Suchergebnisse

AbstractIn light of the existing preliminary evidence of a link between Covid-19 and poor air quality, which is largely based upon correlations, we estimate the relationship between long term air pollution exposure and Covid-19 in 355 municipalities in the Netherlands. Using detailed data we find compelling evidence of a positive relationship between air pollution, and particularly$$PM_{2.5}$$PM2.5concentrations, and Covid-19 cases, hospital admissions and deaths. This relationship persists even after controlling for a wide range of explanatory variables. Our results indicate that, other things being equal, a municipality with 1 μg/m3more$$PM_{2.5}$$PM2.5concentrations will have 9.4 more Covid-19 cases, 3.0 more hospital admissions, and 2.3 more deaths. This relationship between Covid-19 and air pollution withstands a number of sensitivity and robustness exercises including instrumenting pollution to mitigate potential endogeneity in the measurement of pollution and modelling spatial spillovers using spatial econometric techniques.

Abstract
An important question for firms and policy makers is whether the recruitment of
foreign workers can boost innovation. Migration studies have demonstrated
positive economic impacts of cultural diversity on productivity and innovation
at the regional level, but the impacts at firm level are less well known.
Merging data from four different sources, provided by Statistics Netherlands, we
construct and analyze a unique linked employer-employee micro dataset of 4582
firms that includes qualitative information on firm innovation. We consider both
the number of immigrants these firms employ and their cultural diversity.
Potential endogeneity of migrant employment is addressed by an instrumental
variables approach that accounts for the past geographic distribution of
immigrants and the past culinary diversity of the municipality the firm is
located in. We find robust evidence that firms employing relatively more
migrants are less innovative. However, there is evidence of integration in that
this effect is generally less strong or even absent for second generation
immigrants. Moreover, firms employing a more diverse foreign workforce are more
innovative, particularly in terms of product innovations. The benefits of
diversity for innovation are more apparent in sectors employing relatively more
skilled immigrants.

JEL codes

D22, F22, O31

Due to the growth in international migration in recent decades, the workforce of firms in host countries has become considerably more diverse, both demographically and culturally. It is an important question for firms and for governments to ask whether there are some productivity-enhancing externalities gained from this growing diversity within firms. In recent years migration research has demonstrated positive economic impacts of cultural diversity on productivity and innovation at the regional level. However, there is a dearth of research on the links between innovation and migrant diversity at the firm level. In this paper we construct and analyse a unique linked employer-employee micro-dataset of 4582 firms, based on survey and administrative data obtained from Statistics Netherlands. Excluding firms in the hospitality industry and other industries that employ low-skilled migrants, we use the local number of restaurants with foreign cuisines and the historical presence of migrant communities as valid instruments of endogenous migrant settlement. We find that firms in which foreigners account for a relatively large share of employment are somewhat less innovative. However, there is strong evidence that firms that employ a more diverse foreign workforce are more innovative, particularly in terms of product innovations.

ObjectivesTo investigate the extent to which firm sorting effects influence the refugee-native earning gap in the Netherlands, and to examine the role of pay-setting effects in widening or narrowing the gap.
MethodUsing Dutch wage and refugee registration data from 2014 to 2021, we employ a two-way effects model, also called the AKM model, and the Blinder-Oxaca decompose model, in order to decompose the refugee-native pay gap into firm sorting and pay-setting effects.
ResultsOur findings indicate that refugees in the Netherlands earn only a third of the average earnings of native workers and that 17% of the pay gap can be explained by firm sorting effects. Pay-setting effects are found to be negative, indicating that the pay-setting channel works to reduce pay gaps between natives and refugees. Limited access to higher-paying firms may lead to a mismatch between refugees' abilities and earnings, exacerbating the adverse impact of firm sorting.
ConclusionTo promote refugee economic assimilation, higher-paying firms should provide accessible job opportunities based on fair assessments of refugees' skills. Our analysis underscores the importance of understanding and addressing the role of firm sorting in widening refugee-native pay gaps, and highlights the potential of pay-setting effects to reduce such gaps.

Industrialized countries have increasingly used skill-based selective migration policies to reduce labor and skill shortages. But are these policies effective? This paper uses Japan and the United Kingdom to illustrate how immigration policy and employment, training and labor practices influence labor and skill supply. Until recently, these two countries had different migration policies and labor practices. Yet data shows similar patterns of labor and skill shortage profiles in both countries. This paper draws on empirical research to argue that such outcomes suggest that immigration policies will not alleviate labor and skill shortages unless accompanied by the transformation of employment and training practices.