economic competitiveness thesis

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COMPETITIVENESS IN THE ECONOMIC CONCEPTS, THEORIES AND EMPIRICAL RESEARCH

The objective of this study is to analyze the competitiveness through the prism of its theoretical background, methods of empirical estimation and infl uence factors. This paper contributes to the theoretical research on competitiveness not only by the synthesis of old and new writings as well as the fi ndings of the exploratory studies, but also by concept synthesis of competitiveness. Since the concept of competitiveness can be reported to individual product/service, enterprise/farm, industry, economic sector, region, nation or international economic blocks, the attempts towards creating one common defi nition of competitiveness seem to be doomed to fail. Thus, our study does not answer the question which of the defi nitions proposed in the literature best capture commonly used notions of competitiveness, but our concern is about the ambiguity of those defi nitions which hampers the measurement and comparison of competitiveness. In order to mirror complexity of the aspects referring to the competitiveness we suggest using composite indicators to measure competitiveness. An important limitation of the empirical research on competitiveness is imperfect comparability of results across studies using different variables (features) describing competitiveness.

Related Papers

ECONOMY AND SOCIOLOGY: Theoretical and Scientifical Journal

Tatiana Gutium

Abstract: The vector of development of Moldovan economy, as well as the world economy, is unstable. In order not to be exposed to external shocks, it is necessary to ensure sustainable growth of the national economy. Only an economy that offers competitive products can achieve this goal. The object of the research is represented by the factors influencing the competitiveness of a product, and the main goals are the structuring of competitiveness factors and the development of new approaches in assessing competitive advantages. The following empirical and theoretical methods hjave been used in the study: observation and data collection, the method of scientific abstractions, comparative analysis, regression analysis, economic and mathematical modelling. In this article, the author has developed and applied two new ways to assess competitiveness. The study showed that the Moldovan economy is based on the production of primitive goods, while in order to achieve stable economic growth it is necessary to redirect its resources to the production of high-tech products and products with high added value

Silvia Dusa

Trade, service, food industry

Marina Krylova

The works of scientists devoted to the study of competition and competitiveness were used as the information base of the study. The article discusses various theoretical and methodological approaches to the definition of the economic essence of the concepts of "competition" and "competitiveness". The discussion of economists regarding the definition of the designated categories continues at the present time, since there is a close relationship between their essence and the impact of external and internal factors on the activities of economic entities, and the list and content of these factors varies in time and space. The authors analyzed the interpretations of the concepts of "competition" and "competitiveness" in order to identify the most common features in determining their essence. Based on the studied approaches, the author's interpretation of the category "competitiveness" is formulated. The results of the conducted resear...

John Hawkins

A number of concepts of competitiveness are applied to national economies, not always clearly or helpfully. This paper suggests a possible taxonomy of these concepts, and applies them to Australian data. Australia performs well on the internal competitiveness of its markets. It also does well in measures of competitiveness based on other fundamental drivers of economic growth. Other indices of competitiveness, comparing prices and costs in Australia with those overseas, suffer from conceptual and measurement problems and are therefore of limited value.

Jahir Lombana

RIZKY APRIANBUDI

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. This content downloaded from 128. The concept of competitiveness has been studied by researchers from a variety o,f perspectives using different methodologies. Though there is a large volume of literature on the subject, there is a dearth of systematic reviews of the extant literature. This paper is an attempt in that direction. It presents a classificatory scheme using two dimensions-level of analysis (nation, industry andfirm) and types of variables used to explain competitiveness. The implicit and explicit research questions addressed and issues related to definition, measurement and sources of competitiveness at various levels are also discussed. It is suggested that given its complexity an eclectic approach combining different schools of thought and using multiple measurement schemes would be appropriate for doing research on competitiveness.

Journal of Management

Diana Daskevic

Business competitiveness topic is widely discussed among researchers in various science disciplines and areas. Industries and companies have been forced to adapt their activity to various changes that have a significant impact on their competitiveness. The authors revise contemporary concept of business competitiveness. Competitiveness provides direction for long-term economic growth, contributes to increasing asset value and competitive advantages, attracts more investment. Therefore, this study aims to assess how well the existing literature on competitiveness. The competitive situation of the market allows for a company to retain its customers for the long term, and to this end, providing quick and flexible service and ensuring the availability of products are of key importance. Existing research is largely based on a variety of innovative models and indicators, with a relatively small difference being the assumed operational relationship of competitive factors at different scales. Many researchers describe competitiveness at the national level. Scott and Lodge (1985) describe competitiveness as the intrinsic ability of a product to create, produce, distribute, service and/or produce a product in international trade. The tumultuous beginning of the this century has brought new challenge to companies and industries. The main criteria and sources of competitiveness at the country, industry and company level are updating the connotations of competitiveness. Individual competitiveness frameworks and models were reviewed and classified. After, the paper includes bibliometric literature study on the competitiveness in the period 2021-2023 and examines trends, as well as prospects for future research. The findings of the bibliometric analysis confirmed that research on competitiveness is mainly focused on the global market and company level.

JOURNAL OF TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

Alexander Zuñiga-Collazos

European Journal of Sustainable Development

vasilika kume

134 Economics Thesis Topics: Ideas for Outstanding Writing

Writing a thesis is not an easy task. For most of the students, it can be even intimidating, especially when you do not know where to start your research.

Here, we have provided an economics thesis topics list. After all, everyone knows that choosing the right idea is crucial when writing an academic paper. In economics, it can combine history, math, social studies, politics, and numerous other subjects. You should also have solid foundations and a sound factual basis for a thesis. Without these elements, you won’t be able to master your research paper.

The issue is:

It is not always clear what could be seen as an excellent economics thesis topic. Our experts can assist you with this challenge. This list contains some outstanding examples to get you started.

⭐ Thesis in Economics
🔥 Supreme Thesis Topics
👍 Bachelor’s Thesis
😲 Master’s Thesis

📊 Microeconomics

📈 macroeconomics.

🤔 Developmental
👨‍💼 Behavioral
💼 Financial
🌱 Agricultural
🤝‍ Sociology
📚 Ph.D. Topics
📝 How to Pick a Topic

⭐ What Does a Thesis in Economics Look Like?

A good thesis in economics is a blend between an empirical paper and a theoretical one. One of the essential steps in choosing a topic in economics is to decide which one you will write.

You may write, research, analyze statistical data and other information. Or build and study a specific economic model.

Or why not both!

Here are some questions you can ask when deciding what topic to choose:

What has already been written on this topic?
What economic variables will my paper study?
Where should I look for the data?
What econometrics techniques should I use?
What type of model will I study?

The best way to understand what type of research you have to do is to write a thesis proposal. You will most probably be required to submit it anyway. Your thesis supervisor will examine your ideas, methods, list of secondary and primary sources. At some universities, the proposal will be graded.

Master’s thesis and Bachelor’s thesis have three main differences.

After you get the initial feedback, you will have a clear idea of what to adjust before writing your thesis. Only then, you’ll be able to start.

🔥 Supreme Economics Thesis Topics List

Fast fashion in India.
The UK housing prices.
Brexit and European trade.
Behavioral economics.
Healthcare macroeconomics.
COVID-19’s economic impact.
Global gender wage gap.
Commodity dependence in Africa.
International trade – developing countries.
Climate change and business development.

👍 Economics Bachelor’s Thesis Topics

At the U.S. Universities, an undergraduate thesis is very uncommon. However, it depends on the Department Policy.

The biggest challenge with the Bachelor’s Thesis in economics concerns its originality. Even though you are not required to conduct entirely unique research, you have to lack redundant ideas.

You can easily avoid making this mistake by simply choosing one of these topics. Also, consider visiting IvyPanda essays database. It’s a perfect palce to conduct a brainstorming session and come up with fresh ideas for a paper, as well as get tons of inspiration.

The impact of the oil industry on the economic development of Nigeria. The oil industry is vital for the economic development of Nigeria. In this thesis, students can discuss the notion of the resource curse. Analyze the reasons why general people are not benefiting from the oil industry. Why did it produce very little change in the social and economic growth of the country?
Sports Marketing and Advertising: the impact it has on the consumers.
Economic opportunities and challenges of investing in Kenya .
Economic Development in the Tourism Industry in Africa. Since the early 1990s, tourism significantly contributed to the economic growth of African countries. In this thesis, students can talk about the characteristics of the tourist sector in Africa. Or elaborate on specific countries and how their national development plans look like.
Globalization and its significance to business worldwide .
Economic risks connected to investing in Turkey .
The decline in employment rates as the biggest American economy challenge .
The economics of alcohol abuse problems. In this thesis, students can develop several essential issues. First, they can examine how poverty is connected to alcohol abuse. Second, they can see the link between alcohol consumption and productivity. To sum up, students can elaborate on the economic costs of alcohol abuse.
Causes and solutions for unemployment in Great Britain.
Parallel perspective on Global Economic Order: China and America. This thesis can bring a comparative analysis of the economies to a new level. China and The US are the world’s two largest economies. These two countries have a significant impact on the global economic order. So, looking at the set of institutions, policies, rules can be constructive.
The new international economic order after COVID-19
Financial stability of the banking sector in China.
New Electronic Payment Services in Russia.
The influence of culture on different entrepreneurial behaviors.
The impact of natural cultural practices on entrepreneurial activity.
The relationships between national culture and individual behavior.
The main reasons for salary inequalities in different parts of the U.S.

😲 Economics Master’s Thesis Topics

Student life can be fascinating, but it comes with its challenges. One of which is selecting your Master’s thesis topic.

Here is a list of topics for a Master’s thesis in economics. Are you pursuing MPhil in Economics and writing a thesis? Use the following ideas as an inspiration for that. They can also be helpful if you are working on a Master’s thesis in financial economics.

The impact of visual aid in teaching home economics.
The effect of income changes in consumer behaviors in America.
Forces behind socio-economic inequalities in the United States. This thesis can explore three critical factors for socio-economic differences in the United States. In the past 30 years, social disparities increased in the United States. Some of the main reasons are technology, trade, and institutions.
The relationships between economic growth and international development.
Technological innovations and their influence on green and environmental products.
The economics of non-solar renewable energy .

Renewable energy is beneficial for various economic reasons.

The economic consequences of terrorism . Terrorism not only takes away lives and destroys property but also widely affects the economy. It creates uncertainty in the market, increases insurance claims, slows down investment projects, and tourism. This thesis can address all of the ways in which terrorism can affect economies.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) implementation in the Oil and Gas Industry in Africa.
Use of incentives in behavioral economics.
Economic opportunities and challenges of sustainable communities .
Economics of nuclear power plants.
Aid and financial help for emerging markets. This topic is very versatile. Students can look at both the positive and the adverse effects that funding has on the development. There are plenty of excellent examples. Besides, some theories call international help a form of neocolonialism.
Multinational firms impact on economic growth in America .
The effect of natural disasters on economic development in Asia.
The influence of globalization on emerging markets and economic development.

📑 More Economics Thesis Topics: Theme

For some students, it makes more sense to center their search around a certain subject. Sometimes you have an econ area that interests you. You may have an idea about what you want to write, but you did not decide what it will be.

If that’s the case with you, then these economics thesis topics ideas are for you.

An analysis of the energy market in Russia.
The impact of game theory on economic development.
The connection between minimum wage and market equilibrium.
Gender differences in the labor market in the United States. This topic can shed light on gender differences in the labor market in the United States. In the past years, the overall inequality in labor in the markets decreased. However, there is still a lot of work that can be done.
Economic reasons that influence the prices of oil .
Relationship between the Lorenz curve and the Gini coefficient.
Challenges of small businesses in the market economy.
The changes in oil prices: causes and solutions . Universal economic principles do not always apply to the sale and purchase of the oil. The same happens with its cost. In the thesis, talk about what affects the prices. What are the solutions that can be implemented?
The economic analysis of the impact of immigration on the American economy.

Immigration has a little long-run effect on Americans’ wages.

Economic inequality as a result of globalization . Economic inequality becomes even more apparent on the global level. There is a common belief that globalization is the cause of that. Discuss what can be the solutions to these problems. This topic is vital to minimize the gap between the rich and the poor.
The economic explanation of political dishonesty .
Effect of Increasing Interest rates costs in Africa .
The connection between game theory and microeconomics.
Marketing uses in microeconomics.
Financial liability in human-made environmental disasters.
Banks and their role in the economy. Banks are crucial elements of any economy, and this topic covers why. You can explain how banks allow the goods and services to be exchanged. Talk about why banks are so essential for economic growth and stability.
Inflation in the US and ways to reduce its impact.
The connection between politics and economics.
Income Dynamics and demographic economics.
US Market Liquidity and macroeconomics.
Macroeconomics and self-correction of the economy .
The American economy, monetary policy, and monopolies .
The importance of control in macroeconomics. One of the central topics in macroeconomics is grouped around the issue of control. It is quite reasonable that control over money and resources should become a topic of discussion.
Analysis of Africa’s macroeconomics and its performance.
Economics of education in developing markets.
Problems and possible solutions for Japan macroeconomics .
Comparative analysis of British macroeconomics concerning the US .
Public policies and socio-economic disparities.
The world problems through macroeconomic analysis. Indeed, macroeconomics is very complicated. There are many influences, details, and intricacies in it. However, it allows economists to use this complex set of tools to examine the world’s leading problems today.

There are four main problems in macroeconomics.

The connection between employment interest and money.

🤔 Development Economics

Economics of development . This topic is very rich in content. First, explain what it is. Then pay particular attention to domestic and international policies that affect development, income distribution, and economic growth.
The relation between development and incentive for migration.
The impact of natural disasters on the economy and political stability of emerging markets.
The economic consequences of population growth in developing countries.
The role of industrialization in developing countries . The industrialization has been connected with the development. It promotes capital formation and catalyzes economic growth in emerging markets. In this thesis, you can talk about this correlation.
Latin American economic development.
Gender inequality and socio-economic development .
Problems of tax and taxation in connection with economic growth.
The economic impact of terrorism on developing markets.
Religious decline as a key to economic development. Not everyone knows, but a lot of research has been done in the past years on the topic. It argues that decreased religious activity is connected with increased economic growth. This topic is quite controversial. Students who decide to write about it should be extra careful and polite.

👨‍💼 Behavioral Economics

Risk Preferences in Rural South Africa.
Behavioral Economics and Finance .
Applied behavioral economics in marketing strategies. If you want to focus your attention on marketing, this topic is for you. Behavioral economics provides a peculiar lens to look at marketing strategies. It allows marketers to identify common behaviors and adapt their marketing strategies.
The impact of behavioral finance on investment decisions.
Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs in North Texas.
Guidelines for Behavioral Economics in Healthcare Sector.
Cognitive and behavioral theories in economics .
Cross-cultural consumer behavior and marketing communication. Consumers are not only affected by personal characteristics, but also by the culture they are living in. This topic focuses on the extent it should determine marketing strategy and communication.
Behavior implications of wealth and inequality.

The richest population holds a huge portion of the national income.

Optimism and pessimism for future behavior.

💼 Financial Economics

Financial Economics for Infrastructure and Fiscal Policy .
The use of the economic concept of human capital. Students can focus on the dichotomy between human and nonhuman capital. Many economists believe that human capital is the most crucial of all. Some approach this issue differently. Therefore, students should do their research and find where they stand on this issue.
The analysis of the global financial crisis of 2020s. Share your thoughts, predictions, ideas. Analyze the economic situation that affects almost everyone in the world. This thesis topic will be fresh and original. It can help to start a good and fruitful conversation.
The big data economic challenges for Volvo car.
The connection between finance, economics, and accounting.
Financial economics: Banks competition in the UK .
Risk-Taking by mutual funds as a response to incentives.
Managerial economics and financial accounting as a basis for business decisions.
Stock market overreaction.

🌱 Agricultural Economics

Agricultural economics and agribusiness.
The vulnerability of agricultural business in African countries.
Agricultural economics and environmental considerations of biofuels .
Farmer’s contribution to agricultural social capital.
Agricultural and resource economics. Agricultural and resource economics plays a huge role in development. They are subdivided into four main characteristics which in this topic, students can talk about: – mineral and energy resources; – soil resources, water resources; – biological resources. One or even all of them can be a focus of the thesis.
Water as an economic good in irrigated agriculture.
Agriculture in the economic development of Iran.
The US Agricultural Food Policy and Production .
Pesticides usage on agricultural products in California.

The region of greatest pesticide use was San Joaquin Valley.

An analysis of economic efficiency in agriculture. A lot of research has been done on the question of economic efficiency in agriculture. However, it does not mean there is no place for your study. You have to read a lot of secondary sources to see where your arguments can fit.

🤝‍Economic Sociology

Theory, approach, and method in economics sociology.
Economic sociology of capitalism. While economists believe in the positive effect capitalism has on the economy, the social effect is quite different. The “economic” part of the issue has been studied a lot. However, the sociology of it has been not. This thesis can be very intriguing to read.
Political Economy and Economic Sociology.
Gender and economic sociology .
Progress, sociology, and economics.
Data analysis in economics, sociology, environment .
Economic sociology as a way to understand the human mind.
Economic sociology of money.
Economics, sociology, and psychology of security.
Major principles of economic sociology. In the past decade, economic sociology became an increasingly popular field. Mainly due to it giving a new view on economics, human mind, and behavior. Besides, it explores relationships between politics, law, culture, and gender.

📚 The List of Ph.D. Topics in Economics

If you decide to go to grad school to do your Masters, you will likely end up getting a Ph.D. as well. So, with this plan in mind, think about a field that interests you enough during your Masters. Working with the same topic for both graduate degrees is easier and more effective.

This list of Ph.D. Topics in Economics can help you identify the areas you can work on.

Occupational injuries in Pakistan and its effect on the economy. Injuries are the leading cause of the global burden of disability. Globally, Pakistan was ranked 9th populated country with a large number of unskilled workers. In this dissertation, consider the link between occupational injuries and their effects on the economy.
The study of the Philippines’ economic development.

The Philippine economy is projected to continue on its expansionary path.

Financial derivatives and climate change .
Econometric Analysis of Financial Markets.
Islamic Banking and Financial Markets .
Health economics and policy in the UK.
Health insurance: rationale and economic justification. In this dissertation, students can find different ways to explain and justify health insurance. Starting to philosophical to purely economic grounds. In the past years, there was a lot of discussion regarding the healthcare system for all. What are some of the economic benefits of that?
Colombian economy, economic growth, and inequality.
Benefits of mergers and acquisitions in agribusiness.
Methods to measure financial risks when investing in Africa.
The significance of financial economics in understanding the relationship between a country’s GDP and NDP.
Network effects in cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrencies are not new anymore. However, it is still an original subject for a dissertation. Students can decide to choose several crypto coins and evaluate the importance of the network effect. This effect is particularly significant for Bitcoin. Explain why.
The comparison of the Chinese growth model with the American growth model.
An economic justification versus political expediency.
Pollution Externalities Role in Management Economics .

📝 How to Select an Economics Thesis Topic

As your academic journey is coming to an end, it’s time to pick the right topic for your thesis. The whole academic life you were preparing to undertake this challenge.

Here is the list of six points that will help you to select an economics thesis topic:

Make sure it is something you are genuinely interested in. It is incredibly challenging to write something engaging if you are not interested in the topic. So, choose wisely and chose what excites you.
Draw inspiration from the previous student’s projects. A great place to start is by looking at what the previous students wrote. You can find some fresh ideas and a general direction.
Ask your thesis advisor for his feedback. Most probably, your thesis advisor supervised many students before. They can be a great help too because they know how to assess papers. Before meeting with your professor, do some basic research, and understand what topic is about.
Be original, but not too much. You do not want to spend your time writing about a project that many people wrote about. Your readers will not be interested in reading it, but your professors as well. However, make sure you do not pick anything too obscure. It will leave you with no secondary sources.
Choose a narrow and specific topic. Not only will it allow you to be more original, but also to master a topic. When the issue is too broad, there is just too much information to cover in one thesis.
Go interdisciplinary. If you find yourself interested in history, philosophy, or any other related topic, it can help you write an exceptional thesis in economics. Most of your peers may work on pure economics. Then, the interdisciplinary approach can help you to stand out among them.

Some universities ask their students to focus on topics from one discipline.

Thank you for reading the article to the end! We hope this list of economics thesis topics ideas could help you to gather your thoughts and get inspired. Share it with those who may find it useful. Let us know what you think about it in the comment section below.

🔗 References

Economics Thesis Topics List: Seminars Only
How To Pick A Topic For Your Economics Research Project Or Master’s Thesis: INOMICS, The Site for Economists
What Do Theses and Dissertations Look Like: KU Writing Center, the University of Kansas
Writing Economics: Robert Neugeboren with Mireille Jacobson, University of Harvard
Economics Ph.D. Theses: Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School, IDEAS_RePEc
World Economic Situation and Prospects 2018: United Nations
Undergraduate Honors Theses: Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley
Economics Department Dissertations Collection: Economics Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Topics for Master Theses: Department of Economics, NHH, Norwegian School of Economics
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The dilemma I faced in getting Thesis proposal for my M Phil programme is taken away. Your article would be a useful guide to many more students.Thank you for your guidance.

Thanks for the feedback, John! Your opinion is very important for us!

I wants it for msc thesis

These are very helpful and concise research topics which I have spent days surfing the internet to get all this while. Thanks for making research life experience easier for me. Keep this good work up.

Thank you, Idris!

Glad to hear that! Thank you for your feedback, Idris!

Excellent research

For research

A very well written, clear and easy-to-read article. It was highly helpful. Thank you!

Thanks for your kind words! We look forward to seeing you again!

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Shi, Xuezhu (2019) Essays on public and private welfare provisions in China. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Balboni, Clare Alexandra (2019) In harm's way? Infrastructure investments and the persistence of coastal cities. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Łukasz, Rachel (2019) Essays in applied macroeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Robles Garcia, Claudia (2019) Essays in household finance. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Minaudier, Clement (2019) Essays in information economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ek, Andreas K. H. (2019) Essays on the economics of culture. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Biermann, Marcus (2019) Essays in international trade and investment. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Koenig, Felix (2019) Studies of labor market data. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Nguyen, Kieu-Trang (2019) Essays on firms, innovation, and culture. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ding, Weihan (2019) Essays in information economics and political economy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Cabrera, Carlo Antonio (2018) Essays in learning and information design. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Dennery, Charles (2018) Essays on macroeconomic implications of the labour market. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Drechsel, Thomas (2018) Essays on macroeconomic fluctuations. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Walter, Torsten (2018) Misallocation of state capacity? PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

O’Keeffe, Thomas (2018) Development writ small. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Seibold, Arthur (2018) Essays on behavioral responses to social insurance and taxation. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Staab, Manuel (2018) Essays on peer effects in social groups and information misperception. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sivropoulos-Valero, Anna (2018) Essays on skills, management and productivity. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Mavrokonstantis, Panos (2018) Essays on the economics of gender identity and behavioural responses to tax policy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Gu, Jiajia (2018) Three essays on macro labour economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Porcellacchia, Davide (2018) Three essays on money and banking: effects of monetary policy on liquidity risk. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Azulai, Michel Dummar (2018) The political economy of government formation and local public goods. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Dong, Hao (2018) Essays in microeconometrics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Kassem, Dana (2018) Electrification and industrial development in Indonesia. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Battiston, Diego (2018) Essays on communication, social interactions and information. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Liang, Yan (2018) Essays on institutions and economic performance. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Tokis, Konstantinos (2018) Essays on microeconomic theory. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Roel, Marcus (2018) Essays in behavioral economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Adusumilli, Karun (2018) Essays on inference in econometric models. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Huang, Hanwei (2018) Three essays on firms and international trade. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Benetton, Matteo (2018) Essays in household finance and banking. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sormani, Roberto Claudio (2018) Essays on cooperation. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Roy, Sutanuka (2018) Economics of social, gender, and income inequalities. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Khatib-Shahidi, Milad (2018) Essays in public economics and development. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Huber, Kilian (2018) Finance and the real economy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sannino, Francesco (2018) Essays in entrepreneurial finance. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Caramellino, Gianpaolo (2018) Essays in applied microeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Pisch, Frank (2017) Essays in international trade and organisational economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Brue Perez, Albert (2017) Essays on the economics of energy efficiency policies. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Rossi, Federico (2017) Essays in applied macroeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Lin, Yatang (2017) Essays on environmental and urban economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Tam, Hiu Fung (2017) Essays on microeconomic incentives in public policies. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sevinc, Orhun (2017) Essays on tasks, technology, and trends in the labor market. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Blum, Florian (2017) Essays on public service delivery and agricultural development. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Espinosa Farfan, Miguel Andres (2017) Essays on the organizational economics of the lobbying market. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Maurer, Stephan (2017) Essays in applied economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Grinis, Inna (2017) Essays in applied computational economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Xu, Guo (2017) Essays in development and organizations. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Taylor, Luke (2017) Essays in nonparametric estimation and inference. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Pinder, Jonathan (2017) Essays in applied macroeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Limodio, Nicola (2017) Essays in development, banking and organisations. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Yamasaki, Junichi (2017) Essays on development economics and Japanese economic history. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Windsteiger, Lisa Verena (2017) Essays on sorting and inequality. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Carreras Baquer, Oriol (2016) Essays in macroeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Zane, Giulia (2016) Workers’ absences and productivity in the Indian registered manufacturing sector. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Roland, Isabelle (2016) Essays on financial frictions and productivity. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

de Ferra, Sergio (2016) Essays in international macroeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Alves, Pedro (2016) Essays on consumer learning and behavioural economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Squires, Munir (2016) Kinship taxation as a constraint on microenterprise growth. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Lei, Yu-Hsiang (2016) Essays in political economics of development. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Jensen, Anders (2016) Essays in public finance. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Bo, Shiyu (2016) Essays on development economics and Chinese economy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Thwaites, Gregory (2016) Essays on the macroeconomics of the great recession. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Martınez, Luis (2016) Essays on the political economy of development. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

De Philippis, Marta (2016) Essays in economics of education. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Derksen, Laura (2016) Information, social interactions and health seeking behavior. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Pinto, Pedro Franco de Campos (2016) Essays on financial macroeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

de Silva, Tiloka (2016) Essays on the economics of education and fertility. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Körber, Lena (2015) Essays in panel data econometrics with cross-sectional dependence. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Marden, Samuel (2015) Agriculture, development and structural change in reform-era China. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Deserranno, Erika (2015) Essays in development economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ytsma, Erina (2015) Performance pay in academia: effort, selection and assortative matching. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Bryzgalova, Svetlana (2015) Essays in empirical asset pricing. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Metelli, Luca (2015) Essays in macroeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Clymo, Alex (2015) Essays in macroeconomics and finance. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Enkhbayar, Delger (2015) Identification of adverse selection and moral hazard: evidence from a randomised experiment in Mongolia. MPhil thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Moore, Alexander (2015) Infrastructure, market access and trade in developing countries. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Juhász, Réka (2015) Temporary protection, technology adoption and economic development: data and evidence from the age of revolution in France. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Garred, Jason (2015) Trade in raw materials and economic development. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sandford, Sarah (2015) Essays in agent motivation. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Hodge, Andrew (2015) Essays on the social welfare effects of fiscal policy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Shanghavi, Amar (2015) Three essays in applied economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Kawaguchi, Kohei (2015) Essays in industrial economics: applications for marketing and management decisions. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Palazzo, Francesco (2015) Essays in market microstructure. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Zhang, Min (2015) Essays in social learning. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Pessoa, Joao (2015) Essays in trade and labour markets. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

McDowall, Ana (2015) Essays on dynamic political economy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Winkler, Fabian (2015) Essays on financial markets and business cycles. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Riegler, Markus (2015) Essays on frictional labour markets with heterogeneous agents. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

de Souza, Pedro (2015) Essays on identification and estimation of networks. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Pardo Reinoso, Oliver (2015) Essays on microeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Chen, Xiaoguang (2015) Essays on the dispersion of effective VAT rates in China: causes and consequences. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Lanteri, Andrea (2015) Three essays in macroeconomics: capital reallocation, capital utilization and optimal policy with partial information. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Fetzer, Thiemo (2014) Of naxalites, pirates and microfinance borrowers: three essays in applied microeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Boehm, Johannes (2014) Essays on institutions and productivity. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Hofmann, Anett (2014) Commitment savings products: theory and evidence. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Mallucci, Enrico (2014) Essays in international finance. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Bagaria, Nitika (2014) Essays in labour economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Nica, Melania (2014) Essays in organisational economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Vesal, Mohammad (2014) Essays in public economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Osorio-Rodriguez, Daniel (2014) Essays on financial policy and macroeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Çeliktemur, Mustafa Can (2014) Essays on intermediation in trade problems. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Pinna, Fabio (2014) Essays in applied microeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Graetz, Georg (2014) Essays in labor economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Best, Michael Carlos (2014) Essays on the economics of taxation. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Piffer, Michele (2014) An analysis of leverage ratios and default probabilities. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Steinwender, Claudia (2014) International and innovation activities of firms. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

de Quidt, Jonathan (2014) Essays on contract design in behavioral and development economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Asık, Gunes (2014) Empirical essays on employment, financial development and stability. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Skellern, Matthew (2014) Essays on public services, markets, and intrinsic motivation. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Silva-Junior, Daniel (2013) Essays on industrial organization. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Berlingieri, Giuseppe (2013) Essays on international trade and firm organization. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Richter, Barbara (2013) Essays on the skill premium and the skill bias of technological change. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Cheng, Wenya (2013) Essays on Chinese economy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ortiz, Marco Antonio (2013) Essays in macroeconomic theory: informational frictions, market microstructure and fat-tailed shocks. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Kodritsch, Sebastian (2013) Essays on bargaining theory and welfare when preferences are time inconsistent. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Feng, Andy (2013) Essays on human capital. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Barrdear, John (2013) Incomplete information and the idiosyncratic foundations of aggregate volatility. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Costa, Francisco (2013) Essays in applied economics: evidence from Brazil. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Blanchenay, Patrick (2013) Essays in applied microeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Foulis, Angus (2013) Essays on credit frictions and the macroeconomy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Converse, Nathan (2013) Essays on international capital flows. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Leckcivilize, Attakrit (2013) Essays on labour economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Gupta, Abhimanyu (2013) Essays on spatial autoregressive models with increasingly many parameters. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Waseem, Mazhar (2013) Essays on taxation in limited tax capacity environment. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Brockmeyer, Anne (2013) Essays on business taxation and development. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Fornaro, Luca (2013) Essays on monetary and exchange rate policy in financially fragile economies. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Yazaki, Yukihiro (2013) Essays on policy-making incentives of government. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

La Cava, Giancarlo (2013) Credit supply shocks in the US housing market. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sanches, Fabio Miessi (2013) Essays on estimation of dynamic games. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ahnert, Toni (2013) Essays on financial crises, contagion and macro-prudential regulation. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Boehm, Michael Johannes (2013) Three essays on the allocation of talent. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Natraj, Ashwini (2012) Essays on archaic institutions and modern technology. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Siegel, Christian (2012) Essays in macroeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Mitchell, Tara (2012) Essays on the importance of access to information in developing countries. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Damas de Matos, Ana Sofia (2012) The labour market integration of immigrants and their children. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Thawornkaiwong, Supachoke (2012) Statistical inference on linear and partly linear regression with spatial dependence: parametric and nonparametric approaches. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Vanden Eynde, Oliver (2012) Three essays on political economy and economic development. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Lembcke, Alexander (2012) Essays in labor economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Vernazza, Daniel (2012) Essays on the causes of migration. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Lisicky, Milan (2012) Essays on the macroeconomic impact of trade and monetary policy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Miner, Luke (2012) Essays on the role of the internet in development and political change. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Cena, Mariano Andrés (2012) On booms and busts in Latin American economies. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Bracke, Philippe (2012) Prices, rents, and homeownership: three essays on housing markets. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Zápal, Jan (2012) Dynamic group decision making. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Hansen, James (2012) Distortions in financial markets and monetary policy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Contreary, Kara Alette (2012) Essays on information and career concerns in organizations. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Long, Iain William (2012) Essays on the economics of crime. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Lee, Jungyoon (2012) Non-parametric methods under cross-sectional dependence. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Schelkle, Thomas (2012) Topics in macroeconomics: mortgage default, demographic change and factor misallocation. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sinn, Miriam (2012) Topics in microﬁnance and behavioural economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ortego Marti, Victor (2012) Unemployment history and frictional wage dispersion in search models of the labor market. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Chen, Jiaqian (2012) Essays on financial frictions: China and rest of the world. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Locarno, Alberto (2012) Learning, monetary policy and asset prices. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Goujard, Antoine (2012) Essays on labor economics and public finance. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ko, Giovanni (2012) Competition, conflict and institutions: three essays in applied microeconomic theory. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Domingues, Gabriela Bertol (2012) Essays on incentives and risk-taking in the fund industry. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Vega, Hugo (2012) Essays in applied macroeconomic theory: volatility, spreads, and unconventional monetary policy tools. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Tacharoen, Kitjawat (2012) Essays on effects of skill mix on productivity and determinants of foreign ownership in developing countries. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ungerer, Christoph (2012) Essays on markets with frictions: applications to the housing, labour and financial markets. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Szerman, Dimitri (2012) Public procurement auctions in Brazil. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Zhang, Qi (2011) The Balassa-Samuelson relationship: theory, evidence and implications. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ishihara, Akifumi (2011) Essays on relational contracts. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ferman, Marcelo (2011) A macro-finance approach to the term structure of interest rates. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Metzger, Daniel (2011) Human capital and decision making within the firm. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Cunningham, Thomas (2011) Essays on thresholds and on relative thinking. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Rodano, Giacomo (2011) Inequality, bankruptcy and the macroeconomy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Gulesci, Selim (2011) Poverty, occupational choice and social networks: essays in development economics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Carayol, Timothée (2011) Social capital, human capital, and labour market outcomes. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Taylor, Ashley (2011) The macroeconomic impact of ﬁnancial reforms: interactions and spillover. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Moreno de Barreda, Ines (2011) Essays in applied economic theory. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Kucuk Tuger, Hande (2011) Essays on international portfolio allocation and risk sharing. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Żurawski , Piotr Marcin (2011) Essays on market liquidity. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Barany, Zsofia Luca (2011) Essays on the macroeconomics of inequality. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Foote, Elizabeth Ellen (2011) Essays in financial intermediation and banking. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Burchardi, Konrad Burchard (2011) Three essays in applied microeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Grangård, Halfdan (2011) Health and the economy: three essays. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Rossi, Francesca (2011) Improved tests for spatial autoregressions. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Stein, Daniel (2011) Rainfall index insurance in India. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Perez-Kakabadse, H. Alonso (2010) Consumption and saving behaviour under uncertainty with unorthodox preferences. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Roy, Sanchari (2010) Essays on the role of property rights in economic development. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Michau, Jean-Baptiste (2010) Essays on unemployment and labour market policies. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Fantino, Davide (2010) Innovation activity, R&D incentives, competition and market value. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Gomes, Pedro Batista Maia (2010) Macroeconomic effects of fiscal policy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Groeger, Joachim (2010) Participation in dynamic auctions. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ribeiro, Ricardo (2010) Three essays in empirical industrial organization. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Bonfatti, Roberto (2010) Three essays on international trade, foreign influence, and institutions. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sila, Urban (2010) Working hours, childcare support, wage inequality and windfall gains. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Luppi, Barbara (2010) The consequences of behavioural bias: Bandit problems and product liability law. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Wang, Tianxi (2009) Firms, names, and the organization of financial markets. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Jose Buainain Sarquis, Sarquis (2009) Business cycles in a credit constrained small open economy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Shamloo, Maral (2009) Essays in empirical macroeconomics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Kalnina, Ilze (2009) Essays on estimation and inference for volatility with high frequency data. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Fons-Rosen, Christian (2009) Essays on knowledge flows, international economics, and entrepreneurship. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Zabczyk, Pawel (2009) Essays on macro-finance. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

McMahon, Michael Francis (2009) Essays on macroeconomics: Macroeconomic policy and economic performance. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ban, Radu (2009) Four "new political economy" essays. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Hansen, Stephen (2009) Information, career concerns and organizational performance. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sandewall, Nils Orjan (2009) Preferences and skills: Four studies into unobserved human nature and its implications. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Haacker, Markus (2008) Economic growth in development---health, demographics, and access to technologies. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Huse, Cristian (2008) Essays in applied econometrics. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Perez, Ander (2008) Essays in macroeconomics and corporate finance. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Meuller, Hannes Felix (2008) Essays on intrinsic motivation and conflict inside organizations. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Aspachs-Bracons, Oriol (2008) Financial intermediation, economic development and business cycles fluctuations. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

da Silva, Afonso Goncalves (2008) Fractional cointegration analysis of nonlinear time series with long memory. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Santos, Carlos Daniel (2008) Investment, R&D and credit constraints. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Vourvachaki, Evangelia (2008) Multi-sector growth: the role of information and communication technologies and other intermediates in recent growth experiences. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Silva, Nancy Andrea (2008) The economics of banking crisis, regulation and deposit insurance. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Muûls, Mirabelle (2007) The interaction between firms and governments in climate change and international trade. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sousa, Ricardo Jorge Magalhaes de Abreu Santos (2007) Consumption, housing and financial wealth, asset returns, and monetary policy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Tinn, Katrin (2007) Financial markets' imperfections and technology adoption. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Puglisi, Riccardo (2007) The political role of mass media in an agenda-setting framework: theory and evidence. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Vega, Marco (2006) Macroeconomic models for inflation targeting in economies with financial dollarisation. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Jorge Fernandes Mata, Tiago (2006) Dissent in economics: Making radical political economics and post Keynesian economics, 1960-1980. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Paris, Francisco (2006) Institutional failure in Venezuela: the cases of spending oil revenues and the governance of PDVSA (1975-2005). PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

De Paoli, Bianca Shelton C (2006) Welfare and macroeconomic policy in small open economies. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Vlieghe, Gertjan Willem (2005) Credit market imperfections: Macroeconomic consequences and monetary policy implications. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Yanes, Leopoldo Jose (2005) Industrial development and international trade: Technological capabilities and collusion. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Arce, Oscar J (2005) Interactions between inflation, monetary and fiscal policy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ferraris, Leo (2005) On the coexistence of money and credit. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Veronese, Barbara (2005) Representation, policy making and accountability: Learning from changes in democratic institutions. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Munoz, Sonia (2005) An empirical investigation of changes in asset ownership patterns: Microeconomic aspects and macroeconomic consequences. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Guadelupe, Maria (2005) The interaction between explicit contracting and economic conditions in labour markets. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Vallanti, Giovanna (2004) Employment dynamics, growth and institutions: empirical evidence from OECD countries. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Lopez-Garcia, Paloma (2004) Entrepreneurial activity and aggregate employment performance: Theory and OECD evidence. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Richter, Kaspar (2004) Household welfare and income shocks: The case of Russia. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Fiorio, Carlo V (2004) Microsimulation and analysis of income distribution: An application to Italy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Mueller, Elisabeth (2004) Performance of private companies: An empirical investigation into the role of control, risk and incentives. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Leonardi, Marco (2004) Three aspects of wage inequality. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Bulli, Sandra (2004) The dynamics of growth: Econometric modelling and the implications for employment. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Kim, Yong Jin (2003) Macroeconomics of skill accumulation. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Larcinese, Valentino (2003) Political information, elections and public policy. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Bayer, Ralph C (2003) The economics of income tax evasion. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Bergareche, Ana (2001) Interpreting autonomy: Work, sexual violence and women's empowerment in the northern Mexican border. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Kravatsky, Axel (2001) Use of multiple criteria decision analysis for the development of adaptive fishery management strategies: The case of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Fotaki, Marianna (2001) The impact of the market oriented reforms in the UK and Sweden: Case study cataract surgery. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Lee, Hyun-Jung (1999) Affective states at work and prosocial organisational behaviour: a case study of health care workers in the NHS. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Bennett, Sara (1999) Imperfect information and hospital competition in developing countries: A Bangkok case study. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Povel, Paul (1998) Financial contracts, bankruptcy and product market competition. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Hoesch, Donata (1998) Factor mobility: migration with brain drain and technology gain, tariff induced technology transfer and foreign direct investment by small firms. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Metochi, Melvina (1998) Mobilization and union leadership in labour organisations: The case of the public corporate sector in Cyprus. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Keller, R. Godfrey (1998) Optimal learning through experimentation by microeconomic agents. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sessions, John G (1998) Unemployment, earnings and absence: British and European labour market experience. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Fotopoulos, Georgios (1998) The determinants of firm entry and exit into Greek manufacturing industries: Sectoral, temporal and spatial variation. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Horder, Jakob (1997) Essays on financial institutions, inflation and inequality. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Chemla, Gilles (1996) Essays on the theory of the firm: Interactions between capital, product and labour markets. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Warburton, William Porter (1996) Estimating the impact of selected programs on participants' subsequent welfare dependence and employment in British Columbia. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Coyle-Shapiro, Jacqueline A-M. (1996) The impact of a TQM intervention on work attitudes: a longitudinal case study. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Shaughnessy, Scott S (1996) The politics of tax reform: Britain and France in the 1980s. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Gabriel Porcile Meirelles, Jose (1995) Economic cooperation and integration between Argentina and Brazil, 1939-92. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Collado-Vindel, Maria Dolores (1994) Dynamic econometric models for cohort and panel data: Methods and applications to life-cycle consumption. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

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Economic Crisis and National Economic Competitiveness: Does Labor Cost Link the Two? The Case of the South Eurozone States

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Dimitrios Kyrkilis 5 ,
Georgios Makris 5 &
Konstantinos Hazakis 6

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A widely accepted thesis, especially by international organizations and economic policy practitioners is that national economic competitiveness is determined by the unit labor cost, prescribing a policy of wage reductions, i.e. internal devaluation for improving national economic competitiveness. The current paper disputes this thesis arguing that it is based on theoretical and methodological misconceptions and oversimplifications, misinterpreting the Ricardo’s comparative advantage model, especially the source of comparative advantages. The Kaldor’s paradox supports in empirical terms the arguments put forward in this paper. Equally important, the paper argues that national economic competitiveness is related to the functional income distribution. It analyses the relationship between gross profits and productive investments, and it applies the conclusions of the analysis to the euro zone southern countries.

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Kyrkilis, D., Makris, G., Hazakis, K. (2016). Economic Crisis and National Economic Competitiveness: Does Labor Cost Link the Two? The Case of the South Eurozone States. In: Karasavvoglou, A., Kyrkilis, D., Makris, G., Polychronidou, P. (eds) Economic Crisis, Development and Competitiveness in Southeastern Europe. Contributions to Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40322-9_2

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Through the safeguard strategy, governments protect existing clusters, by helping them to evolve, optimize for resilience, and support them to continue to thrive through the change.
Through the spark strategy, governments spur new opportunities for economic clusters by realizing their emerging green competitive advantage.

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Economic Development

/ article, are economic clusters ready for the green transition.

By Christopher Daniel , Varad Pande , Rami Rafih , Makoto Morihara , Charmian Caines , and Tina Zuzek-Arden

Key Takeaways

From the tech innovators of Silicon Valley to the leatherworkers of Tuscany and the textile hubs of South Asia, economic clusters make the world go round. As Harvard economist Michael Porter has long argued, the global economic landscape is dominated by “critical masses” of companies that collaborate to unlock competitive advantage. 1 1 1. Michael E. Porter, “Clusters and the New Economics of Competition,” Harvard Business Review , November–December 1998. Notes: 1 1. Michael E. Porter, “Clusters and the New Economics of Competition,” Harvard Business Review , November–December 1998. By effectively managing these economic clusters, governments have been able to accelerate social and economic progress at both the regional and national levels. Today, however, policymakers face a pressing new challenge: the need to help economic clusters rapidly adapt to the green transition—and to effectively navigate the challenges and opportunities it brings.

Some important steps have been taken to address climate pressures at the cluster level. The WEF’s Transitioning Industrial Clusters Towards Net Zero initiative, for instance, has brought together 20 industrial clusters in 10 countries—representing $362 billion in economic activity and 626 million tons of CO 2 -equivalent emissions—to accelerate decarbonization. 2 2 World Economic Forum, Transitioning Industrial Clusters , WEF website, January 2024. Notes: 2 World Economic Forum, Transitioning Industrial Clusters , WEF website, January 2024. Such efforts are essential, but governments must also recognize that the green transition now impacts all businesses and all economic clusters that comprise our interconnected regional, national, and international economies.

To simultaneously minimize disruption, accelerate economic growth, and drive progress toward decarbonization will require coordinated leadership focused on two key strategies: evolving existing clusters to remain competitive and capitalizing on emerging opportunities.

The Green Transition Brings Risks and Opportunities

The green transition is primarily driven by four interconnected trends: regulators raising the bar, the falling cost of renewable energy , the lowering cost of cleantech, and growing consumer interest in green products. (See “Trends Driving the Green Transition.”)

Trends Driving the Green Transition

Such pressures make adapting to the green transition a critical business imperative for organizations of all kinds. But these intersecting trends cannot be sufficiently addressed by individual companies acting alone. Instead, they must be addressed at the ecosystem level, with economic clusters bringing collective effort, shared infrastructure, and economies of scale to bear on the systemic challenges they now face. And to do this, governments have a vital role to play in analyzing and responding to the pressures and opportunities the green transition brings for economic clusters. Only by creatively and effectively supporting economic clusters can governments turn rapid decarbonization into a driver of economic advantage and growth.

By definition, economic clusters comprise many interdependent stakeholders. The systemic changes inherent in the green transition will change the dynamics between those stakeholders. The resulting realignment will bring significant challenges—but also important new opportunities for clusters that manage the transition effectively.

As clusters come under pressure due to “green” competition, they will face risks including:

Shifting market demand away from the cluster’s core products or services and toward “greener” alternatives, forcing clusters to rapidly reinvent themselves. Germany’s Baden-Württemberg Automotive Cluster saw internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles account for over 99% of production in 2010 but less than 80% in 2022, for instance. 6 6 “Electric Vehicles,” IEA website. Notes: 6 “Electric Vehicles,” IEA website. In the United States, LED lighting went from 4% to 47% market penetration in just five years. 7 7 US Energy Information Administration, “Nearly Half of US Households Use LED Light Bulbs for All or Most of Their Indoor Lighting,” Today in Energy, EIA website, March 31, 2022. Notes: 7 US Energy Information Administration, “Nearly Half of US Households Use LED Light Bulbs for All or Most of Their Indoor Lighting,” Today in Energy, EIA website, March 31, 2022. Such shifts require clusters to rapidly reconfigure internal dynamics such as manufacturing and marketing, along with external upstream and downstream supply chains .

Green legislation impacting competitiveness, with new laws changing the way that clusters operate. Some regulations have a global impact: The EU Deforestation Regulation of 2023 is reshaping Brazil’s soybean production clusters, which export one fifth of production to European markets. 8 8 Observatory of Economic Complexity, “Soybeans in Brazil,” OEC website. Notes: 8 Observatory of Economic Complexity, “Soybeans in Brazil,” OEC website. Others have domestic impact, such as Japan’s 2020 plastic-bag penalty, which slashed total bag distribution by half over a two-year period. 9 9 Tomohiro Yamashita and Keisuke Yano, “Plastic Bag Use Plummets, but Japan Still 2nd for Plastic Waste,” The Japan News , July 4, 2023. Notes: 9 Tomohiro Yamashita and Keisuke Yano, “Plastic Bag Use Plummets, but Japan Still 2nd for Plastic Waste,” The Japan News , July 4, 2023.

Reduced access to capital as financial institutions decarbonize their investments. With over 1,600 institutions and around $40 trillion in assets—including major global banks already committed to divesting from fossil fuels, it will grow increasingly challenging for businesses in high-emission clusters to obtain capital. 10 10 Global Divestment Commitments Database website. Notes: 10 Global Divestment Commitments Database website. Indeed, some banks are now halting direct financing for new oil and gas projects or other related infrastructure. 11 11 “Barclays Focuses Capital and Resources on Supporting Energy Companies to Decarbonise,” press release, Barclays website, February 9, 2024. Notes: 11 “Barclays Focuses Capital and Resources on Supporting Energy Companies to Decarbonise,” press release, Barclays website, February 9, 2024.

These realignments can also lead to the emergence of new value pools, creating opportunities including:

Demand for upstream materials clusters as emerging technologies and evolving markets seek new raw materials. Surging demand for battery is accelerating the emergence of nickel manufacturing clusters in Indonesia, and a lithium supply chain in Chile. 12 12 Cullen Hendrix, “Rethinking Indonesia’s Nickel Policies to Power Economic Growth,” East Asia Forum, November 20, 2023; Tushar Khurana, “Chile’s National Lithium Strategy Raises Questions About the Environmental and Social Costs of EVs,” Grist , May 3, 2023. Notes: 12 Cullen Hendrix, “Rethinking Indonesia’s Nickel Policies to Power Economic Growth,” East Asia Forum, November 20, 2023; Tushar Khurana, “Chile’s National Lithium Strategy Raises Questions About the Environmental and Social Costs of EVs,” Grist , May 3, 2023.

Capitalizing on natural advantages as the latent value of previously neglected resources—including sun and wind—is realized. Oman is planning to significantly expand its wind energy capacity, reaching 1 GW by 2030, for instance, while Namibia plans to capitalize on its 300-plus sunny days per year to transform its power sector, which currently relies largely on imported energy. 13 13 Conrad Prabhu, “Oman Targets 1 GW of New Wind Energy Projects by 2030,” Oman Daily Observer , March 26, 2023; Hage G. Geingob, “Namibia Is Poised to Become the Renewable Energy Hub of Africa,” Namibia Economist , October 5, 2021. Notes: 13 Conrad Prabhu, “Oman Targets 1 GW of New Wind Energy Projects by 2030,” Oman Daily Observer , March 26, 2023; Hage G. Geingob, “Namibia Is Poised to Become the Renewable Energy Hub of Africa,” Namibia Economist , October 5, 2021. New renewable energy projects will thus reconfigure local energy markets, bringing significant benefits for clusters in the affected regions.

New “green products” generating market demand, with the need for green materials, energy, products, and services unlocks new cluster development opportunities. In Iceland, the aluminum industry is poised to prosper: though energy-intensive, its reliance on hydro and geothermal power—combined with emissions caps—will make it a leading supplier of “green” aluminum, with a carbon footprint four times to five times lower than the global average. 14 14 NA Norðurál, Natur-Al™ fact sheet. Notes: 14 NA Norðurál, Natur-Al™ fact sheet.

In short, the green transition will bring new competition—and, in many cases, existential threats—for existing clusters. But it will also create new value pools that will be captured by both existing and emerging clusters. Whether individual companies—or entire regional economies—prosper or perish will depend, in large part, on how effectively governments navigate this challenge.

Two Strategies for Governments

Governments have two key strategies available to them:

The Safeguard Strategy. Through the safeguard strategy, governments protect existing clusters, by helping them to evolve, optimize for resilience, and support them to continue to thrive through the change.

The Spark Strategy. Through the spark strategy, governments spur new opportunities for economic clusters by realizing their emerging green competitive advantage.

Governments pursuing a safeguard strategy can utilize three primary levers:

Enabling access to clean energy to support energy-intensive clusters to decarbonize and remain cost-competitive. Spain, for instance, is supporting the Basque Industrial Super Cluster—which provides over 200,000 jobs and €2 billion to €3 billion in economic activity—by promoting clean hydrogen, renewable energy, and CO 2 capture. 15 15 Steve Coates, “Transitioning Industrial Clusters Towards Net Zero,” Brainnwave. Notes: 15 Steve Coates, “Transitioning Industrial Clusters Towards Net Zero,” Brainnwave. With local laws targeting climate neutrality by 2050, policymakers are promoting energy transition strategies including energy efficiency and sustainable mobility.

Greening existing processes to drive competitive advantage. In India, the Tirupur Knitwear Cluster—which accounts for 80% of India’s knitwear exports—benefited from a $90 million public investment to support a zero liquid discharge strategy, reducing groundwater pollution while insulating the water-dependent cluster from the impact of drought. 16 16 “Tirupur’s Strides Towards Global Sustainable Leadership in Knitwear,” The Textile Magazine, September 28, 2023. Notes: 16 “Tirupur’s Strides Towards Global Sustainable Leadership in Knitwear,” The Textile Magazine, September 28, 2023. Alongside energy efficiency and compliance enforcement, such measures help make the cluster both more resilient and more sustainable.

Support green reskilling to ensure that workers with legacy skillsets get the training they need to thrive and drive value for their employers. In the US, the sustainable construction boom is being supported by national training and certification programs for green jobs, including a green plumbing certification program and an urban forestry apprenticeship program.

Governments using a spark strategy, meanwhile, have four key tools:

Attracting investment with new green zones, either by creating new clusters with a focus on sustainability or coalescing existing clusters around the needs and opportunities of the green transition. South Korea’s Songdo International Business District has become a model for sustainable urban development and cleantech innovation by drawing on strategies including green construction and smart waste and grid systems. 17 17 “Project In-Depth: The Songdo International Business District, South Korea,” Rethinking the Future. Notes: 17 “Project In-Depth: The Songdo International Business District, South Korea,” Rethinking the Future. In Australia, the Pilbara Renewable Energy Zone is developing 26 GW in renewable wind and solar capacity to support one of the world’s largest green hydrogen projects, supporting decarbonization in nearby manufacturing and mineral processing clusters. 18 18 Government of Western Australia, “Major Step Forward for World-Leading Pilbara Renewable Energy Project,” WA website, November 14, 2020. Notes: 18 Government of Western Australia, “Major Step Forward for World-Leading Pilbara Renewable Energy Project,” WA website, November 14, 2020.

Incentives and demand generation to spur sustainable innovation and support early movers as clusters shift onto a more sustainable footing. In the US, the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax provisions are supporting clean energy deployments, while the Buy Clean Act uses federal purchasing power—which now exceeds $630 billion—to support green building and create jobs in the recycling and construction sectors.

Upskilling to build a future-ready workforce and support the emergence of new clusters and the growth of existing hubs. Australia’s National Clean Energy Skills Initiative, for instance, has driven upskilling across 38 critical occupations, helping 90,000 workers acquire vital skills in areas such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, and battery storage. 19 19 Australian Government, “Meeting the Needs of the Clean Energy Transformation,” Jobs and Skills Australia website. Notes: 19 Australian Government, “Meeting the Needs of the Clean Energy Transformation,” Jobs and Skills Australia website. The UK’s Green Jobs Taskforce similarly brings together industry, trade union, and skills sector leaders to support workforce development to help clusters adapt to a low-carbon economy. 20 20 UK government, “Green Jobs Taskforce,” UK government website. Notes: 20 UK government, “Green Jobs Taskforce,” UK government website.

Promoting innovation at the cluster level, with government support helping to unlock synergies and collaboration. In the United States, the Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center is drawing together electric vehicle companies and research groups to create around 6,000 new jobs and promote the rapid commercialization of new transportation technologies. 21 21 "Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center,” SSOE website. Notes: 21 "Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center,” SSOE website. The UK’s Zero Carbon Humber partnership, meanwhile, is spurring investment and R&D in areas including mobility, AI, carbon capture, clean hydrogen, bioenergy, and beyond, with a view to reducing associated emissions by 37% while creating thousands of new STEM jobs. 22 22 UK Research and Innovation, “UKRI Awards £171m in UK Decarbonisation to Nine Projects,” UKRI website, March 17, 2021. Notes: 22 UK Research and Innovation, “UKRI Awards £171m in UK Decarbonisation to Nine Projects,” UKRI website, March 17, 2021.

Of course, many governments use a strategic portfolio of both safeguard and spark strategies. By intelligently and actively combining elements from each, governments have an opportunity to simultaneously shield economic clusters from disruption while enabling them to capture new value as the green transition gains momentum.

The approaches described above offer a menu of actions for governments to deploy as they seek to support economic clusters through the green transition. How, though, can governments most effectively apply these interventions? We believe effectively supporting clusters requires a three-step strategic approach:

Assess risks and opportunities. Governments must assess the potential for cluster-level disruption and work proactively to identify emerging opportunities for growth. These reviews should be used to develop comprehensive strategies drawing together the approaches outlined above, and leveraging them to mitigate risks and maximize positive outcomes to combine large-scale decarbonization with resilience and economic growth.

Foster collaboration. Governments must facilitate collaboration and coordination within clusters, and develop new platforms connecting the private sector with research organizations and public sector stakeholders, and convening regular meetings of public and private sector to enable collaboration. Through such initiatives, governments have an opportunity to accelerate the diffusion of clean technologies, and to ensure that cutting edge research is efficiently transmitted and implemented in real-world contexts across clusters of all kinds.

Provide central orchestration. Governments must situate the individual strategies used to support each cluster’s green transition within a coordinated strategy to optimize outcomes. The cumulative benefits of strategies promoting renewable energy, developing green skills in the workforce, or incentivizing innovation should be seen as multiplicative rather than additive, driving value that resonates across and beyond clusters to foster resilience and drive broad-based economic growth. This would often involve creating dedicated institutional structures at the departmental or unit level to support green cluster development.

The most successful governments will leverage their central role to become strategic and operational partners driving innovation, sustainability, and business success across multiple clusters. The above three-step process provides a practical roadmap for governments to get started on this journey. 23 23 “About Us,” Cluster Excellence Denmark. Notes: 23 “About Us,” Cluster Excellence Denmark.

Initiatives such as Cluster Excellence Denmark make a compelling case for such methods: with cross-agency government funding, the project explicitly addresses sustainability and clean energy across multiple clusters, serving as a central nexus for collaboration, coordination, and knowledge dissemination. Such approaches offer a powerful tool for governments seeking to replicate and scale the successes of individual clusters, and to unlock new efficiencies and opportunities for clusters of all kinds.

The green transition will only accelerate as emerging technologies, regulatory pressures, consumer expectations, and climate challenges continue to converge. The time for half measures and piecemeal approaches is long past: to navigate the green transition, governments will need to assume a bolder and more decisive leadership role. To enable cross-sectoral decarbonization while also ensuring economic growth, governments must forge a new public-private compact explicitly framed to support all economic clusters—and help businesses of all kinds to survive and thrive as we move toward a more sustainable future.

The authors extend a big thanks to the members of the working team—Pavel Zolotarev, Anna Petrova, and Yara ElRakkad—for their invaluable contributions to this article.

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UK has competitive edge on a third of green products, thinktank finds

With companies well placed to build the most crucial goods, such as electric trains, the UK has a head start in achieving net zero, it claims

The UK has a competitive advantage over the rest of the world in a third of green products and services, giving it a head start in the race to achieve net zero, according to an upbeat report by a left of centre thinktank.

Firms are well placed to manufacture many of the most crucial green products – from electric trains to heat pump components – despite 40 years of decline that have left the UK industrial base smaller than many of its competitors, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said.

The UK is particularly strong in making products and components used for monitoring, measuring and analysing industrial processes that will play a large role in the decarbonisation of the economy – such as the electricity grid and renewable energy generation.

To expand the number of industries capable of manufacturing products that will help achieve net zero, ministers will need to develop a mechanism for supporting businesses that want to expand the range and sophistication of what they produce.

Arguing that ageing industrial plants should be “greened” rather than closed down, the report said state subsidies would allow the UK to make less carbon-intensive steel and avoid an over-reliance on imports that have travelled thousands of miles.

The onshoring of factories to make vital components would shorten supply lines, making the UK “more resilient to future shocks” while also reinvigorating the economy.

George Dibb, the head of IPPR’s Centre for Economic Justice, said the geographical spread of industries primed to support the move to net zero meant the government could level up regions at the same time.

“Over the past 30 years we have slipped sharply behind our global competitors in the quantity and kinds of things we actually make,” Dibb said. “That’s bad for jobs, for living standards, for our security – and for our long-term economic strength as a country.”

“Yet UK manufacturers still have a competitive edge in making some of the products vital for a net zero economy, and with the right government support we have the potential to be world-leading in many more.”

Dibb said all the major products needed to achieve net zero were already available, allowing ministers to use the report as a crib sheet to identify areas in need of Whitehall subsidies.

To assess the UK’s green strengths, the IPPR identified a set of 143 products that could be linked directly to technologies and steps needed to deliver net zero. It found that the UK had a comparative advantage over international rivals in a third.

However, a separate report by MPs also out on Wednesday argues that the UK is ill-prepared to build climate-resilient infrastructure without a huge investment to raise the level of skills in the workforce.

The all-party public accounts committee (PAC) of MPs found that skills gaps in the UK’s workforce were compounded by competition from major global development projects.

“Project management and design are also areas of concern, and [a lack of] skilled professionals in senior positions in particular,” the parliamentary spending watchdog said.

Its report found that 16,000 project professionals must gain accreditation from the government’s project leadership academy to carry out vital work, but only 1,000 have so far.

The MPs found that an “unprecedented” scale of investment was under way across the rail, road and energy sectors with little oversight by ministers or evaluation by civil servants.

The report concluded: “Only 8% of the £432bn spend on major projects in 2019 had robust impact evaluation plans in place and around two-thirds had no plans at all. This is despite high quality evaluation being important to provide evidence for what works, demonstrate value and to make the case for or against further investment.

“Decisions are being made in the absence of evidence, putting value for money at unnecessary risk.”

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Canada advances trade priorities at third annual Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Dialogue of Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement

From: Global Affairs Canada

News release

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is a model free-trade agreement for the world, supporting economic growth, prosperity and competitiveness for all 3 countries.

May 16, 2024 - Montréal, Quebec - Global Affairs Canada

This week, in Montréal, Canada hosted the third annual CUSMA Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Dialogue, bringing together over 175 representatives of SMEs, industry leaders and government officials from across North America. Maninder Sidhu, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, and Rob Stewart, Deputy Minister of International Trade, engaged with participants to help advance trade opportunities for SMEs. They highlighted the importance of CUSMA for growth and prosperity and reflected on the 3 countries’ shared priorities, including increasing the engagement of SMEs led by groups traditionally underrepresented in international trade.

The Parliamentary Secretary also visited the Canadian Pavilion at the Salon International de l’Alimentation au Canada [international food show in Canada], featuring over 100 Canadian companies, and interacted with international buyers seeking to purchase from Canadian SMEs. In addition, he sat down with representatives of the non-profit industry group AluQuébec to discuss the priorities of the Canadian aluminum industry, whose exports are vital to North American supply chains and crucial to supporting the transition to a green economy.

“Canada, the United States and Mexico share the goal of making the North American market even more integrated, efficient and competitive. SMEs are the backbone of our shared supply chains and economies. Through CUSMA, our 3 countries are working together to help our SMEs thrive and succeed in exporting.” - Maninder Sidhu, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development

Quick facts

CUSMA took effect in 2020, spanning a market of around 500 million people and representing nearly 30% of the global economy.

In 2023, the 3 countries imported close to a total of $2 trillion in merchandise from each other—that’s nearly $5.3 billion in trade crossing their borders every day.

The CUSMA SME Committee, chaired by Canada in 2024, organizes the dialogue every year to discuss issues that are important to SMEs.

In Canada, Mexico and the United States, SMEs account for more than 99% of all companies, helping the 3 countries’ economies thrive.

Associated links

About the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement
Doing business in North America
Canada-United States relations
Doing business in the United States
Canada-Mexico relations
Doing business in Mexico
Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service

Huzaif Qaisar Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development 343-575-8816 [email protected]

Media Relations Office Global Affairs Canada [email protected] Follow us on Twitter: @CanadaTrade Like us on Facebook: Canada’s international trade - Global Affairs Canada

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The blue-collar job boom

Want a six-figure salary? Try Walmart.

Alyssa DeOliveira followed a well-worn path: go to college, get a degree, find a white-collar job. Her mother always told her she'd grow up to be a doctor, lawyer, or politician, so she tried nursing and accounting before settling on criminal justice, landing a job at a law firm. For a little over a year she arrived every morning at about 8. She listened to voicemails and checked emails. If she was lucky, she left at 5. But she yearned to work with people. Nearly three years ago, she started looking for something less tedious that didn't happen almost entirely in front of a computer screen.

Today, should you find yourself in Boston riding the T's green line, DeOliveira might be your conductor. Sometimes she's at work at 4 a.m.; other times she's there until 1 a.m. Some days she drives the up-front train — her favorite model has a foot brake, so it's almost like driving a big car — and other days she drives broken trains into the yard for repairs. One thing is consistent: She loves her job. And benefits-wise, her job loves her.

"I'm making almost double what I was making at the office job," she said. "My office job didn't give me a 401(k), but with the T, I have the pension, I have healthcare."

DeOliveira is part of an ascendant shift: Blue-collar work — officially defined as jobs that handle or move material goods, and colloquially thought of as jobs that don't require sitting in front of a screen — has once again assumed a competitive position within the American labor market. Demand is high, opportunities abound, and companies like Walmart and UPS offer six-figure salaries and lucrative benefits. In White-Collar World, meanwhile, campuses have cheaper snacks, remote work is a career trap , layoffs loom, and AI robots circle like vultures.

DeOliveira said that outside Boston, where she grew up, the thinking was if you do blue-collar work, "you're not as smart as someone who went to college, you're not as dedicated." Now, she told me, blue-collar work is an oasis in the fake-email-job desert , with a newfound social cachet. "For my family, they look at it differently now," she said. "I tell my cousins that are still in school, look into the trades if you don't know what you want to do."

Across America, it's getting hot under the blue collar.

Chris Collins has been a plumber for two decades. After finishing high school, he moved to eastern Tennessee in search of pretty much any type of work. But with no college degree and visible tattoos dotting his arms, he found that prospective employers sidelined him. Then he heard about a plumber looking for help. He showed up the next morning, and the rest is pipe-fixing history: He got trained, got licensed, and, in 2008, struck out on his own. Business, he said, never skipped a beat, even when the market crashed.

"I remember telling my parents that I was getting into the trades, and they were just like: 'This is awful. Go to college, go to college, be an IT guy or a doctor,'" Collins told me. He believes they wanted more for him. But as they watched his career take off, they came to understand that plumbing did offer more.

If Instagram incentivized a still-life aesthetic pleasure neatly tucked into a square frame, TikTok incentivized action.

Collins traced the shift around blue-collar work back to 2018 or 2019, when social media became a way for people to peek behind the trades curtain. As Steven Kurutz wrote for The New York Times , early influencers focused on curating the most aesthetically pleasing lives possible. Then people began to wonder who crafted that pretty finery. Who catches the lobster that ends up on that hand-painted porcelain platter? Who builds that cavernous house packed with Eames chairs? As the wild popularity of "day in the life" vignettes made clear, people loved what that peek afforded. If Instagram incentivized a still-life aesthetic pleasure neatly tucked into a square frame, TikTok incentivized action — and the people who spend their lives moving or building things were rewarded with views.

At the same time, millennials and younger workers wrestled with a snowballing amount of student-loan debt for degrees that didn't seem worth the price tag. The median wage for recent college graduates with a bachelor's degree actually fell to $52,210 in 2017 from $54,593 in 2016 — and it stayed below that 2016 level through 2019. (It has since zigzagged.) Surveys have indicated that Gen Zers view college degrees with even more suspicion than millennials, which may suggest a long tail for the blue-collar boom.

These years were crucial for other reasons, too. Bernie Sanders, long a champion of working people, leapt from Congress to the national presidential stage. As blue-collar companies struggled to staff up , they turned toward raising wages . Then came the pandemic — and a radical shift in how many Americans viewed work. White-collar workers saw the sun set on the zero-interest-rate phenomenon and watched how easily their roles could disappear. Many blue-collar workers, meanwhile, were deemed "essential." They were put in harm's way, often at the hands of bosses who didn't care about their health. Suddenly there was a consensus that they deserved to be paid more — or at the very least, respected. In a survey conducted in late 2021 , 67% of blue-collar workers said they believed the pandemic changed how people viewed their jobs, and 75% of white-collar workers agreed. And while 62% of blue-collar workers said they believed that society generally looked down on them, 60% indicated they believed that having a blue-collar job was respected more than it was 10 years ago.

While blue-collar work still tends to pay less than white-collar professions, ADP found that last year new hires in the construction industry had a median salary of $48,089, while new hires in professional services made a median salary of $39,520. And in March, construction and mining wages were up 6.3% year over year — well above overall wage growth of 5.2% in the same period.

Between 1979 and 2019 "there was pretty much zero growth in terms of real wages for this group," said Elise Gould, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute. But over the past four years she's found that wages have increased for low-wage workers, and it's not a coincidence. It was partly a result of pandemic-era economic policy that stood in contrast to the more austere measures taken during the Great Recession. The money pouring into unemployment benefits and Americans' wallets — alongside protections like checks for parents and eviction moratoriums — meant that lower earners had not only a cushion, but more opportunities to job hop . Those increases for the bottom 10% were beating out inflation and meaningfully improving people's living standards, Gould said.

Now, the economy is adding blue-collar jobs at a rapid clip. Since April 2020, industries like construction, manufacturing, and transportation and warehousing have added 4.5 million jobs, compared with 4.1 million jobs in the professional services and information sectors, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The trend is pointing upward: In their most recent employment accounting, blue-collar sectors well outpaced white-collar sectors.

"I used to always tell friends who need a job — I'm like, hey, why don't you work at Walmart?" Frankie Giambrone, a Walmart manager outside New York City, told me. "And they're like, no, no, no." But over the past two years, he said, their tones have changed. "Now I have the same people that are like, hey, can you get me a job there?" he said. Giambrone started working as a cashier at 15, making $8.25 an hour. Today he makes six figures and has a robust 401(k) and stock options. The company — which has had its own checkered history with its workers — even paid for him to get his bachelor's degree in business.

"I never thought Walmart to be my career," he said, "but now that I'm in this position, there's nowhere else I would want to be."

It also doesn't hurt that the country has a vocally pro-union president. "Prior to President Biden coming to office, there had been several decades in which there was a very strong emphasis on getting a four-year degree as the pathway to a middle class," Lael Brainard, the director of the National Economic Council, told me. "That's not how the president thinks."

Take Scott Gove, 57, who has worked for UPS for 30 years. He believes that the public has been slowly piecing together that union jobs — UPS workers are represented by the Teamsters Union — can provide a solidly middle-class life. "You take a drive through a UPS location and just look at the parking lot of what's parked there," he said. "That'll tell you the type of financial stability that the union has given its members."

Between the job stability and the ability to work with your hands, blue-collar work is sexy. Look no further than the extremely popular TikToks about bagging a blue-collar boyfriend or girlfriend. Or the people trying to find their next date on the apps.

"In February there was a 116% increase in mentions of blue-collared jobs on OkCupid profiles compared to the same month last year," Michael Kaye, the director of brand marketing and communications at OkCupid, told me. "The bottom line is an honest living is hot."

My wife will tell you the reason she married me was for my healthcare benefits.

Still, Giambrone said that when he tells prospective matches on dating sites that he works at Walmart, they'll often unmatch or ghost him — a sharp contrast to how his friends and relatives see his work. But he knows that down the line he'll find his person.

"We make good money. I'm stable," he said. "I love the fact that ultimately I work and I don't have to worry about a bed. I don't have to worry about living somewhere. I don't have to worry about food. I am comfortable. I live by myself. I have my two cats, and I'm happy."

Gove, the UPS driver, said there's a long-running family joke about his relationship. "My wife will tell you the reason she married me was for my healthcare benefits."

Collins, the plumber, said that when he started out, clients tended to be dismissive when he showed up. Now he's met with gratitude, especially as it becomes more difficult to find workers in short supply . When Alyssa DeOliveira changed careers, she was met with incredulity from some friends: Are you sure you want to drive a train? Are you scared? But her job expanded her friend group. "I have friends who are 60," she said. "It's all over the place. There's people from every ethnic background, all ages, any gender, any sexuality. My friends can fit any kind of group there is out there." That's on top of her old friends who have stuck by her during the career transition.

There is a tendency — particularly among white-collar workers — to look at blue-collar work through rose-colored glasses, to romanticize the hard work and skills it requires. The labor market hasn't completely reversed course; blue-collar jobs may be booming, but a bachelor's degree is still often a prerequisite for roles with high pay and numerous benefits. And even with prominent labor actions like those from United Auto Workers members and Teamsters, union membership in the US is at a record low.

"The reality is this is a slow-moving tide, and it has been the case for a very long time that there's been stigma and a general sense that these kinds of industries and this kind of work is somehow less than," Sam Pillar, the CEO of Jobber, a software company that services small blue-collar businesses, told me. "Obviously we think that's total horseshit."

Jeff Goldalian, an electrician who owns two brick-and-mortar stores and runs a YouTube channel that teaches people how to become electrical contractors, believes that just posting about the merits of blue-collar jobs might elide the hard work required to make it sustainable.

"There's a dark side to the trades if you don't know it," he told me. "As an electrician, if you don't know how to get proper training, where to get training or licensing, you're setting yourself up for failure."

Blue-collar work is, at the end of the day, work. There are bad bosses, difficult coworkers, and shareholders who value their profits over the workers generating them. Americans increasingly want more from their work, but they don't have the leverage to truly change their conditions — yet. The appeal of blue-collar work might lie in the fact that, to some extent, it satisfies the conditions economists say are required for worker power: Employers need this work, it's not easy to replace, and many of these jobs have the backing of a union. All those things, though precarious, are now more visible.

Juliana Kaplan is a senior labor and inequality reporter on Insider's economy team.

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