Low Wages in the U.S. And High Unemployment in Europe

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (137 download)

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Book Synopsis Low Wages in the U.S. And High Unemployment in Europe by : David Howell

Download or read book Low Wages in the U.S. And High Unemployment in Europe written by David Howell and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Measured by changes in real wages, earnings inequality and unemployment, the economic position of lower skilled workers has declined sharply over the past two decades across the developed countries of the OECD. In this paper we survey a wide-ranging empirical literature for evidence bearing on the Unified Theory--the popular idea that strong shifts in demand away from low-skilled workers, caused mainly by computerization and related forms of advanced technology, explain both the declining wages of low skilled workers in the "flexible" labor market of the United States and high and rising unemployment in "rigid" European labor markets. On the U.S. side, we find little evidence of large or accelerating skill-biased demand shifts after the early 1980s as measured by standard indices of the skill-intensity of employment. This is significant since most of the impact of computerization on the organization and skill requirements in the workplace has occurred in precisely this later period. There is also little unambiguous evidence of a close link between computerization and relative wage change. Nor do we find that the conventional skill-biased demand-shift story offers a compelling explanation for the rise in unemployment rates experienced by most European countries. Across the OECD, rising low-skilled unemployment does not appear to drive much of the increase in the overall rate; measures of wage rigidity are not closely correlated with unemployment problems; and no clear empirical link has been established between the recent rise in unemployment and the presence of strong wage-setting institutions and social policies. If the empirical basis of the Unified Theory is so shallow, what accounts for the broad consensus in its favor? We speculate that at least part of the answer lies in the natural attraction of a simple story, particularly one that is so consistent with the textbook demand-supply model of the labor market. We conclude with some conjectures on the direction an alternative account might take that places less weight on technology driven demand shifts and greater weight on the effects of fundamental political, institutional and structural changes.

Low-Wage Work in France

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Publisher : Russell Sage Foundation
ISBN 13 : 1610441117
Total Pages : 324 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis Low-Wage Work in France by : Eve Caroli

Download or read book Low-Wage Work in France written by Eve Caroli and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2008-04-03 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In France, low wages have historically inspired tremendous political controversy. The social and political issues at stake center on integrating the working class into society and maintaining the stability of the republican regime. A variety of federal policies—including high minimum wages and strong employee protection—serve to ensure that the low-wage workforce stays relatively small. Low-Wage Work in France examines both the benefits and drawbacks of this politically inspired system of worker protection. France's high minimum wage, which is indexed not only to inflation but also to the average increase in employee wages, plays a critical role in limiting the development of low-paid work. Social welfare benefits and a mandatory thirty-five hour work week also make life easier for low-wage workers. Strong employee protection is a central characteristic of the French model, but high levels of protection for employees may also be one of the causes of France's chronically high rate of unemployment. The threat of long-term unemployment may, in turn, contribute to a persistent sense of insecurity among French workers. Low-Wage Work in France provides a lucid analysis of how a highly regulated labor market shapes the experiences of workers—for better and for worse. A Volume in the Russell Sage Foundation Case Studies of Job Quality in Advanced Economies

Does European Unemployment Prop Up American Wages?

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 34 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Does European Unemployment Prop Up American Wages? by : Donald Ray Davis

Download or read book Does European Unemployment Prop Up American Wages? written by Donald Ray Davis and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Argues that globalization has led to higher unemployment rates in Western Europe than in the USA because of more rigid wage policies and a higher minimum wage in Europe.

At Home and Abroad

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Publisher : Russell Sage Foundation
ISBN 13 : 1610440676
Total Pages : 327 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis At Home and Abroad by : Francine D. Blau

Download or read book At Home and Abroad written by Francine D. Blau and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2002-04-11 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout the latter part of the 20th century, the U.S. labor market performed differently than the labor markets of the world's other advanced industrialized societies. In the early 1970s, the United States had higher unemployment rates than its Western European counterparts. But after two oil crises, rapid technological change, and globalization rocked the world's economies, unemployment fell in the United States, while increasing dramatically in other nations. At the same time, wage inequality widened more in the United States than in Europe. In At Home and Abroad, Cornell University economists Francine D. Blau and Lawrence M. Kahn examine the reasons for these striking dissimilarities between the United States and its economic allies. Comparing countries, the authors find that governments and unions play a far greater role in the labor market in Europe than they do in the United States. It is much more difficult to lay off workers in Europe than in the United States, unemployment insurance is more generous in Europe, and many fewer Americans than Europeans are covered by collective bargaining agreements. Interventionist labor market institutions in Europe compress wages, thus contributing to the lower levels of wage inequality in the European Union than in the United States. Using a unique blend of microeconomic and microeconomic analyses, the authors assess how these differences affect wage and unemployment levels. In a lucid narrative, they present ample evidence that, as upheavals shook the global economy, the flexible U.S. market let wages adjust so that jobs could be maintained, while more rigid European economies maintained wages at the cost of losing jobs. By helping readers understand the relationship between different economic responses and outcomes, At Home and Abroad makes an invaluable contribution to the continuing debate about the role institutions can and should play in creating jobs and maintaining living standards.

Unemployment and Wages in Europe and North America

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 56 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Unemployment and Wages in Europe and North America by : S. J. Nickell

Download or read book Unemployment and Wages in Europe and North America written by S. J. Nickell and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Fighting Unemployment

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0198037082
Total Pages : 369 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (98 download)

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Book Synopsis Fighting Unemployment by : David R. Howell

Download or read book Fighting Unemployment written by David R. Howell and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2004-12-02 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With much of Europe plagued by high levels of unemployment, it has become widely accepted that the culprit is labor market rigidity and that the prescription can only be labor market deregulation: lower wages, higher earnings inequality, greater decentralization in bargaining, less generous unemployment benefits, more hiring flexibility, and less job security. Fighting Unemployment critically assesses this free market orthodoxy. With cross-country statistical analyses and country case studies, leading economists from seven North American and European countries contend that this conventional wisdom has greatly exaggerated the extent to which the unemployment problem can be blamed on protective labor market institutions and that the case for dismantling the welfare state to fight unemployment rests more on free market ideology than on the empirical evidence. The larger message of this book is that fundamentally different labor market models - ranging from the 'American Model' to the much more regulated and coordinated Scandinavian systems - are compatible with low unemployment.

Low-Wage Work in the Wealthy World

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Publisher : Russell Sage Foundation
ISBN 13 : 1610446305
Total Pages : 506 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis Low-Wage Work in the Wealthy World by : Jerome Gautie

Download or read book Low-Wage Work in the Wealthy World written by Jerome Gautie and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2010-03-01 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As global flows of goods, capital, information, and people accelerate competitive pressure on businesses throughout the industrialized world, firms have responded by reorganizing work in a variety of efforts to improve efficiency and cut costs. In the United States, where minimum wages are low, unions are weak, and immigrants are numerous, this has often lead to declining wages, increased job insecurity, and deteriorating working conditions for workers with little bargaining power in the lower tiers of the labor market. Low-Wage Work in the Wealthy World builds on an earlier Russell Sage Foundation study (Low-Wage America) to compare the plight of low-wage workers in the United States to five European countries—Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom—where wage supports, worker protections, and social benefits have generally been stronger. By examining low-wage jobs in systematic case studies across five industries, this groundbreaking international study goes well beyond standard statistics to reveal national differences in the quality of low-wage work and the well being of low-wage workers. The United States has a high percentage of low-wage workers—nearly three times more than Denmark and twice more than France. Since the early 1990s, however, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany have all seen substantial increases in low-wage jobs. While these jobs often entail much the same drudgery in Europe and the United States, quality of life for low-wage workers varies substantially across countries. The authors focus their analysis on the "inclusiveness" of each country's industrial relations system, including national collective bargaining agreements and minimum-wage laws, and the generosity of social benefits such as health insurance, pensions, family leave, and paid vacation time—which together sustain a significantly higher quality of life for low-wage workers in some countries. Investigating conditions in retail sales, hospitals, food processing, hotels, and call centers, the book's industry case studies shed new light on how national institutions influence the way employers organize work and shape the quality of low-wage jobs. A telling example: in the United States and several European nations, wages and working conditions of front-line workers in meat processing plants are deteriorating as large retailers put severe pressure on prices, and firms respond by employing low-wage immigrant labor. But in Denmark, where unions are strong, and, to a lesser extent, in France, where the statutory minimum wage is high, the low-wage path is blocked, and firms have opted instead to invest more heavily in automation to raise productivity, improve product quality, and sustain higher wages. However, as Low-Wage Work in the Wealthy World also shows, the European nations' higher level of inclusiveness is increasingly at risk. "Exit options," both formal and informal, have emerged to give employers ways around national wage supports and collectively bargained agreements. For some jobs, such as room cleaners in hotels, stronger labor relations systems in Europe have not had much impact on the quality of work. Low-Wage Work in the Wealthy World offers an analysis of low-wage work in Europe and the United States based on concrete, detailed, and systematic contrasts. Its revealing case studies not only provide a human context but also vividly remind us that the quality and incidence of low-wage work is more a matter of national choice than economic necessity and that government policies and business practices have inevitable consequences for the quality of workers' lives. A Volume in the Russell Sage Foundation Case Studies of Job Quality in Advanced Economies

Economic Policies and Unemployment Dynamics in Europe

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Publisher : International Monetary Fund
ISBN 13 : 9781557755780
Total Pages : 228 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (557 download)

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Book Synopsis Economic Policies and Unemployment Dynamics in Europe by : Mr.Dennis J. Snower

Download or read book Economic Policies and Unemployment Dynamics in Europe written by Mr.Dennis J. Snower and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 1997-01-28 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book, edited by S.G.B. Henry and Dennis J. Snower, examines the high unemployment that has plagued five European countries- France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom- for more than a decade. Its methodology focuses on the mechanisms that prevent employers and employees from adjusting promptly to changing market opportunities. Chief among these mechanisms are outdated economic structures, the power of labor unions, rising nonwage labor costs, and the disparity between unemployed workers and available jobs. Although cross-country differences indicate that there is no common cause for joblessness in Europe, the book discusses a unique characteristic of the European labor market- that unemployment not only rises during recessions, but does not fall when economic weaknesses are overcome.

Jobs, Earnings, and Employment Growth Policies in the United States

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Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 9400922019
Total Pages : 137 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (9 download)

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Book Synopsis Jobs, Earnings, and Employment Growth Policies in the United States by : John D. Kasarda

Download or read book Jobs, Earnings, and Employment Growth Policies in the United States written by John D. Kasarda and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John D. Kasarda By all accounts, the United States has led the world in job creation. During the past 20 years, its economy added nearly 40 million jobs while the combined European Economic Community added none. Since 1983 alone, the U. S. gener ated more than 15 million jobs and its unemployment rate dropped from 7. 5 percent to approximately 5 percent while the unemployment rate in much of western Europe climbed to double digits. Even Japan's job creation record pales in comparison to the United States'. with its annual employment growth rate less than half that of the United States over the past 15 years (0. 8 percent vs. 2 percent. ) Yet, as the U. S. economy has been churning out millions of jobs annually, con flicting views and heated debates have emerged regarding the quality of these new jobs and its implications for standards of living and U. S. economic competi tiveness. Many argue that the "great American job machine" is a "mirage" or "grand illusion. " Rather than adding productive, secure, well-paying jobs, most new employment, critics contend, consists of poverty level, dead-end, service sector jobs that contribute little or nothing to the nation's productivity and inter national competitiveness. Much of the blame is placed on Reagan-Bush policies that critics say undermine labor unions, encourage wasteful corporate restructur ing, foster exploitative labor practices, and reduce fiscal support for education and needed social services.

Low-Wage Work in Denmark

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Publisher : Russell Sage Foundation
ISBN 13 : 1610445546
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis Low-Wage Work in Denmark by : Niels Westergaard-Nielsen

Download or read book Low-Wage Work in Denmark written by Niels Westergaard-Nielsen and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2008-04-03 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Danish economy offers a dose of American labor market flexibility inside a European welfare state. The Danish government allows employers a relatively high level of freedom to dismiss workers, but also provides generous unemployment insurance. Widespread union coverage and an active system of collective bargaining help regulate working conditions in the absence of strong government regulation. Denmark's rate of low-wage work—8.5 percent—is the lowest of the five countries under analysis. In Low-Wage Work in Denmark, a team of Danish researchers combines comprehensive national registry data with detailed case studies of five industries to explore why low-end jobs are so different in Denmark. Some jobs that are low-paying in the United States, including hotel maids and meat processors, though still demanding, are much more highly compensated in Denmark. And Danes, unlike American workers, do not stay in low-wage jobs for long. Many go on to higher paying jobs, while a significant minority ends up relying temporarily on income support and benefits sustained by one of the highest tax rates in the world. Low-Wage Work in Denmark provides an insightful look at the particularities of the Danish labor market and the lessons it holds for both the United States and the rest of Europe. A Volume in the Russell Sage Foundation Case Studies of Job Quality in Advanced Economies

Beware the U.S. Model

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 254 pages
Book Rating : 4.E/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Beware the U.S. Model by : Lawrence R. Mishel

Download or read book Beware the U.S. Model written by Lawrence R. Mishel and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Inequality and Unemployment in Europe

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (137 download)

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Book Synopsis Inequality and Unemployment in Europe by : James K. Galbraith

Download or read book Inequality and Unemployment in Europe written by James K. Galbraith and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this paper we show that inequality and unemployment are related positively across the European continent, within countries, between countries and through time. This contradicts the often-repeated view that unemployment in Europe is attributable to rigid wage structures, high minimum wages and generous social welfare systems. In fact, countries that possess the low inequality such systems produce experience less unemployment than those that do not. Moreover, large inter-country inequalities across Europe aggravate the continental unemployment problem. There is no paradox in low American unemployment. It stems in part from that country's continent-wide programs of redistribution, including the Social Security System, the Earned Income Tax Credit, the federal minimum wage, and a uniform regime of monetary policy geared toward full employment, all of which reduce inter-regional inequality and all of which we recommend for adoption by the European Union.

Generating Jobs

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Publisher : Russell Sage Foundation
ISBN 13 : 1610442202
Total Pages : 345 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis Generating Jobs by : Richard B. Freeman

Download or read book Generating Jobs written by Richard B. Freeman and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 1998-02-26 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The American economy is in danger of leaving its low-skilled workers behind. In the last two decades, the wages and employment levels of the least educated and experienced workers have fallen disastrously. Where willing workers once found ready employment at reasonable wages, our computerized, service-oriented economy demands workers who can read and write, master technology, deal with customers, and much else. Improved education and training will alleviate this problem in the long run, but educating the new workforce will take a substantial national investment over many years. In the meantime, we face increasingly acute questions about how to include low-skill workers in today's economy. Generating Jobs takes a hard look at these questions, and asks whether anything can be done to improve the lot of low-skilled workers by intervening in the labor market on their behalf. These micro demand-side policies seek to improve wages and employment levels—either by lowering the costs of hiring low-skilled workers through employer subsidies, or by raising wage levels, benefit levels, or hours of employment, or by providing employment via government jobs. Although these policies are not currently popular in the U.S., they have long been used in many countries. Generating Jobs provides a clear-eyed assessment of this history, and asks if any of these policies might be applicable to the current problems of low-skilled workers in the United States. The results are surprising. Several recently touted panaceas turn out to be costly and ineffective in the American labor market. Enterprise zones, for instance, are an expensive way of moving jobs into areas of high unemployment, costing as much as $60,000 per job. Similarly, job-sharing, which has had uneven success in Europe, turns out to be ill-suited to conditions in the U.S., where wages are relatively low and workers need to work long hours to maintain income. On the other hand, a number of older, less flashy policies turn out to have real, if modest, benefits. Wage subsidies have increased employment among qualifying workers, and public employment policies can increase the number of workers from targeted groups working during the program. While acknowledging that many solutions are counterproductive, this definitive review of active labor market policies shows that many programs can offer real help. More than any rhetoric, Generating Jobs is the best guide to future action and a serious response to those who claim that nothing can be done.

Working and Poor

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Publisher : Russell Sage Foundation
ISBN 13 : 1610440579
Total Pages : 447 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis Working and Poor by : Rebecca M. Blank

Download or read book Working and Poor written by Rebecca M. Blank and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2007-01-09 with total page 447 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last three decades, large-scale economic developments, such as technological change, the decline in unionization, and changing skill requirements, have exacted their biggest toll on low-wage workers. These workers often possess few marketable skills and few resources with which to support themselves during periods of economic transition. In Working and Poor, a distinguished group of economists and policy experts, headlined by editors Rebecca Blank, Sheldon Danziger, and Robert Schoeni, examine how economic and policy changes over the last twenty-five years have affected the well-being of low-wage workers and their families. Working and Poor examines every facet of the economic well-being of less-skilled workers, from employment and earnings opportunities to consumption behavior and social assistance policies. Rebecca Blank and Heidi Schierholz document the different trends in work and wages among less-skilled women and men. Between 1979 and 2003, labor force participation rose rapidly for these women, along with more modest increases in wages, while among the men both employment and wages fell. David Card and John DiNardo review the evidence on how technological changes have affected less-skilled workers and conclude that the effect has been smaller than many observers claim. Philip Levine examines the effectiveness of the Unemployment Insurance program during recessions. He finds that the program's eligibility rules, which deny benefits to workers who have not met minimum earnings requirements, exclude the very people who require help most and should be adjusted to provide for those with the highest need. On the other hand, Therese J. McGuire and David F. Merriman show that government help remains a valuable source of support during economic downturns. They find that during the most recent recession in 2001, when state budgets were stretched thin, legislatures resisted political pressure to cut spending for the poor. Working and Poor provides a valuable analysis of the role that public policy changes can play in improving the plight of the working poor. A comprehensive analysis of trends over the last twenty-five years, this book provides an invaluable reference for the public discussion of work and poverty in America. A Volume in the National Poverty Center Series on Poverty and Public Policy

NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1986

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780262560375
Total Pages : 409 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (63 download)

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Book Synopsis NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1986 by :

Download or read book NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1986 written by and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

European Unemployment, US Wages and Asian Emergence

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 44 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (318 download)

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Book Synopsis European Unemployment, US Wages and Asian Emergence by : Rodney Tyers

Download or read book European Unemployment, US Wages and Asian Emergence written by Rodney Tyers and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

A Picture of European Unemployment

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780753016381
Total Pages : 46 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (163 download)

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Book Synopsis A Picture of European Unemployment by : S. J. Nickell

Download or read book A Picture of European Unemployment written by S. J. Nickell and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: