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Abstract: This paper revisits the trade and wages debate of the 1990s in the light of widespread concern that, contrary to the consensus from that debate, the costs of globalisation to less‐skilled workers in developed countries have been an important cause of the recent rise of populism. The 1990s debate stimulated a new and now large field of economic research, but in hindsight it suffered from errors of omission on both sides, and from an academic perspective it ended prematurely. Even now, the available evidence does not permit any firm conclusion about the contribution of globalisation to the rise in inequality in developed countries over the past few decades. The economic consensus at the end of the debate also fostered unwarranted political complacency about the social costs of globalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Malaysian manufacturing sector has been experiencing a gradual change in its production process as it shifts from labor-intensive to more capital-intensive techniques. This has led to a change in the skills required by the industries where skilled workers are in greater demand and where the wage ratio between skills favors the skilled workers. There are many factors that can influence an indi-vidual's earnings. These include educational attainment, job location, types of industries and sex. This paper attempts to measure the determinants of earnings differentials among skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers in the Malaysian manufacturing sector. The analysis is based on a survey of 2065 workers in six major industries conducted in 1999. These are the electrical and electronics, textile, wood-based, transport equipment, food and chemical industries. The determin-ants of earnings differentials are obtained by using the coefficients of the earnings functions. These factors are decomposed into several categories, namely human capital, individual characteristics and the residual. The results reveal that human capital variables, which comprise education, training and experience, play a significant role in determining the earnings differentials, particularly between skilled and semi-skilled workers and between semi-skilled and unskilled workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to explore the potential for health promotion from the perspective of participants in a particular situation. This study focuses on experiences of well-being and the potential for health promotion among unskilled workers in the kitchen and laundry room in an acute care hospital in Iceland. These experiences are analysed in light of the material and structural factors that shape working conditions. The research method used was grounded theory. The data were formal and informal interviews, and participant observation. The findings revealed considerable differences between the two work groups. At both sites strain on the body, caused by excessive noise, heavy lifting and uncomfortable working arrangements, were identified. Similarly, the work was often experienced as monotonous and demanding. Human relations were identified as a key factor in ameliorating the conditions that led to experiences of strain by the workers at both work sites. This was however where the two work places differed. In the laundry room, the workers felt respected and acknowledged by their coworkers and managers. Belonging to the work group was important and they felt listened to by the supervisor. Very little cohesiveness was observed among the workers in the kitchen. The managers seemed to be absent from the floor, workers were divided into work groups that sometimes showed antagonism towards each other and few channels were available for complaints and suggestions for improvement. The workers in the laundry room, on the other hand, related positive experiences of work. They felt that steps were taken by managers to improve working conditions to the extent possible and participated in those attempts by bringing up suggestions, implementing change and developing their own ways of coping with the work. This study gives important directions for health promotion in the workplace, emphasizing human relations at work, rather than individual health behaviour away from the work setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]