Wage Labor Research Articles

Causes of Seasonal Out-Migration in the Terms of Agricultural Perspectives in Phulbari Upazila, Kurigram, Bangladesh

This paper explores the major push-pull and self-selective factors driving seasonal out-migration in Phulbari Upazila, Kurigram District, from an agricultural perspective. Seasonal migration, especially during lean agricultural periods, is a longstanding livelihood strategy in this region. The study utilizes primary and secondary data to understand the agricultural dynamics influencing past and present migration trends. Key factors contributing to seasonal out-migration include flooding and river erosion, agricultural off-seasons, landlessness, poverty, limited employment opportunities, climatic variability, debt, economic pressure, social networks, and migration traditions. The research reveals that natural vulnerabilities and seasonal food insecurity continue to drive migration. Due to uncertain climate change and weather conditions, rural areas suffered from seasonal hunger due to a lack of manpower and unsuitable soil conditions to harvest food for their people. This outlines the patterns, causes, and impacts of seasonal out-migration among agricultural workers in Bangladesh as well as how this condition affects the socioeconomic of a rural area, Phulbari Upazila, Kurigram. Most migrants are agricultural wage laborers, landless, and marginal farmers. The study also highlights that households' coping capacity is closely linked to the socio-economic status of the household head, with illiterate and low-income groups being more vulnerable than their educated and higher-income parts. This study identified the significant role of agricultural changes in shaping migration decisions and suggests that interventions aimed at reducing dependency on seasonal migration could foster sustainable development. The push factors, such as poverty and unemployment, are more influential than pull factors. Empowering migrants through education, safety nets, and diversified income opportunities, both in their villages and at migration destinations, can transform migration from a necessity into a choice. Collaboration works among communities, government, NGOs, and other stakeholders is important for implementing sustainable and impactful policies and strategies.

The Effect of Enterprises’ Digital Transformation on Enterprises’ Labor Share—Wage Rate, Labor Productivity and Heterogeneity of Different Enterprises

The Effect of Enterprises’ Digital Transformation on Enterprises’ Labor Share—Wage Rate, Labor Productivity and Heterogeneity of Different Enterprises

Factors Influencing the Profitability of Agricultural Cooperative Members: Case of Tuzamurane Cyeza Cooperative, Muhanga District, Rwanda

This study aimed to examine the influential factors that lead to the profitability of Tuzamurane Cyeza Cooperative members in Muhanga District, Rwanda. The assessment was carried out with a survey method using 120 respondents who were selected using purposive sampling. The respondents comprised 60 cooperative members and 60 non-cooperative members who were maize farmers, while 6 local leaders and staff of Tuzamurane Cyeza Cooperative were used as key informants. Data were then collected using questionnaires and interviews, followed by assessment using profitability calculation and multiple regression analysis. The assessment was carried out to analyze the effect of the independent variables (price of maize seeds, price of fertilizers, price of pesticides, wage of labor, maize production, and land lease price) on the dependent variable (the profitability of cooperative members of Tuzamurane Cyeza). The results showed that the profitability of 60 members was 13.8%, while a value of 4.9% was obtained for non-cooperative members. The value of the F-Critical (2.26) was less than the F-calculated (7.200) and the P-value (0.009) was below the significant level (0.05). This showed that the model developed in this study could be used in predicting the contribution of independent variables to the dependent variable. This study also showed that 1 coefficient (maize production) had a positive relationship with Tuzamurane Cyeza Cooperative members, while 5 coefficients (price of maize seeds, price of fertilizers, price of pesticides, wages of labor, land lease price) had an inverse association. Based on the results, all independent variables had an impact on the profitability.

Politik Hukum Sistem Upah Kerja Menurut Undang-Undang Nomor 6 Tahun 2023 Tentang Cipta Kerja

Labor problems both nationally and internationally in various countries are a common problem that has never been resolved properly, this happens both in developing and developed countries. Employment problems that occur in various developed and developing countries have different characteristics, this can be influenced by various fields of life in the association of human life in society and influenced by ideology, politics, law, social economy, and culture as well as the influence of the development of globalization which is very increasing and fast. The development of globalization in the field of technology and information as one that contributes to the field of employment. One of them is seen in the rapid development of globalization today in the life of society nationally and internationally, which has a major influence on the continuous association of human life and has an impact in all fields of activity in the fields of religion, economy, politics, law, social culture, and other activities nationally and internationally. The relationship between employer and employee in Islamic law is based on equal humanity. Although the structure of the company shows a hierarchy between capital owners, shareholders, and workers, Islam emphasizes that both parties are on the same level of humanity. The relationship between employer and employee is seen as a family relationship, partnership, and symbiotic mutualism. However, at present, the implementation of Law No. 6 of 2023 concerning Job Creation, especially in the field of employment, has not been able to fully answer complex problems related to wages. Therefore, alternative solutions are needed that are in accordance with the principles of wages and consider the conditions and needs of workers/laborers in Indonesia. This research aims to apply policy politics, especially related to the concept of implementing Law Number 6 of 2023 concerning Manpower from the perspective of Social Justice and Humanitarian Ethics. The implementation of the labor wage system must pay attention to the principles of justice and balance. The wages provided must be adequate to meet the needs of workers and their families, as well as provide security and protection for labor. The results show that the implementation of the Job Creation Law requires policy adjustments at the regional level through Regional Regulations that consider the economic capabilities of local companies. In the context of policy politics, the imbalance between the number of workers received and the ability of companies to fulfill wage obligations has the potential to trigger structural conflicts between companies and workers. In the perspective of Islamic politics, the relationship between employers and workers is built on the principles of social justice and human equality. Islam asserts that although there is a structural hierarchy within the company - such as capital owners, shareholders and workers - all parties are morally equal as human beings. This relationship is ideally based on the values of partnership, solidarity and symbiotic mutualism, which are in line with the principles of social justice. Therefore, wage system policies must ensure that no party is disadvantaged or feels disadvantaged, but rather create harmony and balance of interests between stakeholders. Society is politically viewed as an interconnected entity, where the common welfare becomes a collective responsibility to realize social stability and justice.

Temporary Lives: Border Temporalities and Retirement Mobilities in a Turkish Tourism Hot Spot

The recognition that state borders operate not only through a production and ordering of space but also of time has recently led to a more concerted interest in the temporal dimensions of borders. In the fields of migration and border studies, researchers have suggested that borders are implicated in the creation and transformation of particular “time-spaces” that hierarchically order space and time. These b/ordering practices tend to be examined in relation to states and state forces, often neglecting the importance of economic dimensions. This article contributes to analysing border temporalities in their hierarchical aspects by focusing on the complex relationship between political (state) borders and the frontiers of capital. This relationship is examined empirically through a focus on the lives of German retirement migrants in Turkey. While retirement migration is motivated by the search for a “good life” that is free from the temporal constraints of wage labour biographies, it will be shown that German retirement migrants are highly vulnerable to the temporal bordering processes produced by both state policies and transnational capitalist profit-seeking in the tourism and real estate sectors. Keywords: international retirement migration; time-space compression; tourism; political economy

Determinants of Women’s Labour Force Participation and Wages in the Agricultural Sector: Evidence from Anuradhapura District

Determinants of Women’s Labour Force Participation and Wages in the Agricultural Sector: Evidence from Anuradhapura District

Influence of University Environment on the Academic Performance of Undergraduate Students: A Study in Dera Ghazi Khan

The University environment plays a pivotal role in shaping the academic performance of students. It encompasses a multitude of factors, including the quality of instruction, access to resources, peer interactions, and campus culture. Peer interactions and extra-curricular activities within the university environment contribute to holistic development and often translate into improve academic performance. The main objectives of the study are; i) to determine the extent to which university teachers influence the academic performance of students; ii) to determine the extent to which university personnel influence the academic performance of students; iii) to determine the extent to which peer group influences the academic performance of students; and iv) to evaluate the influence of university environment on the academic performance of undergraduate students. The results showed that majority 63.7% of the respondents were male from gender category, 48.9% mentioned respondents were from age group 18-20 years ,91.1% said respondents were unmarried, 88.0% declared the respondents were married, 61.5% had strong agreement and agreement among respondents "university teachers encourage critical thinking and independent learning, (58.3%) of the respondents’ father’s occupation was Govt. job. Private jobs, farmer and daily wage laborers. Result also showed Greater facilitation from staff, better will be satisfaction of academic needs, higher motivation from peer group vs higher satisfaction from learning. Research suggested that University should encourage students that students should do work in University should provide skills to students to make them independent economically.

Literary Masculinities and Men’s Emotionality: Max Porter’s Grief Is the Thing with Feathers as a Case Study

This article examines grief and psychic pain in Max Porter’s Grief is the Thing with Feathers (2015). It is argued that the novel subverts the pervasive association between men’s suffering, psychopathology and violence in fiction, as the protagonist’s ‘split identity' transcends the deeply masculinised trope of the raging double. A review of approaches to emotionality in Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities is provided, with particular attention to the literary representation of men’s grief. Using psychoanalysis, Porter’s Crow is seen as representing a foray into the Kristevan maternal semiotic, taking the novel’s aesthetic innovation as politically significant in recasting masculinities as fundamentally fluid. Drawing on affect theory, grief is taken as a political emotion capable of transgressing traditional scripts of masculinity by severing its associations with wage labour and imperviousness, and reconfiguring it instead around vulnerability and an ethics of care.

Constraints Encountered by Groundnut Growers in Adopting Recommended TNAU Groundnut Production Technologies in Villupuram District

Background: Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a vital crop for the agricultural economy in Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu. Despite the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s (TNAU) recommended production technologies aimed at improving yield and sustainability, adoption rates among groundnut growers remain low. This study investigates the challenges faced by these farmers in adopting these technologies. Methods: The study employs an ex-post facto research design, focusing on Melmalayanur and Vallam blocks within Villupuram district. A total of 120 groundnut growers were randomly selected from four villages. Primary data was collected using a structured interview schedule, while secondary data was sourced from relevant agricultural reports and publications. Constraints faced by farmers were analyzed using Garrett’s ranking technique. Result: The study identified key constraints impacting technology adoption, ranked by severity. Non-sremunerative prices and price fluctuations emerged as the most significant barrier, followed by high input costs and inadequate credit facilities. Other notable challenges included a lack of timely and appropriate extension services, insufficient technical know-howand pest and disease infestations. Scarcity and high wages of labor, inadequate processing machinesand delays in the availability of inputs further hindered adoption rates.

Terms of trade, ecologically unequal exchange and environmental problems in developing economies

Purpose Utilizing the Marxist theory of unequal exchange to explain the terms of trade between nations, this paper elucidates one possible mechanism that gives rise to ecologically unequal exchange between developed and developing economies. Design/methodology/approach We propose a two-sector linear production model and demonstrate that a decrease in the organic composition of capital and an increase in the rate of surplus value in a sector will lead to a relative price decrease and value transfer out of that particular sector, as well as increasing the environmental costs of trade. Furthermore, we measure the levels of unequal exchange (value transfer) and ecologically unequal exchange of 40 economies and empirically validate their relationship. Findings The findings suggest that an important cause of the ecologically unequal exchange is the value transfer between economies caused by the international division of labor and real wage disparities. The inequality in international trade is a significant factor contributing to the gap in the ecological environment level between developed and developing economies. Originality/value By introducing the theory of unequal exchange or value transfer into the analysis of ecological unequal exchange, we provide a mathematical framework for analyzing ecological unequal exchange and a method for calculating the scale of ecological unequal exchange and value transfer, thereby enhancing the theoretical depth and practical significance of the ecological unequal exchange theory.

Flexibility and equality: Unraveling the nexus of labor market dynamics and gender equality in developing countries

Recent decades have witnessed notable advancements in gender equality. However, improvement in labor market outcomes remains limited especially for women. On the other hand, regulations related to the labor market have shifted toward greater flexibility. This study investigates the relationship between labor market flexibility and gender equality, aiming to uncover the impact of flexible employment strategies on social inequality. Utilizing cross-country regression models, we analyze the correlation between labor market flexibility indicators and wage equality for a similar work index across 99 developing countries in 2021. The findings indicate that three of the examined indicators exhibit a robust positive correlation with the dependent variable. This suggests that increased flexibility in these areas would potentially reduce gender disparities. Focusing on a wide sample of developing countries, the research implications provide valuable insights for policymakers seeking to address the gender gap in the labor market and promote equal opportunities.

Between the Homing Pigeon and the Vagrant: The Contract Labor System and the Creation of the Immoral Mexican Migrant, 1910–1929

Abstract This article traces how local, state, and federal officials in the United Sates weaponized morality against Mexican contract wage laborers in the first three decades of the twentieth century. The author argues that the sexual morals policing project targeting immigrant women suspected of prostitution and other immoral behaviors shaped the experiences of Mexican contract wage laborers as they sought entry into the United States and once they were admitted. By focusing on the racialized poverty of the Mexican, US immigration officials and employers created a stark binary of workers as “moral” law-abiding/“immoral” vagrant criminals depending on laborers compliance and participation within a burgeoning transnational contract labor system.

Liberal Political Philosophy and European Economic History: A Note

There exists a widespread belief that England’s economic achievements were based on its spectacular progress in agriculture, in which primitive peasant cultivation was replaced by far the economically more successful large-scale cultivation by farmers. History, however, has a different tale to tell. Agriculture in England did not achieve any particular efficiency before the Industrial Revolution of the late eighteenth century. No particular progress in agricultural techniques was observed before the eighteenth century, during which the entire English peasantry was uprooted to make way for ‘farmers’, employing wage labour.

An emerging ‘camp labour regime’: refugees’ labour between production and reproduction

ABSTRACT Using Italy as a case study, this paper extends the debate on refugees’ differential inclusion in the European labour market by considering their spaces for living and social reproduction. Departing from the notion of ‘labour regime’ and the definition of a Dormitory Labour Regime, the paper argues that we are assisting in the emergence of a Camp Labour Regime – a situation in which the form of accommodation (i.e. refugee reception facilities) plays a pivotal role in the organisation of production, representing a nodal point to foster labour concentration, wage reduction and labour intensification, thereby ‘fashioning’ refugee labour as both cheap and flexible, although at the same time constituting spaces of opportunity for refugee workers. Therefore, the paper illustrates the role played by the three main actors – the state, the companies and the refugees themselves – in coproducing and partaking in this emerging Camp Labour Regime.

LEGACY OF SOCIAL POLICIES AND REDUCING INEQUALITY: INCOME NOT DERIVED FROM WORK BETWEEN 2003 AND 2007

The research describes the field of targeted public policies to highlight the legacy of actions implemented between 2003 and 2007, which resulted in a reduction in inequality, particularly inequality not derived from wage labor. The impact of income on inequality and the improvement of Gini coefficient indicators is one of the aspects addressed from the methodological perspective. The research, based on data from the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD), demonstrates the movements of the poorest percentiles of the population towards the equality line, as a result of the displacement of this population contingent motivated by targeted policies with conditionalities.

Truck driver relative pay and motor carrier safety performance

Abstract The United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) has recently incorporated driver pay into its guidelines on the promotion of safe and decent work in road transport. ILO guideline 73 states that ‘the remuneration of … CMV [commercial motor vehicle] drivers should be sustainable and take into consideration the attractiveness and sustainability of the industry’. In the spirit of this, we explore the relationship between truck drivers’ relative income and intrastate motor carrier safety performance. We utilise the United States (US) Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage data for heavy and tractor-trailer truck driver median annual incomes and the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey estimates of median household incomes to construct county level relative income ratios for truck drivers. This information is merged with public safety data to analyse the relationship between truck drivers’ relative pay and motor carrier safety performance. We find that, all else constant, carriers located in counties where driver earnings are relatively high tend to experience fewer crashes. This provides evidence that safety performance is better when driver pay is more attractive in the truck driver labour market and, consequently, validates the ILO’s assertion under guideline 73.

The impact of skill mismatch on unemployment, informality, and labour turnover

Abstract The objective of this paper is to analyse the impact of skill mismatch on labour turnover, unemployment, and informality, in the case of Colombia. We study Colombia because it is a developing country with one of the highest levels of unemployment and informality in Latin America, along with very restrictive institutions, such as the minimum wage. We found that skill mismatch can explain the high turnover of workers in the Colombian labour market, evident in the increase in hirings and also in separations. Additionally, we find a positive significant effect of skill mismatch on the levels of informality, but no significant effect on unemployment. This evidence remains even once we consider the role of labour market institutions such as minimum wage and non-wage labour costs.

Naming and dividing: the production of residual labour in the region of Doñana

AbstractThrough a case study of the production of agricultural wage labour in southwestern Spain, in the region of Doñana, this articles analyses the process of constructing agricultural wage labour as a residual social relation. Through analysis of the deployment of labour in agro-industrial berry production, I trace the ways in which the notions of “temporariness” and “slave work” obscure the centrality of labour in the agricultural production process and conceal the reconfiguration of relations of exploitation.

Rural public investment and wage inequality under small‐scale agriculture modernization

Increasing rural public investment is crucial for sustainable rural development and can be an effective approach for reducing inequality. However, wage inequality has increased in some developing countries (e.g., China) after increasing fiscal support. This study explores how rural public investment influences skilled‐unskilled wage inequality by incorporating agricultural modernization in small‐scale agriculture. Agricultural modernization refers to introducing modern non‐agricultural intermediate inputs in agriculture. Owing to the small scale of agriculture, an intermediate sector, the agricultural producer service sector, is required to facilitate this process. We establish a three‐sector general equilibrium model with a two‐layer vertical production structure and investigate the effects of increased public investment in rural areas on the wage inequality between skilled and unskilled labour. The theoretical results show that while more rural public investment raises the wages of both skilled and unskilled labour, it also increases wage inequality. Overall, this study explains why inequality widens as rural public investment increases.

The Widening Role of the Digital Economy on Regional Income Differences - Evidence from the National Pilot Zone for Innovative Development of the Digital Economy

A growing body of research suggests that the digital economy may create opportunities to combat income inequality. However, these studies have focused more on the difference between countryside and city areas, neglecting the intervene of the state, regional differences and labour market in digital economy. Therefore, this paper collects data on the average income of different cities and the average wage of their digital economy workforce, and uses the Theil Index, DID and mediated-effects methods to study the setup of the National Pilot Zone for the Innovative Development of the Digital Economy as well as the status of income equality within the pilot zone. The paper also analyses heterogeneity based on geographic location, and uses a mediation effect model to measure the role of the income of digital economy practitioners in the impact of the National Pilot Zone for the Innovative Development of the Digital Economy on inter-regional income disparities. Study finds that the pilot zone widens the inter-regional income gap. This result is caused by the uneven spatial distribution between regions and industries. Labour wages in the relevant industries are also an important factor mediating the effect between developing the digital economy and the elimination of income inequality.