Comparing retrospective and panel data collection methods to assess labor market dynamics [feedly]

an article by  Ragui Assaad (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA),  Caroline Krafft (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; St. Catherine University, St. Paul, USA) and Shaimaa Yassin (University of Lausanne, Switzerland; University of Le Mans, France)  published in IZA Journal of Development and Migration Volume 8  Article 17 (2018)

Abstract

There is potential for measurement problems in both retrospective and panel microdata.

In this paper, we compare results on basic indicators related to labor markets and their dynamics from retrospective and panel survey data in Egypt, in order to determine the conditions under which results are similar or different.

Specifically, we

1. assess the consistency of reporting of time-invariant characteristics in different waves of the panel,
2. compare the retrospective and panel data results on past labor market statuses,
3. assess the consistency of estimates of labor market transition rates across two specific dates by comparing panel and retrospective data,
4. assess the consistency of estimates of the level and trends of annual labor market transition rates across retrospective data from different waves of the survey, and
5. assess whether retrospective data can provide accurate trends of labor market aggregates, such as unemployment rates.

We find that it is possible to garner useful information on labor market dynamics from retrospective data, but one must be cautious about which information to trust and at what level of detail. We conclude with a discussion of implications for future research as well as future survey design.

JEL Classification: C83, C81, J01, J62, J64

Full text (PDF 34pp)

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Historical Perspectives on Precarious Work: The Cases of Egypt and India under British Imperialism

an article by Peter H. Bent (University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA) published in Global Labour Journal Volume 8 Number 1 (2017)

Abstract

The concept of precarious work is used by social scientists to describe work that is “uncertain, unpredictable, and risky from the point of view of the worker” (Kalleberg, 2009: 2).

This paper argues that such work can take a variety of forms, beyond those seen in the transition from the stable post-WWII era to the neo-liberal era in the West. Egypt and India offer instructive case studies. Industrialisation (or lack thereof) in Egypt and India has been thoroughly documented by others.

The purpose of this paper is to argue that these developments can be seen as the emergence of precarious, industrial working arrangements. This framework is useful for demonstrating that precarious work has come along with industrial development in a range of countries during different time periods.

In this light, the stable employment arrangements characteristic of the post-war West were an anomaly. The global economic and social history of industrialisation is characterised by precarious working arrangements, as seen in colonial-era Egypt and India.

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