Labor Mobility and the Integration of European Labor Markets

This paper outlines the importance of labor mobility for the improvement in allocating and distributing economic resources. We are faced with an increasing lack of skilled workers and a growing tendency of unemployment amongst the low-skilled. A central political objective for the future will not only be education policy but also the recruitment of high-skilled workers from international and European labor markets. Additional skilled labor increases well-being and reduces inequality. However, internal European barriers to mobility are difficult to break through. An improved transparency of the European labor market, a greater command of languages and a standardization of the social security system can strengthen mobility. The key to mobility is in promoting the integration of international workers in the European migration process, which can be strengthened through circular migration. The European "blue card" initiative and the opening of labor markets to foreign graduates who have been trained in Europe could set a new course.Migration, migration effects, EU Eastern enlargement, free movement of workers

European Labour Mobility: Challenges and Potentials

European Union economies are pressed by (i) a demographic change that induces population ageing and a decline of the workforce, and (ii) a split labour market that is characterized by high levels of unemployment for low -skilled people and a simultaneous shortage of skilled workers. This lack of flexible high-skilled workers and the aging process has created the image of an immobile labour force and the eurosklerosis phenomenon. In such a situation, an economically motivated immigration policy at the European level can generate welfare improvements. A selective policy that discourages unskilled migrants and attracts skilled foreign workers will vitalize the labour market, foster growth and increase demand for unskilled native workers. The paper summarizes the available economic insights, and suggests (i) the need to harmonize the single -country migration policies across Europe and (ii) that the European Union needs to become an active player on the international labour markets.Labour mobility; Migration; Skilled migration; Unskilled migration; Migration policy; Integration policy

Labor Mobility and the Integration of European Labor Markets

This paper outlines the importance of labor mobility for the improvement in allocating and distributing economic resources. We are faced with an increasing lack of skilled workers and a growing tendency of unemployment amongst the low-skilled. A central political objective for the future will not only be education policy but also the recruitment of high-skilled workers from international and European labor markets. Additional skilled labor increases well-being and reduces inequality. However, internal European barriers to mobility are difficult to break through. An improved transparency of the European labor market, a greater command of languages and a standardization of the social security system can strengthen mobility. The key to mobility is in promoting the integration of international workers in the European migration process, which can be strengthened through circular migration. The European “blue card” initiative and the opening of labor markets to foreign graduates who have been trained in Europe could set a new course.migration, migration effects, EU Eastern enlargement, free movement of workers

Ethnic Self-Identification of First-Generation Immigrants

This paper uses the concept of ethnic self-identification of immigrants in a twodimensional framework. It acknowledges the fact that attachments to the home and the host country are not necessarily mutually exclusive. There are three possible paths of adjustment from separation at entry, namely the transitions to assimilation, integration and marginalization. We analyze the determinants of ethnic selfidentification in this process using samples of first-generation immigrants for males and females separately, and controlling for pre- and post-migration characteristics. We find strong gender differences and the unimportance of a wide range of premigration characteristics like religion and education at home.Ethnic self-identification, first-generation immigrants, gender, ethnicity

Varieties of uniserial representations IV. Kinship to geometric quotients

Let $\Lambda$ be a finite dimensional algebra over an algebraically closed field, and ${\Bbb S}$ a finite sequence of simple left $\Lambda$-modules. In [6, 9], quasiprojective algebraic varieties with accessible affine open covers were introduced, for use in classifying the uniserial representations of $\Lambda$ having sequence ${\Bbb S}$ of consecutive composition factors. Our principal objectives here are threefold: One is to prove these varieties to be `good approximations' -- in a sense to be made precise -- to geometric quotients of the classical varieties $\operatorname{Mod-Uni}({\Bbb S})$ parametrizing the pertinent uniserial representations, modulo the usual conjugation action of the general linear group. To some extent, this fills the information gap left open by the frequent non-existence of such quotients. A second goal is that of facilitating the transfer of information among the `host' varieties into which the considered uniserial varieties can be embedded. These tools are then applied towards the third objective, concerning the existence of geometric quotients: We prove that $\operatorname{Mod-Uni}({\Bbb S})$ has a geometric quotient by the $GL$-action precisely when the uniserial variety has a geometric quotient modulo a certain natural algebraic group action, in which case the two quotients coincide. Our main results are exploited in a representation-theoretic context: Among other consequences, they yield a geometric characterization of the algebras of finite uniserial type which supplements existing descriptions, but is cleaner and more readily checkable

Costs and Benefits of Labour Mobility Between the EU and the Eastern Partnership Partner Countries. Country Report: Germany

This study provides an overview of the situation of migrants from Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries in Germany, with this chapter particularly focusing on the labour market integration of EaP migrants, their access to social assistance and social services, and the impact of these flows on the German labour market. We then provide an informed view of the scope for future increased mobility between Germany and EaP countries, in the light of the skills needs and demographic trends expected in the next 10 to 20 years. Based on the results, the following conclusions can be drawn. More than half of EaP migrants come to Germany for work and study purposes. Family reunification is important for Ukrainians and Moldovans. Work and family purposes are the two main residence grounds for migrants from Moldova and Ukraine, while the other nationalities hold residence permits for reasons of study and work in most cases

The geometry of uniserial representations of algebras II. Alternate viewpoints and uniqueness

We provide two alternate settings for a family of varieties modeling the uniserial representations with fixed sequence of composition factors over a finite dimensional algebra. The first is a quasi-projective subvariety of a Grassmannian containing the members of the mentioned family as a principal affine open cover; among other benefits, one derives invariance from this intrinsic description. The second viewpoint re-interprets the `uniserial varieties' as locally closed subvarieties of the traditional module varieties; in particular, it exhibits closedness of the fibres of the canonical maps from the uniserial varieties to the uniserial representations

Pseudo-R2 Measures for Some Common Limited Dependent Variable Models

A large number of different Pseudo-R2 measures for some common limited dependent variable models are surveyed. Measures include those based solely on the maximized likelihoods with and without the restriction that slope coefficients are zero, those which require further calculations based on parameter estimates of the coefficients and variances and those that are based solely on whether the qualitative predictions of the model are correct or not. The theme of the survey is that while there is no obvious criterion for choosing which Pseudo-R2 to use, if the estimation is in the context of an underlying latent dependent variable model, a case can be made for basing the choice on the strength of the numerical relationship to the OLS-R2 in the latent dependent variable. As such an OLS-R2 can be known in a Monte Carlo simulation, we summarize Monte Carlo results for some important latent dependent variable models (binary probit, ordinal probit and Tobit) and find that a Pseudo-R2 measure due to McKelvey and Zavoina scores consistently well under our criterion. We also very briefly discuss Pseudo-R2 measures for count data, for duration models and for prediction-realization tables

International Migration, Ethnicity and Economic Inequality

While the allocative efficiency of mobility is typically considered to be positive but small in the long run, the induced changes in equality may be considerable in size. In practice, however, migrants typically improve their income position in comparison to those at home, stimulate the economic situation of the sending countries through remittances and rise the economic performance of natives and of capital in the host country through complementarities. The chapter suggests that at least skilled immigration promotes economic equality in the host country under standard conditions. The context is empirically documented und theoretically explained in a core model. Also, immigrant assimilation and selection is discussed, as is the role of ethnicity and ethnic identity for relative economic performance.ethnosizing, inequality, income distribution, migration, ethnicity, minority, assimilation, integration, Gini-coefficient

German Bad Bank Plan: Government Should Take Over Toxic Assets at Zero Cost

With Germany's banking sector still suffering from the effects of the financial crisis, public discussion of plans to place toxic assets in one or more bad banks has gained steam in recent weeks. The following paper presents a bad bank plan from the German Institute for Economic Research. The key element of the plan is the valuation of troubled assets at their current market value - assets with no market would thus be valued at zero. The current shareholders will cover the losses arising from the depreciation reserve in the amount of the difference of the toxic assets' current book value and their market value. Under the plan, the government would bear responsibility for the management and future resale of toxic assets at its own cost and recapitalize the good bank by taking an equity stake in it. In extreme cases, this would mean a takeover of the bank by the government. The risk to taxpayers from this investment would be acceptable, however, once the banks are freed from toxic assets. A clear emphasis that the government stake is temporary would also be necessary. The government would cover the bad bank's losses, while profits would be distributed to the distressed bank's current shareholders. The plan is viable independent of whether the government decides to have one centralized bad bank or to establish a separate bad bank for each systemically relevant banking institute. Under the terms of the plan, bad banks and nationalization are not alternatives but rather two sides of the same coin. This plan effectively addresses three key challenges. It provides for the transparent removal of toxic assets and gives the banks a fresh start. At the same time, it offers the chance to keep the cost to taxpayers low. In addition, the risk of moral hazard is curtailed.Financial crisis, Bad bank, Recapitalization