulting in cholesterol domain formation. These data indicate that the membrane antioxidant potential of rosmarinic acid esters is dependent, in a nonlinear manner, on alkyl chain length. The mechanism for this effect is attributed to the influence of alkyl chain length on the optimal depth of the polyphenols into the lipid bilayer. These findings provide insight into novel atheroprotective benefits of polyphenol esters that are dependent on their membrane location