Offering a unifying theoretical perspective not readily available in any other text, this innovative guide to econometrics uses simple geometrical arguments to develop students' intuitive understanding of basic and advanced topics, emphasizing throughout the practical applications of modern theory and nonlinear techniques of estimation. One theme of the text is the use of artificial regressions for estimation, reference, and specification testing of nonlinear models, including diagnostic tests for parameter constancy, serial correlation, heteroscedasticity, and other types of mis-specification. Explaining how estimates can be obtained and tests can be carried out, the authors go beyond a mere algebraic description to one that can be easily translated into the commands of a standard econometric software package. Covering an unprecedented range of problems with a consistent emphasis on those that arise in applied work, this accessible and coherent guide to the most vital topics in econometrics today is indispensable for advanced students of econometrics and students of statistics interested in regression and related topics. It will also suit practising econometricians who want to update their skills. Flexibly designed to accommodate a variety of course levels, it offers both complete coverage of the basic material and separate chapters on areas of specialized interest.

Estimation and Inference in Econometrics

Recent literature concerning regional development has placed significant emphasis on local institutional structures and their capacity to ‘hold down’ the global. Conversely, work on inter-firm networks – such as the global commodity chain approach – has highlighted the significance of the organizational structures of global firms’ production systems and their relation to industrial upgrading. In this paper, drawing upon a global production networks perspective, we conceptualize the connections between ‘globalizing’ processes, as embodied in the production networks of transnational corporations, and regional development in specific territorial formations. We delimit the ‘strategic coupling’ of the global production networks of firms and regional economies which ultimately drives regional development through the processes of value creation, enhancement and capture. In doing so, we stress the multi-scalarity of the forces and processes underlying regional development, and thus do not privilege one particular geographical scale. By way of illustration, we introduce an example drawn from recent research into global production networks in East Asia and Europe. The example profiles the investments of car manufacturer BMW in Eastern Bavaria, Germany and Rayong, Thailand, and considers their implications for regional development.

Globalizing regional development: aglobal production networks perspective

This book opens a fresh chapter in the debate on local enterprise clusters and their strategies for upgrading in the global economy. The authors employ a novel conceptual framework in their research on industrial clusters in Europe, Latin America and Asia and provide new perspectives and insights for researchers and policymakers alike.

Governance in global value chains

Two experiments investigated how in-group identification, manipulated with a bogus pipeline technique affects group members' desire for individual mobility to another group In the first experiment (N = 88), the in-group had low status, and group boundaries were either permeable or impermeable Low identifiers perceived the group as less homogeneous, were less committed to their group, and more strongly desired individual mobility to a higher status group than did high identifiers The structural possibility of mobility afforded by permeable group boundaries had no comparable effect The second experiment (N = 51) investigated whether in-group identification can produce similar effects when relative group status is unknown Even in the absence of an identity threat, low identifiers were less likely to see the groups as homogeneous, felt less committed to their group, and more strongly desired individual mobility than did high identifiers Results are discussed with reference to social identity and self-categorization theories

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Sticking Together or Falling Apart: In-Group Identification as a Psychological Determinant of Group Commitment Versus Individual Mobility

The so-called “gig-economy” has been growing exponentially in numbers and importance in recent years but its impact on labour rights has been largely overlooked. Forms of work in the “gig-economy” include “crowdwork”, and “work-on-demand via apps”, under which the demand and supply of working activities is matched online or via mobile apps. These forms of work can provide a good match of job opportunities and allow flexible working schedules. However, they can also pave the way to a severe commodification of work. This paper discusses the implications of this commodification and advocates the full recognition of activities in the gig-economy as “work”.

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The rise of the 'just-in-time workforce': On-demand work, crowdwork and labour protection in the 'gig-economy'

Segmentation and discrimination in China's emerging industrial labor market

The Asian financial crisis has significantly changed the way in which regionalism in East Asia is taking place. Prior to the crisis, regionalism in the area was noted for its relative lack of formal institutions; many analyses stressed the role of private businesses in fostering a 'regional economy'. Post-crisis regionalism is being led by the state and encompasses both monetary and trade dimensions. The reasons for this change are analysed and the regional policies of China and Japan examined. The spur to post-crisis regionalism is argued to have been provided by a desire to limit the influence in the region of the US and the international financial institutions.

Asia's post-crisis regionalism: bringing the state back in, keeping the (United) States out

ASEAN, AFTA and the "New Regionalism"

Since the policy of "grasping the large, letting go of the small" was initiated in 1996, there has been a program of mass privatisation of China's rural industrial enterprises. This paper, based on interviews and survey data from three counties in Jiangsu and Shandong, analyses the process of privatisation and examines its impacts. Our analysis, which incorporates both choice theoretic and power theoretic considerations, shows how rapid privatisation was driven by the desire to prevent further asset stripping, how 'efficiency' objectives were seen as requiring majority share ownership by enterprise managers, and how the privatisation process better served the interests of some agents (most notably, township governments and enterpise managers) than others (most notably, workers).

'Letting Go of the Small': An Analysis of the Privatisation of Rural Enterprises in Jiangsu and Shandong

This paper examines some implications of the 'new globalism' for the welfare state. We examine four hypotheses about globalization and their implications for welfare state spending: the 'downward harmonization', 'upward convergence', 'convergence clubs' and 'globalization irrelevance' hypotheses. We provide evidence concerning these hypotheses by examining changes in the levels of welfare state spending for a subset of OECD countries. We find some evidence for a convergence of welfare state spending, not universally, but among countries with similar political institutions. Domestic political institutions, therefore, may affect the way in which countries respond to globalization pressures.

Paul Bowles

Papers

Segmentation and discrimination in China's emerging industrial labor market

Asia's post-crisis regionalism: bringing the state back in, keeping the (United) States out

ASEAN, AFTA and the "New Regionalism"

'Letting Go of the Small': An Analysis of the Privatisation of Rural Enterprises in Jiangsu and Shandong

Globalization and the Welfare State: Four Hypotheses and Some Empirical Evidence