This book examines the wages people earn, the jobs they do, and the effect of government labor market policies on wages and employment. The book synthesizes research findings on these topics, using a human capital framework that no other similar book offers. The authors present an integrated evaluation of education subsidies, training programs, gender and race equality programs, unemployment insurance laws, minimum wage legislation, union protection laws, health and safety laws and employment protection laws.

This volume contains 13 new and important never before published chapters covering aspects of the employer-employee relationship. The volume is focused at the academic audience, but is also geared to government and business policy makers worldwide. The chapters use data from the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle-East to answer a number of vital labor market questions. These include: Why has part-time work increased so dramatically in the 15 European Union countries? What changes in retirement behavior will be expected as countries change pension laws? Why do firms often use fixed-term instead...

How do technology, public works projects, mental health, race, gender, mobility, retirement benefits, and macroeconomic policies affect worker well-being? This volume contains 14 chapters utilizing current econometric techniques to answer this question. The findings include the following: (1) Technology gains explain over half the decline in US unemployment and over two-thirds the reduction in US inflation. (2) Universal health coverage would reduce US labour force participation by 3.3 per cent. (3) Blacks respond to regional rather than national changes schooling rates of return, perhaps...

Published twice per year in conjunction with the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Research in Labor Economics contains new cutting edge peer reviewed research applying economic theory and econometrics to policy related topics pertinent to worker well-being, often with an international focus. Like other high quality journals, one volume each year contains papers on a wide range of labor economics topics. Unlike other journals, the second volume is devoted to a topic related to IZA's areas of activity with a policy focus. Typical themes of each volume include labor supply, work effort,...