Nonstandard Forms and Measures of Employment and Unemployment in Transition: A Comparative Study of Estonia, Romania, and Russia

This paper looks behind the standard, publicly available labor force statistics relied upon in most studies of transition economy labor markets. We analyze microdata on detailed labor force survey responses in Russia, Romania, and Estonia to measure nonstandard, boundary forms and alternative definitions of employment and unemployment. Our calculations show that measured rates are quite sensitive to definition, particularly in the treatment of household production (subsistence agriculture), unpaid family helpers, and discouraged workers, while the categories of part-time work and other forms of marginal attachment are still relatively unimportant. We find that tweaking the official definitions in apparently minor ways can produce alternative employment rates that are sharply higher in Russia but much lower in Romania and slightly lower in Estonia, and alternative unemployment rates that are sharply higher in Romania and moderately higher in Estonia and Russia.nonstandard, work, data, unemployment, Estonia, Russia, Romania

Nonstandard Forms and Measures of Employment and Unemployment in Transition: A Comparative Study of Estonia, Romania, and Russia

This paper looks behind the standard, publicly available employment and unemployment statistics that studies of transition economy labor markets have typically relied upon. We analyze microdata on detailed labor force survey responses in Russia, Romania, and Estonia to measure nonstandard, boundary forms and alternative definitions of labor force status. Our estimates show that measured employment and unemployment rates are quite sensitive to definition, particularly in the treatment of household production (subsistence agriculture), unpaid family helpers, and discouraged workers, while the categories of part-time work and other forms of marginal attachment are still relatively unimportant. We find that tweaking the official definitions in apparently minor ways can produce alternative employment rates that are sharply higher in Russia but much lower in Romania and slightly lower in Estonia, and alternative unemployment rates that are sharply higher in Romania and moderately higher in Estonia and Russia.employment, unemployment, Estonia, Romania, Russia

The Immobilization of Laccase on Mixed Polymeric Microspheres for Methyl Red Decomposition

Means of eliminating water pollutants or transforming them into less hazardous compounds by green catalysis are desired. The current work was developed with the goal of discovering supports suited for laccase (Lc) immobilization. The effect of the chitosan (CS) molecular weight (Mw) or the polyacrylic acid (PAA) addition was evaluated in microsphere formulation and enzyme immobilization by ESEM, rheology, operational stability, and kinetics. As a practical application, the synthesized products were tested in the methyl red (MR) decomposition and the product identification was performed by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Depending on the required properties, the laccase activity profile (pH, temperature, storage, and Michaelis–Menten parameters) and rheological strength can be modulated by varying the molecular mass of CS or by adding PAA in the support formulation. The immobilized products having the best features regarding MR degradation and recycling abilities were the medium Mw CS microspheres and the system with low Mw CS complexed by PAA, respectively. The degradation mechanism of the dye was proposed accordingly with the identified products by mass spectroscopy. The findings emphasize the potential of the proposed immobilization products to be exploited as viable biocatalysts for dye-contaminated water

Nonstandard Forms and Measures of Employment and Unemployment in Transition: A Comparative Study of Estonia, Romania, and Russia

This paper looks behind the standard, publicly available labor force statistics relied upon in most studies of transition economy labor markets. We analyse microdata on detailed labor force survey (LFS) responses in Russia, Romania, and Estonia to measure nonstandard, boundary forms and alternative definitions of employment and unemployment. Our calculations show that measured rates are quite sensitive to definition, particularly in the treatment of household production (subsistence agriculture), unpaid family helpers, and discouraged workers, while the categories of part-time work and other forms of marginal attachment are still relatively unimportant. We find that tweaking the official definitions in apparently minor ways can produce alternative employment rates that are sharply higher in Russia but much lower in Romania and slightly lower in Estonia, and alternative unemployment rates that are sharply higher in Romania and moderately higher in Estonia and Russia. Comparative Economic Studies (2006) 48, 435–457. doi:10.1057/palgrave.ces.8100181