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Caribbean economies have suffered from stagnant growth since the 1990s. This can be a feature of small developing economies and is a major concern for policymakers. In this article, we examine establishment-level data to gain a better understanding of the factors that constrain the growth of businesses in the region. In addition to documenting broad differences in obstacles to business within and across the region, we particularly focus on the main obstacles affecting small and medium-sized firms. The econometric analysis highlights three main barriers at a regional level: an inadequately educated workforce; access to finance; and crime, theft and disorder. However, there are variations at the country level and the analysis indicates clusters of countries that experience obstacles to similar degrees. The article concludes with recommendations for alleviating the constraints to enterprise development and in stimulating economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the role that schools have in determining whether school leavers participate in higher education or not. It examines the association between schools and university participation using a unique dataset of 3 cohorts of all young people leaving maintained schools in Wales. School “effects” are identified, even after controlling for individual-level factors, such as their prior attainment, socioeconomic circumstances, ethnicity, and special educational needs. Schools appear to have a particular “effect” on the likelihood that a young person enters an elite university. However, the findings suggest the concept of a school “effect” on higher education participation is not straightforward - schools appear to have different levels of effectiveness depending on the gender of the young people and the nature of their higher education participation. These findings are considered within the policy contexts of school effectiveness and widening access to higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates have persisted about the character of the East–West population flows that followed the EU expansions. Some of the discussions surround the extent to which the mobility has been temporal and hence how likely these migrants are to settle permanently or to stay for long periods in host countries. This paper enhances the understanding of such issues through examining survey data on 700 Polish recent migrants in seven English and Welsh towns and supplemented by an analysis of qualitative data. Three categories of migrants are initially identified on the basis of their intentions of stay in the UK. Multinomial logit models are then estimated to examine the characteristics of individuals in each category to establish the factors that influence migration strategies and changes in plans. Results indicate that although standard socio-economic characteristics tend to be insignificant, migration strategies and changes in intentions are affected by migrant's view of whether their job matches their expectations, the time of entry into the UK and remittances. Analysis of the qualitative information reinforces some of the key findings and also indicates the importance of migrants' ability to reference their experiences in two settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Drinkwater S. and Ingram P. How different are the British in their willingness to move? Evidence from international social survey data, Regional Studies. This paper analyses people's willingness to move using data from the 1995 British Social Attitudes Survey and International Social Survey Programme. The personal characteristics and sub-regional indicators that are important in explaining the willingness to move within Britain are identified. It is also found that the willingness to move is only higher in a few other countries, including the USA. The equivalent desire to move is found to be much lower in Eastern European countries and in several other European Union Member States. Compositional effects, such as age and education, are generally important in explaining differences in attitudes towards migration in comparison with other Western economies. However, structural effects such as institutions, history, and culture tend to play a more dominant role in explaining differences compared with countries in Central and Eastern Europe... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper uses the first five waves of the British Household Panel Survey to explore the dynamics of the labour market experience of Britain's ethnic minorities relative to the white majority. The issue to be explored is labour market transitions. Ethnic minorities are shown to exhibit greater volatility. Only panel data can reveal this important labour market effect. Overall, the British Household Panel Survey should be seen as a useful addition to increasing our knowledge of Britain's ethnic minorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on the earnings generated among persons who were self-employed and those of ethnic origin in Great Britain between 1973 and 1995. Impact of self-employment to the economic performance of Great Britain; Why self-employment is crucial to ethnic minorities; Characteristics of the British labor market.

Investigates the earnings and unemployment disadvantages among ethnic minorities in Great Britain. Identification of minorities born in Britain and those born abroad; Earnings prospects of Britain-born members; Use of the data from the 1991 Census and the Labor Force Survey.