Impacts of International Migration and Remittances

We use original 2005 survey data from Fiji and Tonga on remittances and household income to estimate the combined impact of migration and remittances on the composition of household income. A two-stage methodology is followed. A variable for the predicted number of migrants in each household is generated to control for selectivity in migration. This variable is then used in a 3SLS remittances and income equation system. In neither country do we observe significant impacts on agricultural cash income, but, in relation to other income sources, including subsistence agriculture, wages and non-agricultural business activities, some significant and different effects are found, both positive and negative. These findings suggest that the duration and intensity of remittance-driven migration, and the structure of economic activity within a community are important in understanding the influences of migration and remittances on household resource allocation and production decisions and on the community�s economic transformation.

Worker absence and shirking : evidence from matched teacher-school data.

We utilise a unique matched teacher-school data set of absenteeism records to quantify the impact of group interaction on the absence behavior of primary and secondary teachers. To address problems of identification our study focuses on teachers who move between schools. The estimates for movers suggest that absenteeism is influenced by prevailing group absence behaviour at the school. Our finding suggests that a worker takes one more day of absenteeism if their average coworker takes 12 more days or 8 more days absenteeism per quarter for primary school and secondary school teachers, respectively. We interpret this as evidence that worker shirking is influenced by workplace absence norms

The role of pecuniary and non-pecuniary factors in teacher turnover and mobility decisions

We investigate the determinants of teacher exits from and mobility within the Queensland state school system. In common with previous research we find that non-pecuniary factors, such as class size and location, affect movement decisions but our results suggest a significant role for pecuniary factors. In particular, higher wages reduce exits from the public sector, especially in the case of more experienced female teachers. Locality allowances paid to teachers in rural and remote schools, where non-pecuniary factors are less attractive, appear to have some success in attracting and retaining staff in these locations

Comparison of Optimal Control Solutions in a Labor Market Model

In this paper a variety of computational optimal control techniques are compared on a complicated nonlinear discrete-time model. We use a labor market model with the objective of trying to obtain an unemployment rate objective, using an active labor market program as a control. In reality the control is constrained as only limited proportion of the unemployment can attend the labor market program. A variety of computational optimal control techniques are applied. The techniques include numerically linearizing the model and using standard linear quadratic optimal control and applying this to the nonlinear model; model based predictive control; and stacking the model over time and using optimisation techniquesLabour market policies; Optimal Control.

Flexible contract workers in inferior jobs: reappraising the evidence

There has been concern that the increase in non-standard or flexible employment contracts witnessed in many OECD economies is evidence of a growth in low-pay, low-quality jobs. In practice, however, it is difficult to evaluate the `quality' of flexible jobs. Previous research has either investigated objective measures of job quality such as wages and training or subjective measures such as job satisfaction. In this paper, we seek to jointly evaluate objective and subjective elements of flexible employment contracts. Specifically we develop and use an index of job quality that incorporates both subjective and objective elements. Analysis of this index demonstrates that flexible jobs are of a lower quality. However, this approach suggests that analysis of, for instance, job satisfaction alone overstates the negative impact of flexible contracts on workers.

Worker absence and shirking: evidence from matched teacher-school data

We utilise a unique matched teacher-school data set of absenteeism records to quantify shirking behaviour in primary and secondary schools. Shirking behaviour is shown to vary systematically across schools, and hence schools are characterised as either healthy (low absenteeism) or sick (high absenteeism). Using count data techniques, and allowing for the problems of unobserved heterogeneity and partial observability in our data, we find that teachers in sick schools have higher absence rates. Our estimates suggest that shirking behaviour can account for 24 percent to 38 percent of recorded absenteeism. Furthermore, a teacher who moves from a healthy school to a sick school is likely to face an increased risk of absenteeism of up to 70 percent. As the factors a¤ecting involuntary absenteeism are unlikely to change in the short run, we argue that this increased incidence in absenteeism re?ects the impact of the change in school environment on shirking behaviour.

Scarring, Habituation and Social Exclusion: Work Histories in Secure and Insecure Employment

This paper analyses the impact of unemployment experiences on the life satisfaction of Australian workers in casual and permanent employment. Using panel data techniques, it was found that male permanent workers were scarred by previous unemployment. This contrasted with casual workers who seem habituated to the e¤ects of past unemployment. Social norming e¤ects were evident for permanent workers, unemployment scarred deeper when it was less of a general norm, this was not the case for casual workers. Social psychology research suggests that disadvantaged groups tend to prefer intragroup or intertemporal comparisons. Casual workers. habituation to past unemployment and lack of social norming could contribute to the process of social exclusion.

The role of pecuniary and non-pecuniary factors in teacher turnover and mobility decisions

We investigate the determinants of teacher exits from and mobility within the Queensland state school system. In common with previous research we find that non-pecuniary factors, such as class size and location, affect movement decisions but our results suggest a significant role for pecuniary factors. In particular, higher wages reduce exits from the public sector, especially in the case of more experienced female teachers. Locality allowances paid to teachers in rural and remote schools, where non-pecuniary factors are less attractive, appear to have some success in attracting and retaining staff in these locations.

Does more education always lead to better health? Evidence from rural malaysia

Background. Education is usually associated with improvement in health; there is evidence that this may not be the case if educationis not fully utilised at work. This study examines the relationship between education level, occupation, and health outcomes ofindividuals in rural Malaysia. Results. The study finds that the incidence of chronic diseases and high blood pressure are higher fortertiary educated individuals in agriculture and construction occupations. This brings these individuals into more frequent contactwith the health system. These occupations are marked with generally lower levels of education and contain fewer individuals withhigher levels of education. Conclusions. Education is not always associated with better health outcomes. In certain occupations,greater education seems related to increased chronic disease and contact with the health system, which is the case for workersin agriculture in rural Malaysia. Agriculture is the largest sector of employment in rural Malaysia but with relatively few educatedindividuals. For the maintenance and sustainability of productivity in this key rural industry, health monitoring and job enrichmentpolicies should be encouraged by government agencies to be part of the agenda for employers in these sectors

Dwelling Poetically, Proceeding Orphically: The Platonic Tradition and the Heideggerian Humanism of Ernesto Grassi

Martin Heidegger exerted an immense influence over twentieth century thought by providing profound insights into the nature of Being as well as scathing social critiques, focused on the destructive force of late modern technological reductionism. As part of Heidegger’s project, he elaborated upon a sophisticated history of Being in which two great monsters of Platonism and Humanism are cast as Antichrist and False Prophet. Subsequently, however, his own student Ernesto Grassi argued that Renaissance Humanism was not a stepping stone towards subjectivism and technological thinking, but rather stood in conformity with the fundamental essence of Heidegger’s own project. This study seeks to perform the same service for the much maligned history of Platonic thinking. After reviewing the important details of the positions held by Heidegger and Grassi in the Introduction and Chapter One, I move on to an examination of the history of the interpretation of Plato in Chapter Two. Here I show that, when we approach Plato correctly, his thought conforms to insights later offered by Heidegger and Grassi. In the remaining chapters of the study, I demonstrate that this misunderstanding afflicts not only Plato himself, but it has also affected the interpretation of the entire Neoplatonic tradition. Thus, in Chapter Three, I show that Plotinus receives and expands upon the core insights which Plato possessed, and that Platonism’s role in the development of technological enframing has been gravely mistaken. In Chapter Four, I show how the later integration of Neoplatonic thought into some of the greatest Christian Platonists did nothing to eliminate these core insights of the Platonic tradition. Finally, in Chapter Five, I show that Marsilio Ficino, the Platonist painted by Grassi as the arch-villain who undermined the Heideggerian project of the Renaissance continued to maintain the fundamental insights of the Platonic tradition. Ultimately, therefore, Platonism, far from being the foundation of technological enframing in the modern era, is able to offer great assistance to the Heideggerian-Grassian project of renewing poetic and rhetorical speech as the foundation of philosophical thinking