Agglomeration economies in the Netherlands

In this paper we measure the strength of agglomeration economies on the basis of Dutch regional data. The drift to the city has been going on for hundreds of years. As a result, most economic activity is concentrated in small geographical areas. The advantages of proximity of people and firms go under the name 'agglomeration economies'. We regress regional labour productivity on a set of agglomeration indices, and find evidence for a productivity effect of concentration of production with a malus for industrial variety. Thus, the evidence supports Marschall-Arrow-Romer economies. The evidence does not support, however, Jacobs economies, nor variants of the Creative Class Hypothesis.

Migrant Women on the Labour Market

The behaviour of migrant women on the labour market is influenced by a variety of factors, among which the culture of the home and the host country. Part of the literature investigates the role of home-country culture. This study extends the literature by including a measure for the influence of host-country culture as an additional determinant of the participation of migrant women. The empirical model explains participation from demographics and educational attainment, and uses home- and host-country female participation as proxies for culture. Evidence on the basis of the Dutch Labour Force Survey 1996 – 2007 suggests that both differences in home-country female participation and the trend in native female participation, as a measure for host-country culture, affect the participation of migrant women. The results suggest that host-country participation is at least as important as home-country participation. Keywords: female labour force participation, immigration, cultural transmission

Migrant Women on the Labour Market: On the Role of Home- and Host-Country Participation

The behaviour of migrant women on the labour market is influenced by a variety of factors, among which the culture of the home and host country. Part of the literature investigates the role of home-country culture. This study extends the literature by including a measure for the influence of host-country culture as an additional determinant of the participation of migrant women. The empirical model explains participation from demographics and educational attainment, and uses home- and host-country female participation as proxies for culture. Evidence on the basis of the Dutch Labour Force Survey 1996-2007 suggests that both differences in home-country female participation and the trend in native female participation, as a measure for host-country culture, affect the participation of migrant women. The results suggest that host-country participation is at least as important as home-country participation.female labour force participation, immigration, cultural transmission

The division of tasks, offshoring and efficiency gains

Die stetige Weiterentwicklung von Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien (IKT) sowie das Wirtschaftswachstum aufstrebender Länder wie China und Indien haben in den letzten Jahren nicht nur zu einer Intensivierung des internationalen Handels beigetragen. Vielmehr haben sie es Unternehmen erleichtert, ihre Aktivitäten in Länder außerhalb Europas auszulagern. Die Entscheidung der Auslagerung ins Ausland (Offshoring) basiert vor allem auf Kosten-Nutzen-Erwägungen und komparativen Vorteilen. Wirksame politische Maßnahmen erfordern ein tiefgreifendes Verständnis darüber, welche Aktivitäten ausgelagert werden und worin die Stärken der Europäischen Wissensgesellschaft liegen. Vor diesem Hintergrund beschäftigte sich ein vom SEEK-Forschungsprogramm finanziertes Projekt damit, welche Rollen der technologische Wandel und die Globalisierung für die Tätigkeit von Beschäftigten und die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit von Unternehmen einnehmen