Ronald Schettkat

Keynes’ macroeconomic revolution is based on his microfoundations of economic behavior derived from ‘casual’ observations but impressively substantiated by rigorous research in behavioral economics and neurology. Ronald Schettkat argues that the allegation of the missing microfoundations in Keynes’ theory is false. Instead, both Keynes’ theory and behavioral economics relate to humans in ‘the economy we live in’, differing substantially in their fundamentals from the neoclassical model.Showing that Keynes’ micro has much in common with Behavioral Economics, the book starts with the fundamentals ranging from the methodological approach to economics as a real versus an axiomatic science and the consequences for knowledge building methods (interviews, observations, experiments), the rationality and equilibrium concepts to the functioning of markets, before delving into the topics in greater detail.Providing a thorough theoretical grounding in economics, this book will be a discerning read for economists, students of economics, political science, sociology and psychology as well as for the general public.

This study examines the labor markets of the United States and Germany, developing a framework for the analysis of labor market dynamics based upon the dynamic flow analysis, instead of the conventional labor stock data. Until recently, labor market analysis was mainly based on stock data, which is a suitable data source for structural and aggregate phenomena but does not allow for the analysis of processes that are behind the net changes identified by stock data. To identify the dynamic elements in the labor market, information on flows is needed. In recent years flow data have become available, indicating that an enormous amount of that labor market mobility is occurring every month.The use of flow data to analyze questions of the mismatch in the labor market and the underlying labor market dynamics has been suggested recently by scholars. The analysis presented in this study of the labor market in the U.S. and Germany uses these data to link dynamic concepts of labor market adjustment to flow data. This study will be of interest to scholars in labor economics and industrial organization.

This volume brings together an international group of contributors to explore the impacts of structural economic change and technological progress on labor markets. The contributors goal is to present an in-depth comparative study of the ways in which different national economies have adjusted to structural changes like the shift to service-based economies and technological changes brought about by the increasing use of the computer in offices and on the production line. Examining the adjustment process from both a micro and macro perspective, the contributors analyze the flexibility potentials within the different institutional organizations of the labor market in the U.S., France, West Germany, Great Britain, and Sweden.The study begins with a comprehensive introduction written by the editors which discusses the problem of structural and technological change in economic, social, and political terms. Two subsequent chapters address the economic structures of post-industrial society and the differential characteristics of employment growth in service industries. The contributors then present individual analyses of the labor market situation in the five countries under study as well as two general studies of institutions regulating the labor market and flexibility within the labor market. Throughout, the contributors are concerned with key issues such as which systems seem to adapt best, how skill and educational needs may be met in the changing labor market, and the importance of flexibility in a system characterized by ongoing structural and technological change. Ideal as supplementary reading for advanced courses in labor economics and industrial organization, this volume offers important new insights into labor market flexibility in the face of significant and continuing change.