Michael C. Seeborg

The new rural-urban labor mobility in China: Causes and implications

Abstract As the Chinese economy reforms, a huge new floating population of rural-urban migrants is transforming the urban labor force. This article explores some of the most important reasons for the emergence of the floating population in China. We argue that the neoclassical model alone is not adequate to explain the massive rural-urban internal migration underway in China. Instead, ideas drawn from both sociological theories of segmented markets and institutional economics are used to supplement the standard neoclassical explanation. We found that Chinese policy reforms in both rural and urban areas decreased the balkanization of labor markets and opened up employment opportunities for many rural-urban migrants. In rural areas, a set of agricultural market reforms, starting in 1978, increased farm incomes and simultaneously produced a large surplus labor supply. In urban areas, reforms beginning in the 1980s created an effective demand for rural migrants. Of particular importance was the development of a contract labor system and the emergence of a private sector.

The Unemployment Rates of Men and Women: A Transition Probability Analysis:

Womens unemployment rates were considerably higher than mens for many years, but during the 1980s this difference has virtually disappeared. This study is the first to examine that change through an analysis of trends in the probabilities of labor force transitions — movements between employment, unemployment, and nonparticipation in the labor force. Using BLS data, the authors find that about half of the narrowing of the unemployment rate differential during the 1968–85 period was due to the increasing labor force attachment of women and the decreasing attachment of men. The other half reflects changes in mens and womens tendencies to move between employment and unemployment, which the authors attribute primarily to the secular decline of male-dominated industries.

The Impact of Youth Characteristics and Experiences on Transitions Out of Poverty

Abstract Although the causes of intergenerational transitions from poverty have attracted the attention of economists and sociologists in recent years, there have been few attempts to integrate ideas from both disciplines. Using a sample of young adults who were impoverished as youth, this study explores the effects of a number of background characteristics such as early welfare dependency, substance abuse, teen parenthood and parents educational attainment on the family income levels of young adults. It finds that many of these background variables have significant indirect influences on family income through intervening variables, especially the respondents own educational attainment, welfare dependency, and work experiences.

The Impact of Nontraditional Training on the Occupational Attainment of Women

In this paper we examine the effect of nontraditional training on the occupational attainment of economically disadvantaged women. Using a logit model of occupational attainment, we found that women who received nontraditional training under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) were much less likely than their male counterparts to be employed in male-dominated occupations, and also received somewhat lower hourly wages. These results suggest that nontraditional training alone may not be an effective way of reducing the occupational segregation of low-income women.

The impact of local labor markets on black and white family structure

Abstract This study employs 1980 census data to determine how economic characteristics affect the incidence of female headed families in metropolitan areas. The study also attempts to determine if black family structure responds differntly than white family structure to changes in the variables studied. It is found that changes in employment of men and women may have profound effects on family structure. Changes in the level of welfare support are also found to affect family structure. Black family structure is found to behave somewhat differently than white, thus lending support to Wilsons theory of the underclass.