Jouke van Dijk

Labor market institutions and the efficiency of interregional migration: A Cross-Nation Comparison

An important question for economists concerns the effectiveness, or efficiency, of interregional migration as a labor market adjustment mechanism. We have considered the many dimensions of this issue in Chapter 1. Hoover and Giarratani (1984) suggest that this question of efficiency can be addressed at three different levels of inquiry by: (1) examining ratios of net to total gross flows of migrants between pairs of regions; (2) determining whether migrants benefit from their actions in terms of enhanced employment and/or income opportunity; and (3) assessing the contribution of interregional migration to aggregate output or, more broadly, to social welfare. Although a perfectly homogeneous labor force is required for (1) to assume economic meaning, and (3) is often considered unopera-tional due to the difficulty of measuring migration externalities, a number of recent studies have addressed the question of migration efficiency (directly and indirectly) along the lines of (2) above.1

Migration and labor market adjustment

This volume presents papers from the International Conference on Migration and Labor Market Adjustment held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville October 15-17 1987. The papers are organized under chapter headings on migration as a reflection of interregional labor market adjustment; the relationships among unemployment migration and job matching; aspects of regional labor market dynamics migration and economic efficiency; the human investment approach to labor market mobility and personal status; and conceptual and methodological issues. The geographical focus is on the United States and the market-economy countries of Europe.

Population change and new firm formation in urban and rural regions

Delfmann H., Koster S., McCann P. and van Dijk J. Population change and new firm formation in urban and rural regions, Regional Studies. Many regions across the European Union, including regions in the Netherlands, face population decline, entailing changing demographics and related social and economic implications. This paper looks into the connection between population change and structure, and rates of new firm formation. Although it is clear that fewer people will eventually lead to fewer firms, as well as fewer new firms, it is assessed whether this negative relationship differs with the intensity of population change and across regional contexts. In order to establish the impact of population change on new firm formation, this paper examines data on population density, size, growth and decline, together with firm dynamics for the period 2003–09. The results show that the relationship between new firm formation and population change depends heavily on the regional context. The results indicate that new firm formation in urban regions tends to be negatively influenced by population change, while the impact in rural regions remains positive. In conclusion, clear differences are found in the intensity of the impact of population change on new firm formation according to the type of region. The regional context and the intensity of decline must be taken into account when determining the kind of coping mechanism needed to deal with the consequences of decline.

A Life Course Approach to High-skilled Migration: Lived Experiences of Indians in the Netherlands

This article presents a framework which applies life course approach to high-skilled migration. By using the lens of the life course, migration behaviour is viewed not only in response to labour market triggers, but also in relation to other life domains such as education, employment and household. The data presented in this article are drawn from 22 in-depth interviews and visualisations of parallel careers. The results illustrate how highly skilled Indian migrants in the Netherlands shape their life course and highlight the parallel careers that structure their migration trajectories. Parents, spouse and social networks inform the life course decisions of these migrants through the linked lives mechanism to a large extent. Our findings challenge the notion of ‘trailing wives’ and suggest that, despite of gender differences in the life course patterns, the joining spouses play an active role in the family migration decisions of the highly skilled. Life course approach enables us to understand the migration process through the lives of the highly skilled and reveals how—the often culturally conditioned—life course interdependencies frame their migration decisions.

The consequences of interregional labor migration for the regional labor market : theory, methodology and Dutch experience

An important problem of interregional migration is whether migrants fulfill vacancies which could also have been filled by native unemployed. It is argued that this problem could adequately be analyzed by means of ex post comparison of both categories with regard to age, education, family status and work experience. In a Dutch case study this comparison has been made by means of logistic regression and the results have been cross- validated. The migrants are found to have superior labor market characteristics. The implications of this finding for some migra- tion theories and regional policy are discussed.

Entry of the unemployed into employment : theory, methodology and Dutch experience

Van Dijk J. and Folmer H. (1985) Entry of the unemployed into employment: theory, methodology and Dutch experience, Reg. Studies 19, 243–256. This study examines the entry probabilities of the unemployed into the employed labour force. The personal characteristics (age, work experience, education and family status) and the regional characteristics (regional unemployment and average regional income) are theoretically derived as the determinants of the entry probabilities. The theoretical model is empirically tested with data from the Dutch Labour Force Survey 1979 by means of maximum likelihood logit analysis. The results closely conform to the theoretical expectations. On the basis of the analysis some conclusions for labour market policy are formulated.

Do jobs follow people or people follow jobs? A meta-analysis of Carlino–Mills studies

ABSTRACT Do jobs follow people or people follow jobs? A meta-analysis of Carlino–Mills studies. Spatial Economic Analysis. This study examines the classic question as to whether ‘jobs follow people’ or ‘people follow jobs’ by performing a meta-analysis of 321 results from 64 Carlino–Mills studies. It is found that the results are highly divergent, but that more results point towards ‘jobs following people’ than towards ‘people following jobs’. When it comes to the reasons for the variation in results, we find that the results are mostly shaped by the geographical location, spatial resolution, and population and employment characteristics present in the data, as well as by the model’s specification, its functional form and the spatial weight matrix specification.

Gender-Specific Spatial Interactions on Dutch Regional Labour Markets and the Gender Employment Gap

Noback I., Broersma L. and van Dijk J. Gender-specific spatial interactions on Dutch regional labour markets and the gender employment gap, Regional Studies. This paper analyses gender-specific employment rates and the gender employment gap in Dutch municipalities for 2002. The novelty of this analysis is that it takes into account the extent to which gender-specific education, income, and unemployment influence the male and female employment rates and gender gap. Men and women often do not compete for the same jobs, but rather it is found that high male unemployment has an indirect, positive significant effect on female employment rates. The gender employment gap narrows with female education and in urban areas and it widens with the care-prone age composition of the municipal population.

Have Dutch Municipalities Become More Efficient In Managing The Costs Of Social Assistance Dependency

Many welfare reforms undertaken in OECD-countries are directed towards enhancing efficiency in the administration and implementation of social security and social benefits. In this perspective the governance reforms in The Netherlands are an example of decentralisation through budgeting of means to municipalities. This brings about a unique twofold experiment in which we compare the efficiency changes in providing social assistance as a result of decentralisation and budgeting and the influence of policy measures at a local level. By using data envelopment analysis we assess the effect of the introduction of the new Work and Social Assistance Act (WSA) in 2004 on cost efficiency. By using a stochastic frontier analysis we assess the impact of municipal policy strategies on cost inefficiencies for the period 2005-2007. We find a clear positive effect of the WSA in 2004 on cost efficiency. Furthermore, we find that in the aftermath, when efficiency slowly dropped after 2005, there is a distinct impact of policy strategies municipalities adopt. Pursuing a strategy of activation raised efficiency significantly, whereas strict control or combinations of strategies led a (weak) fall in efficiency.

Local social engagement, satisfaction, and embeddedness in the Netherlands: which effects matter and for whom?

Abstract This paper examines to what extent, and for whom, different geographical characteristics affect the levels of local social engagement, satisfaction, and embeddedness in the Netherlands. We employ a uniquely detailed dataset of individuals in Dutch neighbourhoods and municipalities, which is examined using a multilevel hierarchical model with spatial interaction effects. The analysis shows that living in a neighbourhood with a high ethnic concentration and low economic development has negative consequences for actual engagement, satisfaction, and embeddedness. However, this effect is more relevant for natives than for immigrants (ie, Turks, Moroccans, Surinamese, and Antilleans). In addition, we4 find no evidence that the relationship between locality and engagement, satisfaction, and embeddedness varies between first-generation and second-generation immigrants.