Article
Economics
Pengcheng Du, Yi Zheng, Shuxun Wang
Summary: This paper uses data from China's A-listed firms to study the impact of increasing the minimum wage on firms and finds robust evidence to support its findings. It also explores potential explanations and identifies moderators for the positive effect. This paper provides new insights into understanding the effects of increasing labor costs on firms' asset allocation.
CHINA ECONOMIC REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Houjian Li, Yanjiao Li, Lili Guo
Summary: Taking a production function perspective, this study investigates the impact of minimum wage increases on firm pollution emissions using a dataset on manufacturing firms and cities in China. The findings suggest that higher minimum wages significantly contribute to increased firm pollution discharges. The study addresses endogeneity concerns and demonstrates the robustness of the results. Additionally, the analysis reveals that the effects of minimum wages on pollution discharges are more pronounced for firms in the central region, young firms, small-scale firms, and those located in less developed areas. The study also identifies the mechanisms through which higher minimum wages lead to increased pollution emissions by highlighting the greater use of fossil fuel energy and reduced investment in pollution treatment facilities during the production process. These empirical findings provide evidence for policies aimed at preventing firm pollution.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Business, Finance
Xinhui Huang, Augustine Tarkom
Summary: The H-1B program is crucial for corporate employment, but there is a lack of empirical evidence on its relationship with labor investment efficiency. This study finds that an increase in the chance of an H-1B lottery approval is positively associated with improved labor investment efficiency. Additionally, it shows that the growth in domestic labor wages dampens the positive effect of the H-1B program on labor investment efficiency. The robustness of our findings to various measures and estimation techniques sheds light on the relevance of the H1B program to corporate hiring decisions.
FINANCE RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Economics
Haichao Fan, Yichuan Hu, Lixin Tang
Summary: The study shows that Chinese firms were more likely to adopt industrial robots when faced with higher minimum wages from 2008 to 2012. Furthermore, the impact of higher minimum wages on robot adoption was more pronounced for firms with higher productivity, located in coastal regions, privately owned, and in skilled-labor-intensive industries.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR & ORGANIZATION
(2021)
Article
Economics
Dongmin Kong, Ni Qin, Junyi Xiang
Summary: This study highlights the negative effects of minimum wage policies on entrepreneurship, especially in labor-intensive industries and regions with higher labor costs. The impact may come from the crowd-out effect of increased labor costs.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR & ORGANIZATION
(2021)
Article
Economics
Jun Wang, Yong Hu, Zhiming Zhang
Summary: The analysis of skill-biased technological change in China's labor market reveals that it significantly promotes employment and wage growth among high-skilled and low-skilled workers, while having no significant impact on medium-skilled workers. However, further investigation using quantile regression shows that SBTC does inhibit employment and wage growth among medium-skilled workers to some extent, contributing to labor market polarization in China.
ECONOMIC MODELLING
(2021)
Article
Economics
Qiu Chen, Jikun Huang, Alisher Mirzabaev
Summary: This paper investigates the effectiveness of fuel price subsidies on rural energy transition and finds that such subsidies are largely ineffective due to imperfect rural labor markets. It suggests that more attention should be paid to non-price mechanisms such as technical support, modern energy infrastructure construction, off-farm employment opportunities, and the establishment of a sound and effective social safety net.
Article
Business, Finance
Zhihua Wei, Zerong Ren, Caiyun Zhu, Yisihong Zhou, Xiaowen Liu
Summary: This study examines the effect of minimum wage increases on firms' R&D expenditure in China and finds that an increase in the minimum wage significantly increases firms' R&D expenditure. The positive effect is stronger for labor-intensive firms, non-state-owned firms, and firms with fewer financing constraints and costs. It is also found that an increase in the minimum wage produces a factor substitution effect, a competitive pressure effect, and mitigates the negative impact of agency problems and managerial myopia. Our study enriches the literature on economic consequences of a minimum wage and factors influencing firm innovation.
INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF ECONOMICS & FINANCE
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Pingping Fang, Yiwen Wang, David Abler, Guanghua Lin
Summary: The aging of the agricultural labor force is an important issue in China's economic transformation. A study found that aging significantly affects apple production in Shaanxi Province, China, with apple growers in flatlands resorting to hired labor to replace family labor, while this substitution does not occur in mountainous areas.
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Xin Zhao, Yishuo Jiao, Dan Wu
Summary: This study examines whether internet use has a moderating effect on labor wage distortion and its mechanism. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies survey in 2016, the study finds that internet use reduces wage distortion by 3.76% on average in the labor market. This reduction is maintained even after considering endogeneity and conducting robustness tests. Internet use effectively reduces wage distortion through factors such as educational matching, employment security, and job expectation.
Article
Economics
Don Mitchell
Summary: When the Bracero (guest worker) Program ended in 1964, California agribusiness faced a labor crisis, which led to a rise in unionization in the fields. Researchers at the University of California then made efforts to reengineer the farm labor process through various methods, such as developing labor aids and mechanizing tasks. The article argues that focus on the details of labor process innovation is crucial for understanding transformations in the agribusiness landscape.
ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Economics
Dongshu Ou, Zhong Zhao
Summary: China's expansion of higher education has decreased unemployment rates among male and college graduates in the short term, but has had negative effects on women's labor force participation and individual earnings. This study highlights the broad economic benefits of higher education and calls for policies to mitigate the short-term negative impact on individual students.
CHINA & WORLD ECONOMY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Taskin Deniz Yildiz
Summary: This article discusses the employment of permanent supervisors in mining enterprises in Turkey and the proportion of their salaries in operating costs. Due to the need for cost control, many investors do not want the salaries of supervisors to account for a high proportion, which makes mining enterprises economically vulnerable to unexpected costs. The article proposes the establishment of a Permanent Supervisor Fund regulated by the state to ensure that supervisors receive their salaries on time and above the minimum standard.
Article
Economics
Ingrid Huitfeldt, Andreas R. Kostol, Jan Nimczik, Andrea Weber
Summary: This paper develops a new method to study the impact of internal labor markets (ILM) and job hierarchies on workers' careers and wages. By proposing a data-driven ranking method based on observed worker flows between occupations within firms, the authors analyze linked employer-employee data from Norway and find substantial heterogeneity in the structure and hierarchy of ILMs across large firms. The study's findings on wage and promotion dynamics align with existing career models in organizations.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMETRICS
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Stephen F. Hamilton, Timothy J. Richards, Aric P. Shafran, Kathryn N. Vasilaky
Summary: This article explores the chronic shortage of agricultural labor in the US and the slow rate of adoption of mechanized harvesting equipment, pointing out that wage-setting farmers have incentives to overmechanize when capital and labor are substitutes, but undermechanize when they are complements. The study demonstrates the benefits of mechanical aids in strawberry production and explains the persistent productivity gap in agricultural industries.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Christian Troost, Robert Huber, Andrew R. Bell, Hedwig van Delden, Tatiana Filatova, Quang Bao Le, Melvin Lippe, Leila Niamir, J. Gareth Polhill, Zhanli Sun, Thomas Berger
Summary: So far, there is no consensus on the concept of validity in agent-based simulation. We define validation as systematically substantiating the premises on which conclusions from simulation analysis are based. Validity of agent-based models cannot be ensured if validation is seen as an isolated step. Instead, context-adequate method choices must be made throughout the simulation analysis process to obtain valid conclusions. We propose a twelve-step protocol to highlight the premises for methodological choices and their link to the modelling context, aiming to assist modelers in understanding their context and selecting appropriate methods.
ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWARE
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Maximilian Humpesch, Stefan Seifert, Alfons Balmann, Silke Huettel
Summary: This paper explores how existing lease contracts affect buyer and seller costs, bargaining position, expectation formation, and ultimately farmland prices. The authors find that lease status and lease term impact the price paid by different buyer types. The study suggests that lease contracts influence buyers' information costs, bargaining positions, and price discovery process.
AGRICULTURAL FINANCE REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Economics
Vasyl Kvartiuk, Thomas Herzfeld
Summary: This study investigates whether the presence of Russian farmers in local politics can influence local policies in favor of their interests. The researchers suggest that regions in Russia with more local MPs owning agricultural businesses and farmer-ministers are more likely to allocate higher agricultural subsidies. By analyzing a unique panel dataset on agricultural subsidies from 2008 to 2015, as well as qualitative data, the study finds that the level of agricultural interest in local parliaments affects the extent of agricultural subsidies. Additionally, the study suggests that farmer-ministers who own farms may act as gatekeepers to these subsidies.
EASTERN EUROPEAN ECONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Economics
Pavlo Martyshev, Soeren Prehn, Oleksandr Perekhozhuk, Volodymyr Vakhitov
Summary: Economic theory predicts that currency devaluation reduces imports, but the effect is uncertain due to the tradability of inputs. This study examines the hypothesis that a higher exchange rate pass-through for input prices compared to output prices in a specific sector leads to reduced profitability, output, and increased imports when the local currency depreciates. Using a structural vector autoregression model, we find partial confirmation of this hypothesis in the Ukrainian pork sector from 2014 to 2020. Policymakers should consider the vulnerability of pork production to currency depreciation, given its dependence on exportable feed grains.
EASTERN EUROPEAN ECONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Maximilian Wesemeyer, Johannes Kamp, Tillman Schmitz, Daniel Mueller, Tobia Lakes
Summary: Global farmland biodiversity has decreased due to agricultural landscape homogenization, but restructuring landscapes by reintroducing woody features and decreasing field sizes can increase biodiversity and agricultural net returns. Using spatial multi-objective optimization, we demonstrate that reallocating woody features and adjusting field sizes can simultaneously increase both bird abundance and agricultural net returns. Taking into account location and farmers' willingness to accept negative impacts on net returns is crucial for achieving higher farmland bird diversity. Our spatially explicit approach supports targeted land use planning to balance economic objectives and biodiversity conservation.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yanbing Wei, Daniel Mueller, Zhanli Sun, Miao Lu, Huajun Tang, Wenbin Wu
Summary: Crop-aquaculture systems, such as rice-crawfish farming, have rapidly expanded in China, but the extent and dynamics of this farming system are not well understood. Using Landsat satellite data from 2013 to 2021, this study reveals that the area of rice-crawfish farming in five provinces of China steadily increased from 0.11 million hectares in 2013 to 0.70 million hectares in 2019, then contracted in 2020 and rebounded in 2021. The spatial distribution of rice-crawfish cultivation expanded towards the east and north, with the largest expansion in Jiangsu and Anhui after 2018. These findings contribute to a better understanding and management of land resources in the rapidly developing rice-crawfish farming system.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geography
Barbara Soriano, Alberto Garrido, Daniele Bertolozzi-Caredio, Francesco Accatino, Federico Antonioli, Vitaliy Krupin, Miranda P. M. Meuwissen, Franziska Ollendorf, Jens Rommel, Alisa Spiegel, Monica Tudor, Julie Urquhart, Mauro Vigani, Isabel Bardaji
Summary: Finding pathways to enhance the resilience of farming systems in Europe is crucial due to the increasing challenges they face. Each actor in the farming systems can shape and strengthen different resilience attributes, resulting in specific combinations of resilience capacities. The paper provides a set of resilience-enabling roles and emphasizes the need for flexible, coordinated, and comprehensive policies to address the complexity of socio-ecological systems.
JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Sociology
Ilkay Unay-Gailhard, Mark A. Brennan
Summary: This study explores the contribution of The New World of Work to farming, a career considered unattractive among youth. Based on research on new ways of working, the study focuses on work engagement and farmer identity among young farmers using a mixed-method approach. Findings suggest that The New World of Work initiates positive change in a farming career, but conflicts arise between career self-concepts and social-self. The duality between the two still exists among young generation farmers, regardless of their level of integration to new media.
Article
Development Studies
Laura Moritz, Lena Kuhn, Ihtiyor Bobojonov
Summary: Frequent climate shocks necessitate increased resilience among farmers in developing countries. While index insurance is considered as a viable climate adaptation strategy, its uptake remains low. This study examines the role of peer imitation in the demand for crop index insurance, as well as the influence of trust and understanding. Results from experiments in Kyrgyzstan demonstrate significant peer imitation effects, which are influenced by individual insurance experience, peer size, insurance trust, and practical insurance understanding. Trust robustly increases index insurance adoption, while understanding gains significance over time. These findings highlight the importance of community-based extension treatments and trust in the initial dissemination of innovative agricultural technologies.
REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Daniela Ana
Summary: Based on ethnographic research in Moldova, this article demonstrates how the value of wine in global capitalist markets can be increased through terroir. The study shows that through evidencing infrastructures, such as soil and yeast analysis, the interrelation of political economic, environmental, and technological dimensions in the making of terroir can be highlighted, leading to a new understanding of value.
Article
Economics
Mukhayyo Djuraeva, Ihtiyor Bobojonov, Lena Kuhn, Thomas Glauben
Summary: Agricultural Extension Services (AES) can enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability. This study examines the combined impact of different types and forms of extension services on wheat farmers in Uzbekistan. The findings show significant technical efficiency gaps in wheat production, and highlight the importance of extension frequency and participatory approaches in closing these gaps. The study suggests that a well-structured AES should be client-oriented, cost-efficient, and demand-driven, providing participatory extension services to all farmers.
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND POLICY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sarvarbek Eltazarov, Ihtiyor Bobojonov, Lena Kuhn, Thomas Glauben
Summary: The increasing availability of open-source and high-quality satellite data has facilitated market developments in the index insurance sector. However, the current use of administrative boundaries for estimating regional index values lacks accuracy in areas with heterogeneous land use or cover. This study analyzes the potential accuracy gains from land-use classification to design indices specifically for croplands and wheatlands. The results show that land-use classification and designing indices based on croplands and wheatlands noticeably increases the relationship between indices and wheat yields in rainfed and mixed lands.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Cristina Chiarella, Patrick Meyfroidt, Dilini Abeygunawardane, Piero Conforti
Summary: Agricultural intensification and raising labor productivity are prioritized for sustainable agricultural development, but labor intensity is often overlooked. However, in agrarian economies where agriculture is the mainstay, the density of agricultural employment is crucial for livelihoods.
Article
Development Studies
Bekhzod Egamberdiev
Summary: This study investigates the role of social capital, including trust and group membership, in building household resilience to food insecurity. Using detailed 'Life in Kyrgyzstan' multi-topic panel data, the study estimates resilience to food insecurity through the Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis (RIMA) approach, including different pillars and a resilience capacity index. The impact of social capital on resilience pillars and capacity is estimated using IV models for multiple endogenous variables. The results suggest that both trust and group membership positively affect resilience pillars and capacity.
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Management
Vladislav Valentinov, Steffen Roth
Summary: Modern stakeholder theory is based on the 'integration thesis', which argues that business and ethics are inseparable. Scholars have questioned how far business can pursue ethical goals without compromising its autonomy. This study interprets the integration thesis as the Luhmannian 'unity of difference' and argues that successful stakeholder management requires activating the human capacity to navigate the uncertainties of the business environment by following ethical norms, drawing on Luhmannian systems theory and process philosophy.
SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
(2023)
