This paper analyzes economic trends to determine if education should be the focal point for rural economic development. According to the labor shortage/skills mismatch view, the movement toward a "service economy" will accelerate in the 1990s, increasing the number of skilled jobs and the demand for skilled workers. This…

Over the past 20 years, California has experienced a continuous, growing flow of Mexican immigrant laborers. Although Mexican labor was originally linked to agriculture, by 1980 Mexican-born labor was filling a substantial proportion of jobs in all sectors of the California economy, particularly in manufacturing. Because they are concentrated in…

This paper explores the following questions: Does the demand/supply allocation process affect the return migrants receive for their human capital attributes? Specifically, do returns to migration vary across places of destination, and does this variation reflect labor supply and demand differentials and/or other characteristics of places of…

Unless disparities in education are addressed, market-oriented reforms in Vietnam will generate inequitable agricultural growth. It is argued that if the marginal gains from investment in physical capital depend positively on knowledge, but a household cannot hire skilled labor to compensate for low skills, then even if it has access to credit,…

The literature suggests that growth of rural industries in developing nations indicates rural poverty and lack of farm employment rather than rural development. A survey of 115 small producers of various goods in rural West Java (Indonesia) confirms that most are poor, have little education, and undertake production for survival reasons. Contains…

Enrollment of Greek students in domestic and foreign universities has increased dramatically since 1960. Demand for higher education continues to be strong despite diminishing income differentials, because higher education is cheap in Greece and is still associated with an earnings premium. Movement toward a privatization model for higher…

Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth indicate that the likelihood of permanently leaving Aid to Families with Dependent Children decreased with the length of time that women received benefits, and was also affected by marital status, number of children, educational attainment, job-related skills, employment experience, and the…

Uses 1981 and 1991 census data to study the incidence and wage consequences of adequate schooling, overschooling, and underschooling in Hong Kong. Using the objective "mode" definition of adequate schooling, less than one-half of workers in the sample were adequately schooled; overeducated workers predominated. (Contains 20 references.)…

Examines the determinants of training for Dutch school-leavers from three vocational education program levels, focusing on firm training (external courses and in-company training). School-leavers working in jobs below their educational level are trained less. About 33 percent are overeducated for their jobs. (Contains 15 references.) (MLH)

Examines differences in a wide array of labor market outcomes between U.S.-born and immigrant women, and among immigrants born in different regions of the world. Wage gaps among different groups are discussed. Disparities in completed years of schooling explain a substantial part of the differences in labor market outcomes. (SLD)

Investigates whether firms incorporated educated workers as a quasi-fixed production factor during the 1980s, when nonwage costs became more crucial. U.S. statistics show educated workers did not enjoy a relatively more stable relationship with employers. Their employment levels were adjusted in tandem with those of less-educated workers.…

We investigate the effects of post-secondary education on the economic well-being of single parents. The data for this study are from the 1993 Panel Study of Income Dynamics, with a sample of 930 single mothers and 168 single fathers. The results indicate that post-secondary education, particularly a 4-year college degree, improves the economic…

Lower birth weight babies have worse outcomes, both short-run in terms of one year mortality rates and longer run in terms of educational attainment and earnings. However, recent research has called into question whether birth weight itself is important or whether it simply reflects other hard-to-measure characteristics. By applying within twin…

This paper describes education reforms over the past 25 years, considering the consequences of earlier state-level standards. Most states introduced stricter, state-level standards for high school graduation in response to highly publicized concerns about student effort and public school quality. The key first wave of reforms consisted of a…

This digest presents an analysis of the workforce participation of Latinos, emphasizing findings by generation. It describes the demographics of native-born and immigrant Latinos and compares labor market outcomes for adult, young adult, and teen workers. The digest also explores the relationship between schooling and labor market participation,…