Foreign Trade and the Gender Earnings Differential in Urban Mexico

gender discrimination, trade liberalization, Mexico

North-South Trade Liberalization and Returns to Skill in the South: The Case of Mexico

This study examines the effect of NAFTA, an instance of North-South trade liberalization, on returns to skill in Mexico. Mexico is abundant in low-skill workers relative to the US and Canada, and so, by the Hecksher-Ohlin-Samuelson trade model, NAFTA ought to have raised the relative earnings of low-skill workers, that is, lowered returns to skill in Mexico. Analysis of Mexican labor micro-data yields the finding that while returns to skill in industries producing tradeables have risen, ceteris paribus, since Mexico embarked upon trade liberalization by joining the GATT in 1986, this rise was less pronounced by 1999 in industries liberalized relatively rapidly by NAFTA, launched in 1994, than in industries liberalized relatively slowly by this phased trade treaty. This is considered evidence of NAFTA holding back rise in returns to skill, since it is plausible such a dampening would have been more marked in industries more rapidly exposed to trade with Mexico's skill abundant northern neighbors. Hence, this study suggests trade with developed nations may lower returns to skill in developing nations. It is speculated this may slow the pace of private human capital accumulation in developing nations, with negative consequences for their economic growth.human capital, Heckscher-Ohlin model, NAFTA

Effects of labor unions on regional economic development in Mexico

The purpose of this research is to help determine the net effect of trade unionism in Northern Mexico (Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Juárez, and Tijuana). The maquiladora industry is used to empirically test union regional economic effects because there are different union structures along the regions where maquiladora firms are located. The results of the investigation regarding the relative changes in wages in the maquiladora and non-maquiladora sectors for the four cities in the study are consistent with the hypothesis that the real wage growth in a region\u27s maquiladora sector relative to the non-maquiladora sector is associated with the strength of the labor union(s) in the maquiladora industry of that region (H1a). The results in terms of the changes in the maquiladora sector employment are also consistent with the hypothesis that employment growth in a region\u27s maquiladora sector relative to the non-maquiladora sector is associated with the strength of the labor union(s) in the maquiladora industry of that region (H1b). Finally, the estimated net effect of unions on the wage bill for each one of the regions is consistent with the hypothesis that the wage bill growth in a region\u27s maquiladora sector is associated with the strength of the labor union(s) in the maquiladora industry of that region (H1c). Implications for economic development and public policy along the U.S.-Mexico border labor markets are evident in the results of this investigation. The study provides useful information for policymakers to evaluate current labor policy on maquiladoras. Based on the results presented here, the government should ease labor laws in Mexico to make them more attractive for American and other foreign interests, perhaps by curbing union leadership power. Competition for labor contracts should be encouraged by fostering the creation of other unions, not necessarily by eliminating unions or limiting union membership. As found in this study, it is not union density that curtails investment, but rather, it may be the type of leadership in certain unions that hinders job creation. Public policy which fosters competition and encourages more democratic union leadership would contribute to more growth in maquiladoras in border cities like Matamoros

Characterisation of a reconfigurable free space optical interconnect system for parallel computing applications and experimental validation using rapid prototyping technology

Free-space optical interconnects (FSOIs) are widely seen as a potential solution to present and future bandwidth bottlenecks for parallel processing applications. This thesis will be focused on the study of a particular FSOI system called Optical Highway (OH). The OH is a polarised beam routing system which uses Polarising Beam Splitters and Liquid Crystals (PBS/LC) assemblies to perform reconfigurable interconnection networks. The properties of the OH make it suitable for implementing different passive static networks. A technology known as Rapid Prototyping (RP) will be employed for the first time in order to create optomechanical structures at low cost and low production times. Off-theshelf optical components will also be characterised in order to implement the OH. Additionally, properties such as reconfigurability, scalability, tolerance to misalignment and polarisation losses will be analysed. The OH will be modelled at three levels: node, optical stage and architecture. Different designs will be proposed and a particular architecture, Optimised Cut-Through Ring (OCTR), will be experimentally implemented. Finally, based on this architecture, a new set of properties will be defined in order to optimise the efficiency of the optical channels

Unions and Job Queuing in Mexico's Maquiladoras

The U.S.-Mexico border region has experienced substantial economic growth over the last two decades; nonetheless, employment and wage growth has been uneven across the border cities with a high maquiladora presence. We hypothesize that these growth differences can be traced to relative labor union power. Using microdata from the 1998 National Urban Employment Survey, we find evidence of job queuing in Mexico’s maquiladoras. Queuing seems to be stronger in cities with powerful labor unions such as Matamoros and Nuevo Laredo, but it is weaker in cities where union strength is minimal such as Ciudad Juárez and Tijuana.Union

Cooperative Virus-Virus Interactions: An Evolutionary Perspective

Despite extensive evidence of virus-virus interactions, not much is known about their biological significance. Importantly, virus-virus interactions could have evolved as a form of cooperation or simply be a by-product of other processes. Here, we review anddiscuss different types of virus-virus interactions from the point of view of social evolution, which provides a well-establishedframework for interpreting thefitness costs and benefits of such traits. We also classify interactions according to theirmechanisms of action and speculate on their evolutionary implications. As in any other biological system, the evolutionarystability of viral cooperation critically requires cheaters to be excluded from cooperative interactions. We discuss how cheaterviruses exploit cooperative traits and how viral populations are able to counteract this maladaptive process

El Arte Flamenco femenino y la emisión de contenidos de Marketing y Comunicación en la red social Twitter

El Arte Flamenco es universal. Las artistas femeninas han ayudado a la expansión a nivel internacional de este arte, siendo las mismas actores principales para ello. En los últimos tiempos la comunicación digital se ha convertido en un medio primordial para las artistas, y la red social Twitter se ha convertido en una potente herramienta de comunicación que permite conectar a las artistas con sus diferentes públicos, llegando a ser un medio fundamental que contribuye a la consecución de los objetivos comunicativos. En el estudio que se presenta, se ha realizado un análisis de la gestión de las cuentas oficiales en la red social Twitter de algunas de las artistas flamencas más destacadas del panorama artístico actual. Para ello, se ha utilizado un método de estudio que se ha basado principalmente en el método hipotético-deductivo, utilizando las técnicas de la observación directa y del análisis de contenido, y clasificando las publicaciones emitidas por las cuentas oficiales de las artistas en diferentes categorías de contenido. Los resultados del estudio muestran diferencias y similitudes entre las cuentas oficiales seleccionadas para la muestra, y evidencian asimismo grandes diferencias con los compañeros masculinos de profesión. La investigación es útil para el progreso y la elaboración de planes estratégicos de comunicación eficientes, y puede servir de guía para la elaboración de estrategias de comunicación eficientes por parte de las artistas femeninas del Arte Flamenco

Evaluation of cervical posture improvement of children with cerebral palsy after physical therapy based on head movements and serious games

Background: This paper presents the preliminary results of a novel rehabilitation therapy for cervical and trunk control of children with cerebral palsy (CP) based on serious videogames and physical exercise. Materials: The therapy is based on the use of the ENLAZA Interface, a head mouse based on inertial technology that will be used to control a set of serious videogames with movements of the head. Methods: Ten users with CP participated in the study. Whereas the control group (n=5) followed traditional therapies, the experimental group (n=5) complemented these therapies with a series of ten sessions of gaming with ENLAZA to exercise cervical flexion-extensions, rotations and inclinations in a controlled, engaging environment. Results: The ten work sessions yielded improvements in head and trunk control that were higher in the experimental group for Visual Analogue Scale, Goal Attainment Scaling and Trunk Control Measurement Scale (TCMS). Significant differences (27% vs. 2% of percentage improvement) were found between the experimental and control groups for TCMS (p<0.05). The kinematic assessment shows that there were some improvements in the active and the passive range of motion. However, no significant differences were found pre- and post-intervention. Conclusions:Physical therapy that combines serious games with traditional rehabilitation could allow children with CP to achieve larger function improvements in the trunk and cervical regions. However, given the limited scope of this trial (n=10) additional studies are needed to corroborate this hypothesis