2,986 research outputs found
Tenures that Shook the World: Worker Turnover in Russia, Poland and Britain
We study worker turnover in a transition economy to investigate to what extent the length of time a worker has been employed by a firm shapes the turnover process. Using data from the Polish Labour Force Survey and The Russian Longitudinal Monitor Survey we compare the pattern of turnover with a Western economy, Britain. We show tenure profiles are higher and flatter in Russia and steeper and lower in Poland than in Britain. The characteristics of workers hired in the state and private sectors do not look very different. State and private sector firms in Poland offer the same wages to new recruits, but new private sector jobs in Russia appear to offer wage premia relative to new state jobs. We argue that these observations are consistent with a framework where the value of seniority in jobs begun under the old order may be small and the value of a continued job match unsure, offset, in Poland at least, by insider resistance to layoffs.Job tenure, worker turnover, transition economics
Grime and Punishment: Job Insecurity and Wage Arrears in the Russian Federation
The initial years of transition in the Russian Federation have been characterised by relatively smaller falls in employment than in other reform-orientated countries of eastern Europe, despite the huge negative shock caused by the move from planned to market economy. Using information from two complementary household survey data sets, we show that for many Russian workers, the dominant form of labour market adjustment has instead been the delayed receipt of wages. Other forms of adjustment at the intensive margin have not been used much. Wage arrears are found across the private, state and budgetary sector in approximately equal proportions. There are large regional variations in the incidence of wage arrears. Workers in the metropolitan centre are significantly less affected by delayed and incomplete wage payments than workers in the provinces. There is less evidence that individual characteristics contribute much toward the incidence of wage arrears, though unobserved heterogeneity may have some role to play. As with the incidence of unemployment, however, there is evidence that the persistence of arrears is concentrated on a subset of the working population. We show that workers can only exercise the exit option of a job quit from a firm paying wages in arrears if the outside labour market is sufficiently dynamic.
Tetrahydrobiopterin analogues with NO-dependent pulmonary vasodilator properties
Reduced NO levels due to the deficiency of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) contribute to impaired vasodilation in pulmonary hypertension Due to the chemically unstable nature of BH4 it was hypothesised that oxidatively stable analogues of BR, would be able to support NO synthesis to improve Endothelial dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension Two analogues of BH4 namely 6-hydroxymethyl pterin (HMP) and 6-acetyl 7 7-dimethyl 7 8-dihydropterin (ADDP) were evaluated for vasodilator activity on precontracted rat pulmonary artery rings ADDP was administered to pulmonary hypertensive rats followed by measurement of pulmonary vascular resistance in perfused lungs and eNOS expression by immunohistochemistry ADDP and HMP caused significant relaxation in vitro in rat pulmonary arteries depleted of BH4 with a maximum relaxation at 0 3 mu M (both P<005) Vasodilator activity of ADDP and HMP was completely abolished following preincubation with the NO synthase inhibitor L-NAME ADDP and HMP did not alter relaxation induced by carbachol or spermine NONOate BH4 Itself did not produce relaxation In rats receiving ADDP 141 mg/kg/day pulmonary vasodilation induced by calcium ionophore A23187 was augmented and eNOS immunoreactivity was increased In conclusion ADDP and HMP are two analogues of BH4 which can act as oxidatively stable alternatives to BH4 in causing NO-mediated vasorelaxation Chronic treatment with ADDP resulted in Improvement of NO-mediated pulmonary artery dilation and enhanced expression of eNOS in the pulmonary vascular endothelium Chemically stable analogue, of BH4 may be able to limit endothelial dysfunction in the pulmonary vasculatur
Regulating the employment dynamics of domestic supply chains
This paper sheds light on the role that the regulation of primarily domestic, rather than global, supply chains could play in protecting and enhancing standards of workplace health and safety, as well as employment standards more generally. The analysis presented confirms the potential relevance of such regulation in these regards. However, it also reinforces existing evidence pointing to the fact that only very rarely will market-related considerations on their own prompt purchasers to seek to directly influence the employment practices of their suppliers. The paper ends therefore by highlighting a number of key issues relating to the design of regulatory initiatives aimed at protecting and enhancing employment conditions within supply chains
Protecting workers through supply chains: lessons from two construction case studies
Two case studies of the successful use of supply chains to support the effective management of health and safety on constructions sites are analysed to identify the factors supporting this success. The analysis reveals that a combination of external regulatory pressures and an industry structure facilitative of the establishment and implementation of âgood practiceâ played a crucial role in the outcomes achieved. It is concluded therefore that while the findings lend weight to policy initiatives to utilise the power dynamics in supply chains to protect working conditions, they also suggest that surrounding institutional and industrial contexts exert a potentially crucial influence over their effectiveness. Consequently, it is further argued that such initiatives need to be responsively shaped to them
Balkan Corruption Perception: Impediments To Competitive Activity In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, FYROM, Serbia/Montenegro, And Slovenia
Corruption exists around the world in various forms. This paper examines the extent of political corruption in the countries that were formerly known as Yugoslavia. Data from the World Bank Institute and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Business Environment and Economic Performance Study (BEEPS) was used to examine the extent of corruption in these five regions from 2002 to 2005. Results show less corruption in Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia than in FYROM (former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), Serbia, and Montenegro. Overall all countries appear to have less corruption in 2005 than in 2002
PotentialitĂ©s du radar SAR en halieutique : application Ă la pĂȘche thoniĂšre de surface et Ă la pĂȘche artisanale
... L'expĂ©rimentation HAREM (Halieutique et Radar : ExpĂ©rimentation en MĂ©diterranĂ©e), en prĂ©lude Ă un vĂ©ritable programme, a Ă©valuĂ©, pour la premiĂšre fois, les potentialitĂ©s, la qualitĂ© et l'originalitĂ© des donnĂ©es acquises en mer par ce type de radar en matiĂšre de biologie des pĂȘches et d'environnement halieutique. HAREM a Ă©tĂ© menĂ©e en aoĂ»t 1989, avec le radar allemand E-SAR du DLR montĂ© sur un avion Dornier 228. La difficultĂ© principale a Ă©tĂ© d'estimer le crĂ©neau mĂ©tĂ©orologique d'abord, puis halieutique, favorable sur quelques jours, de façon Ă disposer simultanĂ©ment et en un mĂȘme lieu des pĂȘcheurs, des bancs de thons et des acquisitions radar. DĂšs les premiers vols, nous avons pu vĂ©rifier notre hypothĂšse : bancs de thons, cĂ©tacĂ©s, ainsi qu'engins de pĂȘche, (bateaux, filets, piĂšges Ă poissons) sont dĂ©tectables et identifiables avec un radar SAR (bande C, polarisation VV) par l'intermĂ©diaire du signal gĂ©nĂ©rĂ© par la dĂ©formation de la surface de l'eau. L'objectif de HAREM a Ă©tĂ© ainsi complĂštement atteint. A partir des donnĂ©es recueillies, des simulations de type ERS-1, par dĂ©gradation gĂ©omĂ©trique des donnĂ©es, ont Ă©tĂ© effectuĂ©es et semblent prometteuses en ce qui concerne la pĂȘche thoniĂšr
Corruption Perceptions in the Caucasus: Impediments to Business Activity in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia
Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia were bound together under Soviet direction for most of the twentieth century. When the veneer of centralized control was wiped away in the 1990âs, political, economic, and ethnic differences re-emerged after decades of being suppressed. This paper utilizes the Business Environmental and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) data from 2002, 2005, and 2009 studies gathered by a joint initiative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank to assess the environment for private enterprise and business development in transitioning economies. Crime and Corruption categories of the BEEPS studies were examined teasing out the shades of similarities and differences between and among the three
countries. A series of BEEPS questions about âinformal gift/payment expectations or requestsâ for a variety of business services or requirements reveals some of the impediments to conducting business as these countries moved away from a command economy. The paper shows the shifting importance in the 2002-2009 time period
of these subtle and not so subtle extraction of payments for businesses both within these three countries and among the three countries. Changes were often not in a consistent pattern; explanations for the inconsistencies are beyond the scope of this paper.The general trend for the three countries showed Georgian firms perceive fewer informal gift/payment expectations or requests than Armenian firms. Armenian firms perceive fewer
informal gift/payment expectations or requests than Azerbaijan firms. For example, in 2009 no Georgian firms, 15% of Armenian firms, and 52% of Azerbaijan firms reported an informal gift/payment expectation or request for permit applications. In addition, no Georgian firms, 10% of Armenian firms, and 21% of Azerbaijan firms stated an informal gift/payment was expected or requested when applying for an operating license. Another trend revealed fewer informal gift/payment expectations or requests in 2009 than in 2002. However, occasionally firms reporting such expectations or requests spiked in 2005. For example, in 2002 18% of firms, in 2005 21% of firms, and in 2009 eight percent of firms revealed informal gift/payment expectations or requests for an electrical connection. During tax inspections 53% of firms in 2002, 62% of firms in 2005, and 15% of firms in 2009 received informal gift/payment expectations or requests. Firms considering exporting to these countries should be aware informal gift/payment expectations or requests may be experienced when importing to or setting up joint ventures in these countries. The prudent firm will conduct their own research on local business conditions before doing business in a country. For many issues it appears these corrupt practices may be declining so the
outlook in the future is positive
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