The Effects of Greenhouse Gases Regulation on Wages and Rents: Policy Issues and General Equilibrium Analysis

The stringency of environmental policy is likely to change the gains of economic agents. Using a general equilibrium model and an assumption that capital-intensive industries tend to be intensive emitters of greenhouse gases (GHG), we find that a stricter GHG emission scheme will reduce the rent for capital owners but increase the wage for workers. This effect could motivate capital owners or workers to oppose or support a stricter GHG policy. The paper also empirically assesses the model’s key assumption by using production input (capital stock and labor), output, and GHG emission data from U.S industrial sectors. The regression result supports a strong positive relationship between the capital-labor ratio and the pollution-output ratio. Therefore, the theoretical analysis is relevant to the actual economy.

Increasing Wages,Factor Substitution,and Cropping Pattern Changes in China

This article analyzed the influence of increasing wages on cropping patterns from theoretical and empirical perspectives.The results showed that the increasing labor cost provided a significant incentive to adjust the grain cropping pattern,which increased the production of the three major cereal grains but reduced the production of other grain crops.Increasing wages had a significant negative impact on cash crops.More laborintensive cash crops experienced a larger negative impact in the context of increasing wages.The increase in labor costs also had a negative impact on the proportion of vegetables produced,which was more evident in northern China.A further mechanism test indicated that factor substitution was a significant reason for cropping pattern changes;this illustrated the substitution of labor by machinery not only between grain crops and cash crops but also among different cash crops.

Corporate Endowment Insurance Fee Reduction and Employee Wages:Evidence from China

To stimulate economic growth,the Chinese government implemented three consecutive policies between 2016 and 2019 to reduce the corporate endowment insurance contribution ratio(CEICR),the highest payment item for Chinese companies.Using China's CEICR reduction policies as a quasi-natural experiment,this paper evaluates the impact of corporate payment burden reduction on employee wages.Generally,reducing CEICR appears to prompt companies to increase employee wages.Corporate cash flow is a possible channel of influence.Moreover,the positive effect is found to be more pronounced in companies that are more labor intensive,performing better in labor payment compliance,and located in regions with higher pressure for elderly care.This paper offers evidence in favor of implementing CEICR reduction policies from the perspective of improving the well-being of employees.

Minimum Wages,Cost-Price Pass-Through and Real Welfare Effect of Households

The minimum wage policy should take into account production costs of enterprises and welfare benefits of families.This paper describes the pass-through process of the minimum wage costs in the enterprise sector and the household sector by building a theoretical model,investigates the impact of the minimum wage adjustment on urban household consumption utility and its price pass-through mechanism from the perspective of living costs based on several sets of databases,such as household survey,supermarket prices and industrial enterprises for the first time,and further estimates the net welfare changes including income compensation and consumption utility loss.The findings of the study are as below:(1)The price transfer behavior of enterprises is the main cause of the loss of household consumption utility.The average wage level and labor costs of enterprises rise with the increase of minimum wages.Both the cost-price pass-through elasticity estimated based on the theoretical model and the minimum wage price elasticity coefficient obtained by empirical estimation show that the price transfer behavior of enterprises leads to the rise of final consumer prices;(2)With a 10% increase in minimum wages,the overall household living costs increase by 2.47%-6.76%,and the economic living costs increase by about 122-334 yuan per quarter,among which the living costs are most affected in terms of food,shoes and clothing;(3)Under the combined effect of income compensation and consumption utility loss,the bottom 20% of households and middle 60% of households will get 658 yuan and 469-556 yuan per quarter,respectively.The findings of this paper are conducive to improving the supporting minimum wage policy by taking a number of measures simultaneously,so as to provide a path reference for promoting the realization of Chinese modernization and expanding domestic demand for common prosperity for all.

The Size of Individual Social Networks and Rural-Urban Migrants'Wages-Findings from a Survey of Migrants in China's 6 Provinces and 12 Cities

Based on a survey of migrants in 12 cities across four major urbanizing areas in China,this paper empirically studies the impact of the size of individual social networks on the migrants'wages.After controlling for potential endogeneity using an instrumental variable approach,our empirical results from 2SLS estimation provides no evidence for significant average causal effect of network size on wage.A further exploration of quantile regression analysis with endogeneity issue managed by using the control function approach shows that a significant positive network size effect can only be found in the low-income end.

China's Labor Transition and the Future of China's Rural Wages and Employment

This paper contributes to the assessment of China＇s rural labor markets. According to our data, the increase in off-farm employment that China experienced during the 1980s and 1990s continued during the 2000s. Our analysis shows that migration has become the most prevalent off-farm activity, although the destination of migrants is shifting from outside of one＇s province to destinations closer to home. The present paperfinds that large shares of male and female individuals, especially those under 40 years, are working off the farm. These findings represent an important contribution to the labor economics field. First, the results of the present paper reveal that the labor transition from the agricultural sector to the non-agricultural sector for key segments of China＇s rural labor force is nearly complete. Second, although a large share of China ＂s rural labor force work in agriculture, most of these workers are older men and women （and likely would not be willing to take low-wage, labor-intensive jobs）. Third, the rising unskilled wage rate in China is partially a result of the tightening of the labor force in the young age cohorts. Finally, due to factors associated with the one child policy and other demographic transition forces, successive age cohorts will continue to fall in absolute number in the coming decade. Assuming China＇s growth continues, we expect to see further wage increases since it will take higher wages to coax more workers to work off the farm.

What Drives Chinese Firms'Export Sophistication?A Perspective from the Rise of Minimum Wages

This paper re-examines the driving factors behind the upgrading of China s export sophistication.Based on county-level minimum wages and firm-level export data for 2000-2013,this paper finds that the labor cost shocks caused by rising minimum wages have a significant positive impact on Chinese firms'export sophistication.Channel tests show that the positive effect of rising minimum wages on firms'export sophistication derives from the exit of less sophisticated products and the reallocation of the relative share of surviving products,rather than introducing new highly sophisticated products.Heterogeneity analysis reveals that rising minimum wages have a greater impact on export sophistication for low-wage firms,domestic firms,and labor-intensive firms.This paper has implications for developing countries regarding the transition from a low-cost labor trade model to a sophistication-driven trade model.

Hourly Wage and the Likelihood of Stealing an Item

Researchers have extensively explored the impact of wages on individuals’ decisions to engage in property crimes. While most of these studies in the past have relied on macro-level data to investigate the relationship between crime rates and hourly wages, this paper takes a novel approach by utilizing micro-level data to examine the influence of hourly wages on the likelihood of stealing an item valued at least $50. The results obtained from the estimations reveal that an increase in hourly wage leads to a decrease in the probability of theft, all other factors being held constant. Further estimation by gender revealed that hourly wages given to both male and female have no bearing on the decision to steal. Additionally, the analysis of the differences in theft probabilities across gender and race demonstrates that males consistently exhibit a higher likelihood of engaging in theft when compared to females across various racial groups.

Who Lost Most Wages and Household Income during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poor Rural China?

China managed to eliminate all extreme poverty in rural areas in 2020.Poor households,however,may risk falling back into poverty due to the COVID-19.This paper examines the impacts of the pandemic on wages and household incomes among different groups in poor areas of rural China.Using a unique dataset from five poverty-stricken counties,we found that the pandemic has had large negative effects on wage income for migrant workers and workers in manufacturing,the private sector,and small enterprises.Compared with households relying on wage income,households relying on small businesses have suffered much more from the pandemic,whereas households depending on farming or transfer payments have been less affected.Although poor and ethnic minority households lost significant amounts of wage income due to the pandemic,they did not lose more household income than nonpoor and nonminority households.We conclude that support from the government has kept vulnerable households from suffering more than other households from the effects of COVID-19.Our findings suggest that the government can play a strong role in alleviating the negative impacts of the COVID-19.

Labour Markets in China： A Study of the Structure and Evolution of Wages

This paper examines the development of labour markets and the evolution of a structure of wages in China, using household surveys for 1988, 1995, 2002 and 2007. It finds evidence of both provincial and sectoral segmentation in labour markets, with eastern regions and the state-controlled sector enjoying high wage premiums in the early reform period. During the reform, China has progressed slowly towards an integrated labour market with convergence in incomes between the rural non-agriculture sector and the urban market-based sector by 1995, when industry flourished in the rural areas. The wage gap between the rural non-agriculture sector and other sectors increased and the urban state-controlled sector remained segmented with respect to all other sectors up to 2002. However, the data from 2007 show there has been increasing sectoral and spatial integration.

Offshoring,Wages,and Skill Premiums:Firm-level Evidence from China

Using detailed Chinese manufacturing firm production and trade data from 2000 to 2006,this study finds that offshoring significantly increases firms’average wages.First,using the quasi-natural experiment of China's accession to the World Trade Organization,we investigate how a reduction in offshoring costs affects the manufacturing firm's wages and find that a productivity effect and a job-relocation effect are two possible channels.Second,the dynamic decomposition of industry-level wages indicates that the within-firm effect is 0.547,accounting for 31.5 percent of the total variation.Finally,a Mincer-type regression shows that offshoring also increases within-firm skill premiums.Our findings have strong implications for the government related to framing appropriate industrial policies to raise wages and reduce income inequality.

Indonesia’s Cheap Wages Regime:The Political Economy of Minimum Wages Policy under Jokowi Presidency

Indonesia’s new wage policy mechanism made a new history since Joko Widodo(Jokowi)became President.The first minimum wages policy in Indonesia was implemented in 1969 in which the determination comes from society^monthly necessities through a discussion involving labor,employer,and state,it is known that the determination is no longer using aforementioned variables but it is rather based on a market-standard formula.This paper exploring the logic political-economic of wage policies implementation based on neoliberalism in the first presidency of Jokowi,which has implications for affirming cheap wages policies.This research uses a qualitative method by comparing two regions with different economic bases,namely Bekasi as the largest industrial area in Southeast Asia and Yog-yakarta as the province with the highest national economy inequality and the cheapest national minimum wage representation.The findings of this research show that this new wage formulation is emerged from the ideology of corporatism that takes place in every power transfer process and has the implication of reinforcing wage inequality that occurs in the local context in Indonesia.Politically,this regulation eliminates the democratic mechanism in the form of tripartite through a survey of monthly necessities which is carried out by labor,government and employer every year and has divided the strength of trade unions in fighting for the determination of decent wages.

Labor's Economic Conditions in the Late-19th-century America

This article generally studies American workers’ economic conditions in the late nineteenth century. Through the examination of their poor living conditions, the author aims to expose the dark side of America in the period of Industrialization.

A Review of Research on the Employment Effect of Artificial Intelligence Applications

Based on the concept of artificial intelligence(AI)and the summary of existing research methods,this essay reviews the theoretical and empirical research into AI’s impact on industrial distribution,jobs,wages and other aspects in the field of employment.The essay finds that AI technology accelerates job polarization in the labor market and causes wage inequality during this process while taking over some occupations and promoting the flow of labor among different industries.In the long run,the substitution and creation effects will coexist for the long term,and the creation effects will exercise increasingly obvious influence;wage inequality can be compensated by long-term social policies;job polarization will not last for long;and workers’flow between industries is essentially a result of matching labor skills with task needs after technological changes.More scholars believe that the impact of artificial intelligence on employment in the future is controllable,and the key is in the broad and effective human-computer cooperation facilitated by the improvement of labor’s skill levels through education and training.

The Essence of Optimism of The Economists and Investors with Regard to the Economy of Russia

The gross domestic product of Russia,expressed in US dollars,indicates problems in the Russian economy associated with the decline in oil prices on the world energy market and the consequences of the sanctions of the United States and the European Union against Russia.The crisis situation of the Russian economy has a negative impact on the income of the population of country,represented mainly by wages.However,an economist or investor may be optimistic about Russian economic development in the medium term.This optimism is related to the economic policy of the United States.The expansion of the United States economy within the global space,based on economic growth,requires maintaining inflation within the target level and weakening the US dollar.These tasks are solved with the help of soft monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve System.The reduction of interest rates by the US Federal Reserve System against the background of inflation of the target level and the devaluation of the US dollar will contribute to economic growth in the United States,because it will lead to the depreciation of public debt,lower consumption of imports,increase in exports and trade balance,growth of production,income,consumption.The economic policy of the United States,which contributes to the devaluation of the US dollar,will also reduce the US dollar against the ruble.The optimistic view of investors-economists on the Russian economy is due to a significant strengthening of the ruble against the US dollar.Consequently,in the medium term,the gross domestic product and wages of citizens of Russia,expressed in US dollars,will significantly increase,and the purchasing power of the national currency of the country will also increase.This growth may continue until the next election of a new President of the United States in november 2020.After the election of the new President of the United States,there is a high probability of sanctions against Russia and of decline in oil prices in the world energy market in accordance with the future economic policy of the United States–two main reasons for the sharp strengthening of the US dollar against the ruble,which will cause a deeper economic crisis in Russia in the medium and long term.

薪金、奖金、罚金

一、薪金1.wage工资,工钱。一般按每小时、每天或每周计算,以蓝领工人、半技术工人为对象,通常会给现金;此外,该词还用来泛指工资这一概念。使用时多用复数形式。例: (1)The postal workers have asked for wage rise of＄5 a week.邮政工人要求周薪提高5美元。(2)current wage system现行工资制度2.salary多指“月薪”或“年俸”,以公职人员、公司职员、白领职工等为对象,通常通过支票付给。例: The union leaders enjoy great prestige and authorityand large salaries.工会领袖享有很高威望和很大权力,而且领取丰厚的薪水。3.stipend专指酬劳牧师、教师、行政官员的俸给。例如:

Employment and Employability of Engineering Graduates in India

While higher education system in India produces the second largest number of engineering graduates in the world every year,the employability of the graduates is questioned both in the domestic and international labour markets.Many rightly observe that India is overproducing engineering graduates with poor quality,who are not suitable for changing labour markets,as a result large numbers of graduates are either unemployed or mal/under employed.Globally,the interface between technology and labour market is changing rapidly,making new demands on skills of the graduate engineers.The recent National Education Policy 2020 has clearly acknowledged this fact,and accordingly,proposes a variety of reforms for strengthening technical education in the country.In this short paper,an attempt is made to examine a few specific aspects relating to the unemployment and employability of engineering graduates,along with implications for engineering education.

Study inquires into widening profit-wage gap in SOEs

This paper studies the trend in which industrial enterprises’benefits allocation pattern changed,and the reasons for those rapid changes in China from 1997 to 2007.The results reveal that the benefits allocation pattern of industrial enterprises in China changed rapidly during the periods of 1998-2000 and 2003-2007.This paper discovers that the ramifications of state-owned enterprises’three-year reform plan,aimed at getting themselves out of a dire economic predicament,are the main reasons for the rapid changes in industrial enterprises’benefits allocation pattern from 1998 to 2000.The structural changes in ex-factory price of industrial products from 2003 were the main reason benefits allocation patterns of industrial enterprises changed in favor of capital during 2003-2007.

Post-industrial Economic Restructuring and Wage Inequality in Urban China, 2003-2015: A Sectoral Perspective

Income inequality in urban China has attracted growing attention from China’s urban researchers and policy makers. Whereas many studies have interrogated the pattern and process of the income gap in Chinese cities undergoing the institutional transformation from plan to market, relatively little is known about how such unequal distribution of income is related to China’s ongoing structural transformation toward a post-industrial economy. Drawing on a decomposition methodology based on the Theil index, this study aimed to address this lacuna through an empirical investigation of China’s urban wage inequality from a sectoral perspective. Our empirical study identified the low-wage manufacturing sector and the high-wage producer services sector as the two biggest contributors to urban wage inequality in China. Urban wage inequality within the producer services was found to be caused by the spatial concentration of a disproportionate number of high-paying jobs in a few developed, high-tier city-regions on the eastern coast. Our empirical findings have important implications for the formulation of policies to address the income inequality that plagues China’s continuing urbanization.

Urban natural gas demand and factors analysis in China:Perspectives of price and income elasticities

Urban natural gas is becoming the main sector driving China’s natural gas consumption growth in recent years.This study explores the impacts of urban natural gas price,wage,socioeconomic determinants,and meteorological conditions on urban natural gas demand in China over 2006-2017.Furthermore,this study also analyzes the potential regional heterogeneity and asymmetry in the impacts of gas price and income on China’s urban gas demand.Empirical results reveal that:(1)The increased gas price can significantly reduce the urban gas demand,and the average income level may effectively promote the gas demand,also,a strong switching effect exists between electricity and natural gas in urban China;(2)these impacts are heterogeneous in regions among China,urban natural gas demand is largely affected by the gas price in regions with high-gas-price and by income in regions with low-gas-price;and(3)the impact of gas price on urban gas consumption is consistent in regions with different urban natural gas consumption,while the impact of income is asymmetric.This study further provides several policy implications for improving the urban natural gas industry in China.