Second IZA-WDI (Third WDI) International Conference: Labor Markets Dynamics in Emerging Market Economies

Hosted by: INCAE in Alajuela, Costa Rica
Date: April 1-6, 2002
Organizers: Hartmut Lehmann, IZA and Katherine Terrell, WDI

PART I:
LABOR MARKET DYNAMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY IN A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE: LATIN AMERICA AND EASTERN EUROPE (APRIL 1-3)

This part of the conference will focus on microeconomic analysis of labor markets and public policy in these two regions of the world. We would like to have one paper from each region focusing on the same broad issue, e.g., labor market flexibility and institutions, the impact of globalization on labor reallocation and income distribution, minimum wages, employment in the informal economy, unemployment and labor market policies. We are looking for rigorous empirical analysis on these topics. Some of the leading American and European labor economists have agreed to participate as discussants.

PART II:
JOB FLOWS IN TRANSITION ECONOMIES (APRIL 5-6)

The analysis of job creation and job destruction in the old and new sectors is important for understanding the transition from the socialist to a market economy. We are therefore interested in bringing together top researchers with fresh papers that examine job flows in any East European economy. The papers selected for this workshop will be published in a symposium issue of the Economics of Transition, guest edited by John Haltiwanger and Hartmut Lehmann.

Monday, April 1:
Reception in lobby of Hotel Martino at 7:00 pm
PART I: LABOR MARKET DYNAMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY IN A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE: LATIN AMERICA AND EASTERN EUROPE
Tuesday, April 2:
08:15 - 08:20	Pick up from Hotel to INCAE
08:30	Opening Remarks, Jan Svejnar, Director of the William Davidson Institute
08:35-09:15	Overview of Cross-Country Wage Differentials
	1. Orley Ashenfelter (Princeton University) and Stepan Jurajda (CERGE-EI, WDI, IZA) Cross-Country Comparisons of Wage Rates: The Big Mac Index
09:15-11:00	Labor Mobility Chair: Katherine Terrell 2. José Angel Calderón (Centro de Estudio Económicos), Labor Mobility in Urban Mexico 3. John Earle (Upjohn Institute, WDI, IZA) and Klara Sabirianova (WDI, IZA) Structural Change, Mismatch and Job Mobility: Evidence from Russia Discussant for both papers: Milan Vodopivec (World Bank)
11:00-11:15	Coffee Break
11:25-1:00	Labor Force Dynamics
	Chair: Hartmut Lehmann 4. Alexandru Voicu (IZA), Labor Force Participation Dynamics in the Romanian Labor Market 5. Jochen Kluve (University of California, Berkeley, IZA), Reelika Leetma (Tartu University) and Christoph M. Schmidt (University of Heidelberg, IZA), Labor Force Status Dynamics in the Estonian Labor Market. Discussant of both papers: John Earle (Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, WDI, IZA)
1:00-2:00	Lunch at INCAE
2:00-3:40	Accounting for Inequality
	Chair: 6. Sebastian Galiani (Universidad de San Andrés) and Pablo Sanguinetti (Universidad Torcuato Di Tella), The Impact of Trade Liberalization on Wage Inequality: Evidence from Argentina Discussant: Orley Ashenfelter (Princeton University, IZA) 7. Francisco Ferreira (Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, WDI), Francois Bourguignon (DELTA) and Phillippe G. Leite (Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro), Beyond Oaxaca-Blinder: Accounting for Differences in Household Income Discussant: Carlos Quintanilla (INCAE)
3:45	Bus back to Hotel Martino, Free Time until 6:30
6:30	meet in Lobby for 5 min. bus ride to Pura Vida for dinner
Wednesday, April 3:
8:15-8:20	Pick up at the Hotel for INCAE
8:30-10:15	Job Loss and Job Matches in Transition
	Chair: Gerard Pfann (IZA, University of Maastricht) 8. Hartmut Lehmann (Heriot-Watt University, WDI, IZA), Kaja Phillips (Tartu University) and Jonathan Wadsworth (CEP, London School of Economics, WDI, IZA), The Incidence and Cost of Job Loss in Estonia 9. Daniel Munich (CERGE-EI, WDI), Job-seekers Matching under Different Regime Change: The Cases of Czech and Slovak Dissolution and East and West German Unification. Discussant of both papers: Jan Svejnar (University of Michigan, WDI)
10:15-10:30	Coffee Break
10:30-12:15	Women' s Labor Supply
	Chair: John Earle (Upjohn Institute, WDI, IZA) 10. Holger Bonin (IZA) and Rob Euwals (IZA), Labor Supply Preferences of East German Women after Unification Discussant: Hartmut Lehmann (Heriot-Watt University, IZA, WDI) 11. Alejandra Cox Edwards (Califonia State University at Long Beach), Suzanne Duryea (Inter-American Development Bank) and Manuelita Ureta (Texas A&M), Women in the Latin American and Caribbean Labor Market: The Remarkable 1990s Discussant: Juan Vargas (Universidad de Costa Rica)
12:15-1:00	Lunch
1:00-2:40	Impact of Minimum Wages
13:30 - 15:00	Chair: Luis Umana (INCAE) 12. Fatma El-Hamidi (University of Pittsburgh) and Katherine Terrell (University of Michigan, WDI, IZA), The Impact of Minimum Wages on Wage Inequality and Employment in the Formal and Informal Sector in Costa Rica Discussant: Juan Vargas (Universidad de Costa Rica)
2:00-2:15	Coffee Break
2:15-4:00	Macroeconomic Perspective of the Labor Market
	Chair: Francisco de la Paula Gutierrez (INCAE) 14. Jasper Hook (University of Michigan) Labor Markets Institutions and Restructuring: Evidence from Regulated and Unregulated Labor Markets in Brazil 15. Jasper Hoek (University of Wisconsin), Informational Conflict and Employment Fluctuations Discussant: Alberto Trejos (INCAE)
4:15	Bus back to Hotel Martino, free time
7:00	Dinner at the Hotel Marino
Thursday, April 4:
Travel to Hotel Mariposa, Manuel Antonio by bus (departure from Hotel Marino at 9:30 am. Arrival in Manuel Antonio approximately 12:00, lunch at Hotel Mariposa. Free time in afternoon and evening.
PART II: JOB FLOWS IN TRANSITION ECONOMIES
Friday, April 5:
8:30	Bus leaves Hotel Mariposa for Hotel El Parador
8:45-9:15	Inspirational Address (alias "Pep Talk") 1. Daniel Hammermesh (University of Texas, Austin, IZA) International Labor Economics
9:15-11:00	2. Frederic Warzynski (Catholic University of Leuven), Do Schumpeterian Waves of Creative Destruction Lead to Higher Productivity? Evidence from Poland Discussant: Gerard Pfann (University of Maastricht, IZA) 3. Stepan Jurajda (CERGE-EI, WDI, IZA) and Katherine Terrell (University of Michigan, WDI, IZA), New Sector Growth in Transition: Comparing Two Paths Discussant: Daniel Hammermesh (University of Texas, Austin, IZA)
11:00-11:15	Coffee
11:15-1:00	4. David Brown (Heriot-Watt University, WDI, IZA) and John Earle (Upjohn Institute, WDI, IZA), Gross Job Creation and Destruction in the Ukrainian Industrial Sector, 1992-2000. 5. Jozef Konings (Catholic University Leuven, IZA, WDI), Olga Kupets (National University - Kyiv Mohyla Academy) and Hartmut Lehmann (Heriot-Watt University, IZA, WDI), Gross Job Flows and Restructuring in Ukraine Discussant of both papers: Steve Davis (University of Chicago)
1:00-1:45	Lunch at Hotel El Parador
1:45-3:30	6. Simon Commander (EBRD, WDI, IZA) and Janos Köllõ (Hungarian Academy of Sciences, WDI, IZA), The Changing Demand for Skills: Evidence from the Transition (Hungary, Romania and Russia). Discussant: Jochen Kluve (University of California-Berkeley, IZA) 7. John Haltiwanger (University of Maryland, IZA) and Milan Vodopivec (World Bank), Worker and Job Flows in a Transition Economy: Slovenia in the 1990s Discussant: Gerard Pfann (University of Maastricht, IZA)
3:30 - 4:00	Rapporteur - Steve Davis (University of Chicago)
4:00-7:00	Bus back to Hotel Mariposa, free time to swim and relax
7:00	Dinner (t.b.d.)
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Participants will be reimbursed for a return journey to the conference, in accordance with IZA standard guidelines.

Erica Bush (ebush@umich.edu)
WDI
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
phone: (734) 936-0041, fax: (734) 763-5850