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Data on educational attainments are often qualitative data where the only information available is the highest level of education of the individual. If these levels of education may be ranked, the ...

Migration has traditionally been used as a survival strategy in times of financial crisis; however, a debate exists as to whether migration influences poverty on the individual level. The current study analyses the influence of past subjective poverty on migration choice and to determine the impact of migration on current subjective poverty perception. Using a simultaneous bivariate ordered probit model, we found that poorer individuals in Egypt tend to migrate more than others. Migration was found to be a significant determinant of current poverty in Egypt. Finally, migration improved migrant’s financial situation.

An extensive literature has evolved, particularly in the United States, around the notion of social cohesion. This literature marks a shift away from sociological ideas of the past. It reflects the profound economic and social changes that societies have undergone in the last 30 years under the impact of successive crises, the development of market relations in most spheres of social life and the effects of globalisation. As at other times in the past, these changes call into question what it means ‘to live in society’. The notion of social cohesion has been the subject of considerable debate (for example Chan et al., 2006; Green et al., 2006; Dubet et al., 2010). The arguments have been all the more intense since various countries have put the spotlight on social cohesion as the foundation and/or goal of public policies. Thus the European Union (EU), for example, has offered member states a set of targets and indicators linked to social cohesion as part of the ‘European social model’. Similarly, in Canada (Patrimoine Canadien, 2004; Jeannotte, 2000) several government reports have examined this issue.

As part of the so-called Lisbon process, the European Union (EU) has strongly emphasised the importance of education and training systems for the knowledge society. Recommendations aimed at member states have gradually been developed, based on indicators of objectives to be achieved. The open method of coordination has been extended to encompass vocational training. In the field of higher education, we are familiar with the so-called ‘Bologna’ process, which seeks among other things to harmonise the three main levels of education across Europe. Over the past 30 years, the majority of European countries have seen strong growth in the numbers of pupils pursuing their studies to upper secondary. This trend has been continued by the advent of mass higher education. As part of this exchange of good practice between countries, objectives have been set, including in an area entitled ‘making lifelong learning a reality’, another entitled ‘improving equity in education and training’ and a third called ‘key competences for young people’ (Commission Europeenne, 2007, pp. 3–4).

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of job‐training programs, initiated by the Moroccan government and called “special training contracts”, on the performance of Moroccan firms.Design/methodology/approachTwo databases (MICT, OFPPT) of Moroccan firms were considered. Matched databases were completed using a questionnaire survey. Panel data with 322 firms from 2001 to 2003 were obtained.FindingsThe paper highlights that “special training contracts” is an efficient measure of public policy. Indeed, job‐training programs increase the competitiveness and performance of Moroccan firms. Additionally, it was shown that firms have different perceptions of the role of public policy. It was emphasised that training effects are higher when training is considered as part of a human resources development strategy. On the contrary, when firms view public policy as just a financing opportunity, they do not get any returns from training.Practical implicationsA better understanding of the role of STC may increase training efficiency.Originality/valueThe case of an emerging country, Morocco, was studied. The conclusion of the analysis could provide solutions linking human resources management to issues of growth and long‐term development.

This paper investigates the relation between advances in technology and trends in the gender wage gaps in the US service industry. Using quarterly US Current Population Survey data on employment and wages by four major occupations between 1979 and 2001, the paper estimates a constant elasticity of substitution production function (CES) that incorporates male and female labor inputs, a non-labor input and a productivity parameter function that captures non-neutral technological change. The model is estimated by two stage least squares (2SLS) with cross-equation restrictions. The results reveal a narrowing effect of technological change on the female-male wages for the highest skill level occupation (managerial, professional occupations). This effect is robust to controlling for the unexplained gender wage gap and to using direct measures of technological change. The effect of technological change on the gender wage gaps for the other skill levels tends to diminish or disappear altogether once changes in unexplained gender wage gaps are adjusted for. The results highlight the importance of considering the unexplained gender wage gaps in examining the effect of technological change on the gender wage gaps.

The aim of this chapter is to analyze the sources of earnings dispersion between trainees and nontrainees. We stress three mechanisms by which investment in general training may affect wage inequality: directly via participation to a general training program and indirectly via the selection process of trainees or the existence of heterogeneous returns on training. This chapter adopts an approach originally proposed by Fields (2003) but extends it to the breakdown of inequality by population subgroups – those who received training and those who did not. The empirical illustration is based on four French surveys, the 2006 Adult Educational Survey and the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Labor Force Surveys that complement it.