Measuring the Gains from Labor Specialization

Decio Coviello; Andrea Ichino; Nicola Persico

doi:10.1086/704244

Market Integration, Demand, and the Growth of Firms: Evidence From a Natural Experiment in India

The American Economic Review ◽

10.1257/aer.20161965 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 108 (12) ◽

pp. 3583-3625 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Robert Jensen ◽

Nolan H. Miller

Keyword(s):

Market Integration ◽

Natural Experiment ◽

Production Costs ◽

Limited Information ◽

Consumer Prices ◽

Boat Building ◽

Potential Market ◽

Average Production ◽

Non Local ◽

Labor Specialization

In many developing countries, the average firm is small, does not grow, and has low productivity. Lack of market integration and limited information on non-local products often leave consumers unaware of the prices and quality of non-local firms. They therefore mostly buy locally, limiting firms’ potential market size (and competition). We explore this hypothesis using a natural experiment in the Kerala boat-building industry. As consumers learn more about non-local builders, high-quality builders gain market share and grow, while low-quality firms exit. Aggregate quality increases, as does labor specialization, and average production costs decrease. Finally, quality-adjusted consumer prices decline. (JEL D22, D83, L15, L25, L62, O12, O14)

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BSc curricula in Architecture A comparison of The Netherlands: TU-Delft, TU-Eindhoven; Switzerland: ETH- Zürich; Belgium: KU-Leuven; Germany: TU-Berlin; Denmark: Aalborg-University; Italy: Roma 3; Spain: ETSAM Madrid, Portugal: University of Coimbra.

Joelho Revista de Cultura Arquitectonica ◽

10.14195/1647-8681_4_1 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Willemijn Wilms Floet

Keyword(s):

International Students ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Design Education ◽

First Year ◽

Academic Education ◽

Bachelor Of Science ◽

Study Programme ◽

Similarities And Differences ◽

The Moment ◽

Labor Specialization

At the moment the Faculty of Architecture in Delft counts over 3000 students. Yearly 600 first year fresh students were admitted until September 2011. A numerus clausus has already reduced this number to 450 and seems to work as a preventative measure. The current Delft agenda for the revision of the BSc curriculum is a triple one. The actualization of the ‘building assignment’ in the contemporary perspective of the profession is the first reason for reviewing the programme. Sustainability and the shifted economic situation are changing the upcoming practice in scale, strategy and programme. Virtual techniques and division of labor (specialization) are developing topics. The second reason for reflection is about shaking up ‘design education methodology’, which could be considered as periodical maintenance. The third and in fact leading reason for change comes from the political pressure to improve the ‘study success ‘ of our students. In the Netherlands only 20 % of the university grade students in technology succeeds to obtain the diploma for the three years BSc in four years’ time. The situation at our faculty is even worse: 17%. The aim is to improve this percentage up to 70%. The BSc curriculum will be restructured thoroughly from September 2013. A national fund to promote and improve academic education in technology (WO Sprint) gave us the opportunity to carry out a comparative study on the curricula of schools of architecture as a mirror for our programme. Since 30 % of our MSc programme is composed of international students an European perspective is obvious. Moreover, the final attainment level of the curricula is becoming a European matter. For the comparison we decided to select schools of architecture which are comparable to ours: education into a Bachelor of Science (not a Bachelor in Arts), number of students and culture. The questions we hope to answer are: What are the generalities and particularities, the similarities and differences of curricula in Architecture? Which is the main content of the curricula? What is the main structure of the study programme? Which are the main (didactical) principles structuring the programme? Special attention is given to the content, structure and organisation of design education. Curricula are complex matters. Most course programmes are a result of ‘faculty tradition’ and the backgrounds are not always explicit: for this comparison the principles were mainly interpreted from practice. Data were collected from a questionnaire, course-descriptions, visitation reports and interviews with visiting teachers and international students studying in Delft. The curricula are mapped in diagrams, providing a very clear visual overview . The similarities and differences between schools of architecture are presented by a series of polarities as a range, structured in three categories: profile, programme structure, didactical principles.

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Specialists and generalists

Upravlenie ◽

10.26425/2309-3633-2021-9-3-46-55 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 46-55

Author(s):

I. V. Anokhov

Keyword(s):

The Other ◽

Cause And Effect ◽

Energy Flows ◽

Labor Division ◽

The Difference ◽

The One ◽

Labor Specialization ◽

Organizational Science

The article considers labor specialization in terms of A.A. Bogdanov’s General Organizational Science (Tectology), whose methodology provides conclusions different from generally accepted A. Smith’s concept of labor division. The article’s goal is to investigate specialist’s characteristics and his difference from generalist.In terms of tectology, the difference is the cause of any process or phenomenon. Labor specialization is also based on difference – the difference between initial resources and collective consumption. The depth of labor specialization is determined by the number of people and the volume of their consumption. Reaching the global market’s limits has led to a reduction of differences in most markets and a decrease in production profitability, which in the long term can lead to the curtailment of material and energy flows. A qualitatively new difference may be the difference between the values and meanings of humanity, on the one hand, and the dehumanized technosphere, on the other. Subjects capable of linking these differences are generalists, capable of combining an understanding of the technosphere as a system, an awareness of long-term cause-and-effect relations, and the values and meanings of humanity.The scientific novelty of the findings obtained lies in studying labor specialization and the prospects of its transition to universalization and generalization.

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Analysis of the Impact of Monetary Relations Between the Russian Federation and the Middle East on the Region's Economy

Scientific Research and Development Economics of the Firm ◽

10.12737/2306-627x-2021-10-1-12-18 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 12-18

Author(s):

Vahib Al'-Mavazhde

Keyword(s):

International Economic ◽

Middle East ◽

Russian Federation ◽

World Economy ◽

Arab Countries ◽

Economic Relations ◽

International Economic Relations ◽

The World ◽

The Russian Federation ◽

Labor Specialization

International monetary and credit relations are an integral part and one of the most difficult areas of a market economy. They reflect the problems of the national and world economies, which historically developed in parallel. With the globalization and internationalization of the world economy, there is an intensification of international flows of goods, services, and especially capital and loans. International monetary and credit relations (IMCO) are one of the forms of international economic relations (IEE) along with such forms as: international trade, international movement of capital and foreign investment, international labor migration, international cooperation in science and technology, international division of labor (specialization and cooperation of production). Russia is one of the key partners in the world market in the field of currency and credit relations and trade, which affects the country's economic development. On the financial market arena, Russia acts as a lender for developing countries, and is also a borrower from more developed countries. In the modern realities of the development of international economic relations, it is worth considering various alternative financial markets or renewing old international economic relations, as an option these are the countries of the Middle East. Today, market economic relations between Russia and the Middle East are based on mutually beneficial conditions for both parties. The Russian Federation views the Arab countries, firstly, as a market for its manufactured products, technical equipment, and secondly, as a prospect for credit relations and the development of a market for energy products. At the moment, the improvement of relations in the currency and credit directions is aggravated by the state of the world economy and foreign economic activity of Russia.

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Flying Money and Capitalist Monks

A Brief History of Entrepreneurship ◽

10.7312/columbia/9780231173049.003.0006 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Joe Carlen

Keyword(s):

Urban Development ◽

Far East ◽

Paper Money ◽

The Far East ◽

Tang And Song Dynasties ◽

Chinese Entrepreneurs ◽

Labor Specialization ◽

Islamic Civilization

By the Medieval Era, the Far East had not only caught up with Christian and Islamic civilization but, at least in commercial terms, had surpassed both. From the invention of fiduciary (or paper) money to sophisticated forms of urban development and labor specialization, Chinese entrepreneurs had transformed their society. The chapter describes how these entrepreneurs, some of whom were Buddhist monks, shaped and distinguished China during the Tang and Song Dynasties.

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Labor Specialization, Transport Costs, and City Size

Journal of Regional Science ◽

10.1111/0022-4146.00110 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 553-573 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Gilles Duranton

Keyword(s):

City Size ◽

Transport Costs ◽

Labor Specialization

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Silvicultura do eucalipto e a especialização do trabalho na cadeia produtiva de papel e celulose em Imperatriz-MA

GeoTextos ◽

10.9771/geo.v15i2.32131 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Allison Bezerra Oliveira ◽

Maria Da Conceição Mesquita Leal

Keyword(s):

Field Research ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Cellulose Chain ◽

Production Chain ◽

Technical Schools ◽

Technical Requirements ◽

Professional Workers ◽

Local Plant ◽

Labor Specialization ◽

The City

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo analisar o processo de especialização produtiva do trabalho no Maranhão mediante o avanço da cadeia de papel e celulose em face da expansão e da intensificação da silvicultura do eucalipto desencadeada pela implantação da unidade fabril da Suzano Papel e Celulose no município de Imperatriz, sudoeste do estado do Maranhão. Dessa forma, busca-se questionar: há em curso uma especialização produtiva do trabalho nesse segmento, considerando trabalhadores com qualificação profissional de nível médio/técnico, em Imperatriz? Metodologicamente, além de revisão da literatura pertinente, utilizou-se, conjuntamente com pesquisas de campo, dados secundários sobre transformações no emprego local e nas qualificações profissionais locais advindas da implantação da Suzano. Os dados utilizados são originários da RAIS; CAGED; IBGE, além de escolas técnicas locais. Os resultados encontrados permitiram realizar mapeamento da cadeia de trabalho no segmento em destaque e verificar que há intenso e rápido aprofundamento da especialização produtiva do trabalho no setor de papel e celulose no estado. Abstract EUCALYPTUS SILVICULTURE AND THE SPECIALIZATION OF WORK IN THE PULP AND PAPER PRODUCTION CHAIN IN IMPERATRIZ - MA The main goal of this article is to study the labor specialization process in the state of Maranhão through the progress if the paper and cellulose chain over the expansion and reinforcement of the forestry from eucalyptus based on the implementation of the factory “Suzano Papel e Celulose” in Imperatriz, southwest of the Maranhão State. This drives the question: is there a movement to improve and specialize workers in this sector, taking into consideration not specialized or technical workers in the city of Imperatriz? For methodology it was used the book references, field research and secondary data about the changes in the way of work in the local plant and technical requirements for professional workers due to the implementation of “Suzano Papel e Celulose”. The data comes from “RAIS”; “CAGED”; “IBGE” and local technical schools. The results allow us to map the working group in the sector emphasizing that there is an intense and quick specialization regarding the work in this specific sector of paper and cellulose.

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Caste Systems and Technology in Premodern Societies

Demographic Change and Long-Run Development ◽

10.7551/mitpress/9780262036627.003.0011 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Elena Esposito

Keyword(s):

Social Institutions ◽

Technological Advancement ◽

Demographic Development ◽

Family Unit ◽

Long Run ◽

The Family ◽

Labor Specialization ◽

The Impact ◽

Early Phases ◽

Endogamous Group

This chapter sheds new light on the effects of social institutions on long-run development. In particular, it explores the impact of caste systems during the early phases of economic and demographic development through how the systems influenced the possibilities for labor specialization. Based on data for precolonial social organization across different ethnicities, the chapter provides novel evidence that supports the hypothesis that caste systems were indeed conducive to specialization and technological sophistication. The hypothesis builds on the idea that caste systems, by promoting strong ties of solidarity and cooperation within groups, might have facilitated and accelerated the process of labor specialization and technological advancement. Moreover, the endogamous group might have represented the natural basin from which to recruit labor for extending production beyond the family unit.

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