Female labor force participation is mainly driven by the value of women’s market wages versus the value of their non-market time. While women’s labor force participation has risen in many countries, rates remain quite low in some countries and regions.
Read more articles on female labor force participation.
Read Daiji Kawaguchi and Hiroaki Mori's article: "The labor market in Japan, 2000–2016"
Read Tomi Kyyrä and Hanna Pesola's article: "The labor market in Finland, 2000–2016"
Read Elena Nikolova's article: "Can diversity encourage entrepreneurship in transition economies?"
Read Jungmin Lee's article: "The labor market in South Korea, 2000–2016"
Read Rafael Lalive and Tobias Lehmann's article: "The labor market in Switzerland, 2000–2016"
Read Benedikt Herz and Thijs van Rens' article: "The labor market in the UK, 2000–2016"
Read Philippe Askenazy's article: "The changing of the French labor market, 2000–2017"
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- Women at Work Around the World
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Unintended consequences: How Pinochet’s policies empowered Chilean women
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The long-run effects of affirmative action bans
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How fast internet is shaping local culture and harmful traditional norms?
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Effects of parental death on labor market outcomes and gender inequalities
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Are employers eager to hire the unemployed?
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The surprising effects of education on family dynamics for men and women
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Decoding gender bias: The role of personal interaction
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10 years of IZA World of Labor
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How political connections shape firm outcomes in Germany
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Escaping the debt trap: Long-run effects of individual debt relief
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Empowering local talent
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ChatGPT in the workplace: Who's adopting and what's holding others back?
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Small children, big problems
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How perceived inequality shapes well-being
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Reducing presenteeism
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Essential yet vulnerable
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Working from home increases work-home distances
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Intergenerational mobility and credit
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Mental health at scale
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Parental investments
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How differences in job search drive the gender earnings gap
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From steel to skills
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How human capital reshapes religious affiliation
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From refugees to citizens
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Transforming societies through education
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The impact of abortion bans on birth rates
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Reaching for gold!
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Seasonal allergies and accidents
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Redefining aging
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Navigating innovation
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Is vocational education and training (VET) an option to increase education and employment?
João R. Ferreira, Pedro Martins -
The parenthood penalty in mental health
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How female leaders are transforming workplace dynamics
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Managerial stress accelerates aging and increases mortality among CEOs
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Traumas of the past
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How Many Layoffs Could Be Avoided by Pay Cuts?
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Were COVID and the Great Recession Well-being Reducing?
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Closing the Gender Pay Gap: A Fresh Approach
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Is Your Office Safe? Unpacking the #MeToo Numbers
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The pros and cons of regularizing undocumented immigrants
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Where are the fathers?
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More accurate weather forecast and mortality
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Why Degrowth won’t save the world
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Exposure to war and its labor market consequences
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Slow traffic, fast food: The effects of time lost on food store choice
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Working from home during Covid and women’s job satisfaction
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Do international tourist arrivals change residents’ attitudes toward immigration?
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The child penalty for graduates
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ChatGPT and IZA World of Labor
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Does providing social services reduce the risk of repeated domestic abuse?
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The direct and indirect effects of online job search advice
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Ranking the happiness of countries and states
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Telework during the Covid-19 pandemic
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Mergers and the labor market
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“If you have your health, you have everything”? The true value of health
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Labor market concentration and competition policy across the Atlantic
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The gift of a lifetime: The hospital, modern medicine, and mortality
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The impact of limiting the outsourcing of jobs
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Air pollution and the labor market
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Judging affirmative action
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Working from home around the world
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Job loss during Covid-19 in sub-Saharan Africa
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Pass-through and consumer responses to alcohol tax increases
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Does gender inequality in today’s labor market perpetuate gender inequality in future generations?
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Paying for amenities at work
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Can wage transparency alleviate gender sorting in the labor market?
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Has the willingness to work fallen during the Covid pandemic?
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The recent push toward unionization in the US
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Religious diversity improves trust and performance
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Effects of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on food prices and well-being
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The four-day workweek
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Immigration, employment, and innovation
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Transgender people face significant economic challenges
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The importance of extracurricular activities at school for future managers
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School closures and effective in-person learning during Covid-19: When, where, and for whom
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Cutting back on work during Covid: How was it done?
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A persistent casualty of Covid-19: Children’s skill development
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Digital payments surged during Covid-19 in the developing world. What are the opportunities for workers?
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Labor markets in low-income countries: Challenges and opportunities
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Who benefits when migrants return to developing countries?
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How do widespread shocks affect people’s desires to redistribute income?
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Employer market power in Silicon Valley
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Microfinance and rural non-farm employment in developing countries during the Covid-19 crisis
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How do labor market institutions affect job creation and productivity growth?
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Can market mechanisms solve refugee crises?
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Saving the planet and creating jobs
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Masking, Covid-19, and social identity
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Does health professionalism among bureaucrats help weather the Covid-19 pandemic?
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Solving pension crises
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Emigration and the wages of those who stay behind
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The shadow economy and the Covid-19 pandemic crisis
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How to support the self-employed in developing countries
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Substance use and academic performance
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Pandemics and the prospects for higher education in developing countries
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The challenges of regulating the labor market in developing countries
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What economic value is there in speaking another language?: An interview with Gilles Grenier
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Household production, what is it and how do we value it?: An interview with Leslie S. Stratton
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Low pay jobs, do they “scar” future job prospects?: An interview with Claus Schnabel
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Tutoring: An effective solution to help disadvantaged children
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The challenging plight of widows
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International trade restrictions and the impact on GDP: An interview with L. Alan Winters
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Job search during a pandemic recession
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What does the Covid-19 R&D response tell us about innovation?
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Helping the poor to comply with social distancing
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Lifestyle and mental health disruptions during Covid-19
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Does Covid-19 make us more averse to inequality?
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Covid-19’s impacts on the US labor market
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The impact of Covid-19 on the life insurance market was minimal
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Labor issues in the Biden administration
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Exposure to epidemics and trust in scientists
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Measuring the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on domestic violence
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Assessing the effect of online instruction on university students’ learning
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Sexual harassment in the post-Covid-19 work environment
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Covid-19 and fertility
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Pandemic meets pollution: The role of air quality for Covid-19
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How to play it safe? The gender gap in aversion to Covid-19 exposure
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How was the US presidential election affected by the Covid-19 pandemic?
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The impact of a Covid-19 lockdown on happiness
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The impact of Covid-19 restrictions on small businesses in the US
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What are lockdowns good for?
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Labor issues in the US election
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Covid-19 and US attitudes toward government and markets
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Forgotten numbers: Non-fatal Covid-19 infections in the US
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Excess deaths in care homes during the pandemic
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Human mobility during the pandemic: Policy or information?
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Economic effects of Covid-19: The importance of credit constraints
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All in this together?: Inequality during Covid-19
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Cognitive performance in the home office—What professional chess can tell us
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Covid-19 shutdowns and the self-employed
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Racial and ethnic disparities in the face of the coronavirus
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The power of social capital during a pandemic
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Does policy communication during Covid-19 work?
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Behavior during a pandemic
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University educated workers and their ability to deal with Covid-19 and future shocks
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Four mistaken theses about universal basic incomes
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Elections and the Covid-19 pandemic
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Covid-19 and giving to charity
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Lockdowns and traffic accidents
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Effects of Covid-19 on spending and saving
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Labor markets in the Covid-19 pandemic: Western Europe and the US
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Can sports offer an insight into the future of the labor market?
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Childcare during Covid-19
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Can defined contribution pension plans reduce worker mobility?
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Covid-19’s impact on the economy: Measuring GDP during a pandemic
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So happy together?
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Covid-19 and immigrant employment
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Graduating during the Covid-19 recession
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How can governments mitigate the global decline in labor income share?
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The Covid-19 crisis exacerbates workplace injustices
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Can inflation be accurately measured during a lockdown?
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Measuring employment and unemployment—Primer and predictions
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What is happening to unemployment in the post-Covid-19 labor market?
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The CARES Act—Massive government intervention in the economic crisis
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What are the challenges in using language proficiency to predict the economic integration of immigrants?
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200 billion hours to spend: The Covid-19 opportunity to upskill
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Did California’s shelter-in-place order work? Early coronavirus-related public health effects
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Labor markets during the Covid-19 crisis: A preliminary view
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Trends in Covid-19 infection: What New York City neighborhoods tell us
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Trading off lives for jobs
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Mitigating the work–safety trade-off
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The sudden growth of employee autonomy during the coronavirus lockdown
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Economic implications of postponing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
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Korea: A paragon of dealing with coronavirus
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The coronavirus crisis and the next generation
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Expectations about Covid-19 social-distancing measures in Italy and their impact on compliance
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Coronavirus, telecommuting, and the labor market
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The long-term consequences of missing a term of school
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Health effects of the coronavirus recession
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Pricing the lives saved by coronavirus policies
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Pandemics and the labor market—Then and now
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Fighting a coronavirus recession
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Can financial education help workers save for retirement?
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Coronavirus and the labor market
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Is putting children in childcare good for them?
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Is firms’ productivity affected by accession to the EU?
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Is a highly educated workforce good for less educated workers?
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What works for women’s work in low- and middle-income countries?
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How much do children cost?
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Do overtime hours and pay regulations promote wage and employment growth?
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Should governments intervene in the assimilation of immigrants?
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Self-checkout and Neo-Luddism
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Is CEO pay economically justified?
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Gender quotas for the board room?
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Does studying abroad enhance employment opportunities?
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How will climate change affect what we do?
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Can we use trade policy to achieve gender equality?
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Low social mobility in Latin America may hinder economic growth
Ömer Tuğsal Doruk, Francesco Pastore, Hasan Bilgehan Yavuz -
Making teacher certification work for developing countries
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New European Parliament and Commission for a more ambitious framework for social and employment policies
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Labor market issues in India’s parliamentary elections 2019
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When is the right time to start tracking students?
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The economic consequences of secularization
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Labor issues in the 2019 Australian election
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Parental leave policies as good HR practices
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Does government spending crowd out charitable behavior?
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Why the sudden interest in employee ownership?
Douglas Kruse, Joseph Blasi -
Will punishing the unemployed cure unemployment?
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Immigrant entrepreneurship: The evidence so far
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Labor issues in the 2018 US election
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A data tax for a digital economy
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Working in family firms
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Should genetics shape policy?
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Minimum wages hurt young people
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Workplace sickness absence
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Should divorce be cheap and easy?
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Income inequality and social origins
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Integrating refugees into the labor market
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Disability and labor market disadvantage
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Self-inflicted wounds of closed borders
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What do we know about female criminality and how to control it?
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Should policymakers worry about a declining female labor force participation rate?
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The importance of appropriate tools for evaluating labor market reforms: The case of Italy
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Does an increase in imports improve the well-being of poorer individuals?
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Why does poverty persist across the generations?
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Are happy workers more productive?
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Can universal preschool increase the labor supply of mothers?
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Can jobs reduce recidivism?
Kevin Schnepel -
Does increasing the minimum wage reduce poverty in developing countries?
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Wage subsidies may not help to increase employment among older workers
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Labor market issues in the German election
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How candidates’ looks affect their election chances
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The impact of repealing “Obamacare” on children’s academic performance
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Gender diversity in teams
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The unhappiness of the US working class
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Refugee resettlement in the EU
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Public versus private job placement services
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Environmental regulations and business decisions
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Labor market issues in the 2017 French presidential election
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Immigration and native workers' health
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Not bad at all—the true state of the US labor market
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Equal pay legislation and the gender wage gap
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Reducing unemployment is always on the government agenda
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Do/can firms benefit from training apprentices?
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If 2016 was the year of political earthquakes, then what might the rest of 2017 bring?
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Designing social protection for women
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Green energy and jobs
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The union wage premium: Is it real?
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Job insecurity is bad for our health
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Political participation in a digital economy
Stephan Heblich, Robert Gold -
Brexit and the American election
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Are smaller classes better?
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What can be done to reduce workplace sexual harassment?
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Internal hiring vs external recruitment?
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Do employees profit from profit sharing?
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How much do we work?
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Does performance-related pay improve productivity?
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Impatience, schooling, and happiness
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How can knowledge and new ideas be turned into jobs?
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Are home births safe for everyone?
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Does having a child in your teens change your economic future?
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Weighing more and earning less: The hidden individual costs of obesity
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Brexit: Implications for UK labor
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Brexit: An American politico-economic view
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The return on investment on migration: What’s in it for business?
The Hague Process on Refugees and Migration -
A rural-urban political divide: Is it caused by labor-market outcomes?
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Incentives for prosocial activities—Do they work?
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How might self-driving cars change the lives of workers?
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International Workers' Day, 2016
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Can market mechanisms help solve the refugee crisis?
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Commentary on high minimum wage proposals
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The immigration jump: Are more immigrants good for the economy?
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A note from the new Editor-in-Chief, Professor Daniel Hamermesh
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Three reasons immigrants are valuable for the host country
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Does corruption promote emigration?
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Not everything that counts is measured: the UK debate on job security
Sam Ashworth-Hayes -
Smart policy toward high-skill emigration: An interview with Michael Clemens
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What does the evidence tell us about sexual harassment in the workplace?
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Does education prepare you for working life?
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Do case workers really help the unemployed? An interview with Michael Rosholm
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Explainer: why some European countries do more than others to help refugees
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5 reasons why immigrants do not take natives' jobs
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6 key points on European youth unemployment
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Let the children play
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What if there were no national borders?
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It pays to be beautiful: Investments in appearance lead to success in the workplace
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We can't blame the loss of mid-level jobs purely on robots
Andrea Salvatori -
The FutureWork Opinion Series - Colm Harmon
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The FutureWork Opinion Series - Klaus F. Zimmermann
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The FutureWork Opinion Series - David Robalino
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The FutureWork Opinion Series - Alexander Kritikos
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The FutureWork Opinion Series - Pierre Cahuc
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The FutureWork Opinion Series - Olga Nottmeyer
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My husband and I were equal partners—then we had a baby
Brigid Schulte -
Reflections on International Workers’ Day
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Is obesity the new smoking?
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What David Cameron, Angela Merkel, and Barack Obama need to understand
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Sexuality and the workplace: Coming out and losing out?
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An effective plan to promote youth employment
Samuel Bentolila, Marcel Jansen -
Should we raise the minimum wage?
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Youth unemployment – evidence-based policy advice in Spain
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Tackling youth unemployment
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What to do on women's equality?
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Does it pay to host mega sporting events?
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Expert for 15 minutes?
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IZA World of Labor panel discussion on health and the labor markets
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IZA World of Labor discussion on the economics of sport
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IZA World of Labor discussion on the economics of education
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IZA World of Labor discussion on the economics of crime
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IZA World of Labor discussion on higher education
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IZA World of Labor discussion on the environment and the labor market
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IZA World of Labor discussion on inflation and the labor market
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IZA World of Labor panel on the macroeconomics of labor productivity
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IZA World of Labor video on inequality and post transition in emerging economies
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IZA World of Labor discussion on labor market evaluation
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IZA World of Labor discussion on the economics of education
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IZA World of Labor discussion on labor market institutions
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IZA World of Labor discussion on measuring poverty with Bruce D. Meyer
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IZA World of Labor panel discussion on environment and health
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IZA World of Labor panel discussion on gender and family issues
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IZA World of Labor panel discussion on migration issues
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Panel discussion on the impact of Covid-19 and today's labor market in Europe and the U.S.
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IZA World of Labor Panel discussion on inequality, unemployment, wage setting and inflation
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IZA World of Labor Panel Discussion on Women in Leadership
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Nina Smith on the gender pay gap: An interview with with Daniel S. Hamermesh
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Interview with Antti Kauhanen on gender differences in corporate hierarchies
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Gender discrimination and sexual harassment: A discussion with Joni Hersch
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Panel discussion on air pollution and human development
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The gender pay gap: Solomon W. Polachek in conversation with Daniel S. Hamermesh
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Panel discussion on labor-force participation issues: Hie Joo Ahn, John Coglianese & Jason Faberman
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Discrimination and anti-discrimination policies: Harry Holzer in discussion with Daniel S Hamermesh
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Indigenous peoples, inequality and immigration: Randy Akee in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
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Racial wage differentials in developed countries: Simonetta Longhi in discussion with Dan Hamermesh
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Slavery, racial inequality & education: Graziella Bertocchi in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
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Inequality and informality in transition and emerging countries: Roberto Dell'Anno and Dan Hamermesh
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Automation and the future of jobs: Stijn Broecke in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
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Income inequality and social origins: Lorenzo Cappellari in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
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Measuring income inequality: Ija Trapeznikova in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
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The impact of Covid-19 in South Africa: Haroon Bhorat in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
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The impact of Covid-19 in Chile: Diana Kruger in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
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The impact of Covid-19 in Japan: Daiji Kawaguchi in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
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The impact of Covid-19 in Ireland: Alan Barrett in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
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The impact of Covid-19 in Spain: Juan Dolado in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
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The impact of Covid-19 in Canada: Phil Oreopoulos in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
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The impact of Covid-19 in Sweden: Helena Holmlund in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
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The impact of Covid-19 in Germany: Andreas Peichl in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
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IZA World of Labor explains inequality
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Daniel Hamermesh - Labor costs
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Pierre Cahuc - Short-term work compensation
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Astrid Kunze - Why do women fall behind men
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Susan Houseman - Controversy behind the recent growth of agency work
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Susan Houseman - Temporary work employment
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Libertad Gonzalez - What areas does divorce legislation affect?
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Libertad Gonzalez - Social impact of divorce legislation
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Libertad Gonzalez - Why should policymakers be concerned about divorce laws?
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Gary Fields - Self-employed poor people in developing economies
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John S. Earle - Does privatization lead to job losses and wage cuts?
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Bart Cockx - Belgium labor market
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Astrid Kunze - Norway labor market
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Pierre Cahuc - French labor market
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Alex Bryson - UK labor market
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Daniel S. Hamermesh - U.S. labor market
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Arnaud Chevalier - What are the benefits of attracting foreign students
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Brian Cadena - The Marshmallow test
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Brian Cadena - Mitigating the negative implications of impatience
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Women at Work Around the World
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The labor market in Italy, 2000–2016
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Five common fears about immigration
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IZA Chief Executive Officer Hilmar Schneider on IZA World of Labor
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The labor market in Germany, 2000–2016
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Ulf Rinne discusses Germany's labor market
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The labor market in the US, 2000–2016
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Do firms benefit from apprenticeship investment?
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Effects of entering adulthood during a recession
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Is the return to education the same for everyone
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Entdecken Sie unsere neuen Online-Features
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Der deutsche Arbeitsmarkt
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Integrating refugees into labor markets
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Five ways to improve workplace diversity
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How the site works
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Gender differences in wages and leadership
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Do migrants take the jobs of native workers?
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The economic consequences of Brexit - what the experts say 6/6
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The economic consequences of Brexit – what the experts say 5/6
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The economic consequences of Brexit - what the experts say 4/6
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The economic consequences of Brexit - what the experts say 3/6
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The economic consequences of Brexit - what the experts say 2/6
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The economic consequences of Brexit - Introduction 1/6
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The economic consequences of Brexit - what the experts say (complete video)
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Dawn or Doom: The effects of Brexit on immigration, wages, and employment
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Dawn or Doom: The effects of Brexit on immigration, wages, and employment 2/4
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Dawn or Doom: The effects of Brexit on immigration, wages, and employment 4/4
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Dawn or Doom: The effects of Brexit on immigration, wages, and employment 3/4
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Dawn or Doom: The effects of Brexit on immigration, wages, and employment 1/4
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3 minutes with Daniel Hamermesh, new Editor-in-Chief of IZA World of Labor
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The big trade-off in the World of Labor
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David Neumark discusses the employment effects of minimum wages
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Does aid work? Panel event with IZA World of Labor and LSE Enterprise
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Peter J. Kuhn discusses internet-based job matchmaking
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Kathryn Shaw discusses the value of bosses and employee performance
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David Robalino talks about labor markets in low income countries
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Pierre Cahuc discusses youth unemployment in Europe
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Peter J. Kuhn analyzes brain drains and gains
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Martin Kahanec on Roma integration in Europe
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Fixed-term contracts: dead end or stepping stone?
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What determines the gender wage gap?
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Do firms benefit from providing apprenticeship training?
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How can IZA World of Labor help you?
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The merits of anonymous job applications
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Minimum wages, austerity and debt
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The importance of labor supply and the role of public policy