Züricher Reise

February 29 to March 2: Zürich, Switzerland. Verein für Socialpolitik, Ausschuss für Bevölkerungsökonomik (Section Population Economics). Annual conference participation. Nice to meet many excellent labor and population economists and to follow excellent new research papers.

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Research conference: GLO Berlin 2024, April 18-20. Submission deadline: February 29.

GLO Berlin 2024 Conference – Call for Papers 

Call for contributed papers or sessions for the GLO Berlin 2024 Conference on April 18-20. Contributions are invited to broadly defined labor, population, family, health, crime, conflict and other human resources issues.

The event is jointly organized with EBES 47 at FOM University of Applied Sciences, Berlin. GLO organizes a separate program with separate registration and paper call. Participants of EBES 47 Berlin and GLO Berlin 2024 will have access to all program parts of both conferences.

The event is HYBRID: Presentations on the first two days will be in-person only, and on the last day only online. Online attendees can follow all the program parts of the conference on all three days.

I invite you to visit lovely Berlin for a productive research conference! The city is a vibrant place offering many surprising features. For instance, it is known for its extensive waterways, including rivers, canals, and lakes.

Submissions can be (i) individual contributions with abstract only or full papers with abstract, or (ii) full sessions with six contributions consisting of six abstracts and possibly papers. Providing full papers increases the chance of acceptance.

Individual contributions submitter have to decide whether they want to be considered for (i) a regular contributed session or (ii) a Journal of Population Economics Express Evaluation Session (JOPE-EES).

JOPE-EES: Submissions for this category require a full paper and abstract. Those rejected for this session will still be considered for regular contributed sessions. If accepted for JOPE-EES, authors have to register for the conference either for the in-person or online version of the conference; they also have to submit their paper to JOPE while registering to the conference after the acceptance decision. These submissions will pass the desk rejection phase of the journal and receive an express evaluation within six weeks after the conference. Topics related to JOPE’s collections are particularly welcome, see   https://link.springer.com/journal/148/updates/25524106

Sergio Scicchitano

Program Committee: Sergio Scicchitano (John Cabot University, Rome, Italy; Chair )
Guido Cozzi (University of St. Gallen, Switzerland); Shuaizhang Feng (Jinan University, Guangzhou, China) Alfonso Flores-Lagunes (Syracuse University, USA); Andrea Fracasso (Trento University, Italy); Oded Galor (Brown University, USA); Hilary Ingham (Lancaster University, UK); Jungmin Lee (Seoul National University, South-Korea); Ilaria Mariotti (Polytechnic of Milan); Terra McKinnish (University of Colorado); Valentina Meliciani (Luiss University); Silvia Mendolia (Turin University, Italy); Milena Nikolova (University of Groningen, The Netherlands); Matloob Piracha (University of Kent, UK); Vicente Royuela (University of Barcelona, Spain); Kompal Sinha (Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia); Cristina Tealdi (Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK); Chiara Mussida (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore– Piacenza, Italy); Klaus F. Zimmermann (GLO, UNU-MERIT & FU Berlin, The Netherlands, Germany)

The Program (joint with EBES) will include an evening event, speeches and contributions by Mehmet Huseyin Bilgin (Vice President, EBES & Istanbul Medeniyet University), Alessio Brown (UNU-MERIT, Maastricht), Martin Kahanec (Central European University), Christos Kollias (University of Thessaly), Alexander Kritikos (DIW Berlin & Potsdam University), Lucie Merkle (Berlin, Free State of Bavaria), Dorothea Schäfer (DIW Berlin and Jönköping University), Sergio Scicchitano (John Cabot University, Rome, Chair GLO Program), Klaus F. Zimmermann (Free University Berlin, UNU-MERIT & GLO/EBES), Manuela Zipperling, (FOM University of Applied Sciences, Berlin)

Keynote speech: Martin Kahanec Rebuilding Ukraine in Higher Education

Submissionshttps://editorialexpress.com/conference/GLOBerlin2024/
Submission open since January 24, 2024 – no submission fee
Deadline: February 29, 2024.
Open until midnight on US east coast time = midnight CET Berlin + 6 hours.

Decisions will be communicated until March 6, 2024.
Conference registration until March 22, 2024.

BREAKING NEWS: Submissions still open until March 6 while we communicate first-round decisions.

Participation fees: To be paid upon conference registration.
Regular: in-person € 500, online € 350
JOPE-EES: in-person € 600, online € 450
Fees for in-person participants include coffee breaks and lunch during the conference as well as the conference reception on April 18, 2024.
Fees for all participants include access to all keynotes and invited paper sessions of EBES 47 & GLO Berlin 2024. JOPE-EES authors will receive the express journal service.

Accommodation (not included): Suggestions will be provided with paper acceptance decision.

Conference venue: FOM University of Applied Sciences Berlin, Bismarckstraße 107, 10625 Berlin

Questions to Office@glabor.org

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Recent Research Publications

  • Christopher F. Baum, Hans Lööf, Andreas Stephan & Klaus F. Zimmermann (2024), “Estimating the wage premia of refugee immigrants: Lessons from Sweden”. Industrial and Labor Relations Review. Prepublication Version.

  • Guogui Huang, Fei Guo, Lihua Liu, Lucy Taksa, Zhiming Cheng, Massimiliano Tani, Klaus F. Zimmermann, Marika Franklin, S. Sandun Malpriya Silva (2023). “Changing impact of COVID-19 on life expectancy 2019–2023 and its decomposition: Findings from 27 countries.” SSM – Population Health, published online 3 December 2023, (2024), Volume 25, March 2024, 101568. OPEN ACCESS. DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101568

  • Guogui Huang, Fei Guo, Lucy Taksa, Zhiming Cheng, Massimiliano Tani, Lihua Liu, Klaus F. Zimmermann, Marika Franklin (2023).  “Decomposing the differences in healthy life expectancy between migrants and natives: the “healthy migrant effect” and its age variations in Australia.” Journal of Population Research, published online 29 November 2023, (2024) 41:3, ONLINE VERSIONPDF.
  • Guogui Huang, Fei Guo, Zhiming Cheng, Lihua Liu, Klaus F. Zimmermann, Lucy Taksa, Massimiliano Tani and Marika Franklin (2023). “Nativity in the healthy migrant effect: Lessons from Australia.” SSM-Population Health.
    Open Access. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101457
  • Amelie F. Constant, Simone Schüller and Klaus F. Zimmermann (2023). “Ethnic spatial dispersion and immigrant identity.” Pre-Publication Version. Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies. Open Access: https://lnkd.in/eT-YvEfN
  • Guogui Huang, Fei Guo, Zhiming Cheng, Klaus F. Zimmermann, Lihua Liu, Lucy Taksa, Marika Franklin and Massimiliano Tani (2023). “The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on life expectancy in 27 countries.” Scientific Reports 13, Article number: 8911 (2023). Open Access. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35592-9 

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Global Insights: EU free movement of people under threat: Is the mobility growth engine stuttering?

EU free movement of people under threat: Is the mobility growth engine stuttering? by Klaus F. Zimmermann

Migration is one of the growth factors behind successful economies. Immigration helps to moderate the decline of shrinking populations. Fluctuating and flexible workers ensure an optimal supply of goods and services through adapting to economic needs.1 Free movement of persons is a fundamental right that provides European Union (EU) citizens the option to move and work freely within the EU. The concept of an open labor market forms an integral part of the European economic model and is one of EU’s major achievements. For decades, the four fundamental freedoms of the internal market have brought development, prosperity and social security to European economies. It is these fundamental freedoms and not the commitment to the principles of democracy and human rights that make Europe attractive in the world.

Given the increasing crises and conflicts in Eurasia and Africa, the population explosion in Africa with its enormous labor potential and the increasing need for skilled workers in Europe due to population decline, the question arises as to whether the freedom of movement of people in the EU is at stake. Illegal and legal immigration reinforces the trend of alienation of European populations from Europe and leads to political radicalization, especially on the right side of the political spectrum. The challenge is to stem the flow of illegal immigration while simultaneously attracting the skilled workers needed in Europe. Questions arise as to whether legal restrictions and asylum restrictions are effective means of overcoming these challenges, and whether abandoning or restricting the free movement of people can be considered as viable measures to maintain social balance in European societies.

The pre-Christmas European asylum compromise is considered by many as historically significant. The various elements of this compromise have long been intensely debated at the political level and were also considered inevitable in academia.2 One of the main provisions stipulates that asylum seekers must register and undergo biometric recording at the EU’s external borders. In reception centers (“strictly controlled reception facilities” for applicants from “safe countries of origin”), their applications should be promptly assessed, and repatriations to countries without threat should be initiated swiftly. Countries not located at the borders agree to either take in a quota of asylum seekers or provide compensation payments. This compromise requires a European standardization of national procedures and focuses on combating human traffickers as well as addressing the root causes of migration in the countries of origin.

An organized, humane, and prompt examination of asylum applications at the European external borders, that is, on European soil with a uniform and fair procedure, would undoubtedly be a step forward compared to the current practice. The current practice involves either informally passing migrants from EU border countries to other EU countries with lengthy procedures and potential later deportations. Alternatively, the resolution of the problem is achieved through compensation payments to transit states such as, for example, Turkey or Libya, without consideration for humanitarian criteria or asylum principles. Under an assessment according to the new European asylum compromise in a European first-entry country and successful recognition, asylum seekers could then freely choose which EU host country they want to go to, or they could even be placed in host countries based on social and economic criteria.

The implementation of the regulations of the asylum compromise in practice will be crucial. It is undeniable that the European border countries need material and ideal support for their services. The agreement, politically marketed as a “tightening,” may bring short-term political relief as long as belief in access restrictions persists, especially in the critical election year of 2024, including for the European Parliament. However, in practice, the political pressure on established political parties due to the issue of illegal immigration will not diminish so easily. The potential for illegal immigration from the poverty- and crisis-stricken regions of the world, especially from Africa, remains significant and is expected to increase substantially in the future. Experience shows that institutional restrictions and government limitations often lead to more illegality among immigrants. The issue of illegal immigration will therefore continue to concern the EU in the future. And deportations remain difficult; they often fail because of the unresolved question of where the people originally came from.

If efficiently implemented, the asylum compromise could lead to accelerated recognition and more targeted distribution of asylum seekers. In particular, targeted profiling could contribute to improved integration into the labor market and society. At the same time, the challenge posed by illegal labor migrants persists, and their influx and presence are likely to increase. Thus, the overall potential for mobility through EU external immigrants remains high or may even rise. However, it is also less likely that these developments will significantly alleviate the structural shortage of skilled workers in parts of Europe in the long term.

The shortage of skilled workers, especially in countries like Germany, is structurally driven and results from a demographic process of aging and population decline. This phenomenon has been foreseeable for decades, but policymakers have neglected to implement timely adjustment measures, such as a significant increase in the retirement age. The population decline inevitably leads to a reduction in the domestic labor potential, while increasing aging restricts labor mobility and migration. However, the mobility of European populations will be crucial to successfully address these challenges.

To address the shortage of skilled workers and mobility deficits, a labor market-oriented immigration policy could make a contribution. In Germany, the federal government plans to expedite the naturalization process for migrants, allowing them to become citizens after just five years of residence in the country, or even after three years if they can demonstrate proficiency in the language, successful academic or professional achievements, or engagement in volunteer activities. Dual citizenship is set to become possible, and for the recruitment of older workers under state agreements, written German exams and naturalization tests may be waived. These measures aim to make Germany more attractive to skilled professionals, although it is not yet clear why this is expected to succeed. However, this is the subject of ongoing parliamentary debates that are likely to extend well into the year 2024.

It should be emphasized that abandoning the free movement of people entails significant economic costs in the form of welfare losses in Europe. This not only leads to a reduction in goods and services but also results in lower government and social compensation. Furthermore, fewer resources are available to respond adequately to the current challenges amid the “Zeitenwende.” This includes financing higher defense expenditures, implementing better security systems to combat terrorism, and supporting Ukraine in defending Western security and societal values. The origin countries of these challenges are notably in the regions of the Arabian Peninsula, Africa, and Asia.

Security is another category against which the free movement of people must assert its value. Organizing a secure free movement of people in the future is certainly achievable but likely requires significant additional resources. The dilemma lies in the fact that freedom of movement, through external immigration to the EU and high internal labor mobility, substantially contributes to generating the financial means necessary to address these challenges. The feasibility of this is not a question of economic knowledge but a political design task. If we fail to convince the general public and society of the benefits of continued high levels of immigration and flexible labor mobility, the challenges to democracy and the potential to deliver economic performance in Europe could become worrisome.

References

1 Klaus F. Zimmermann: Migration, Jobs and Integration in EuropeMigration Policy Practice, Vol. IV, Number 4, October – November 2014, 4 – 16.

2 Holger Hinte, Ulf Rinne and Klaus F. Zimmermann: Flüchtlinge in Deutschland: Herausforderungen und ChancenWirtschaftsdienst, 95 (2015), 744-751.

Ulf Rinne and Klaus F. Zimmermann: Zutritt zur Festung Europa? Neue Anforderungen an eine moderne Asyl- und FlüchtlingspolitikWirtschaftsdienst, 95 (2015), 114-120.

Holger Hinte, Ulf Rinne and Klaus F. Zimmermann: Punkte machen?! Warum Deutschland ein aktives Auswahlsystem für ausländische Fachkräfte braucht und wie ein solches System aussehen kann, Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, 2016, 17(1): 68-87.

Zimmermann, Klaus F., Refugee and Migrant Labor Market Integration: Europe in Need of a New Policy Agenda in: Bauböck, R. and Tripkovic, M.,  The Integration of Migrants and Refugees.  An EUI Forum on Migration, Citizenship and Demography, European University Institute, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, Florence 2017, pp. 88 – 100.

Note
English version of: Klaus F. Zimmermann, EU-Personenfreizügigkeit in Gefahr. Stottert der Wachstumsmotor Mobilität? Opinion Piece (op-ed) in Wirtschaftliche Freiheit. Das ordnungspolitische Journal, 29 December 2023. Link.

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Work, concert, party in Medellin – Colombia

Medellin, EAFIT December 11-15, 2023. World Congress of the International Economics Association (IEA) with over 1,000 participants from all parts of the world. Fantastic organization, up to the highest standards both form the local setting as well as from the quality of the academic program. Congratulations to EAFIT & IEA for an outstanding conference.

GLO President Klaus F. Zimmermann is participating to represent GLO at the Executive Board and Council Meeting of IEA, speak with authors and potential contributors of the Journal of Population Economics as its Editor-in-Chief and presenting some of his research on “Parental Gender Stereotypes and Student Wellbeing in China”.

Below: left Andreu Mas-Colell; middle Ashwini Deshpande; right: Steven Durlauf, John Earle, Kaushik Basu, Martin Kahanec

Work, concert, party….

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Klaus F. Zimmermann elected Senator and Section Chair of Economics and Social Sciences of Leopoldina

“The Leopoldina originated in 1652 as a classical scholarly society and now has 1,600 members from almost all branches of science. In 2008, the Leopoldina was appointed as the German National Academy of Sciences”.

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Berlin December 1-3, 2023: Meeting the Goddesses

  • Meeetings with colleagues, friends and goddnesses in Berlin.
  • Met the CEPR CEO at a Kiel/CEPR reception at the occasion of their opening up of a joint hub in Berlin and the 40 years of CEPR celebrations. Nice memories of the “old days” when I was a CEPR Program Director (Human Resources: 1991-1998 and Labour Economics: 1998-2001) for over a decade. And the subsequent collaborations when I created IZA as Founding Director in 1998 and also directed DIW Berlin as President from 2000 on. I have learned quite a lot from the years working closely with CEPR! And still appreciate my role as CEPR Fellow.

  • Frida Kahlo in Berlin: What an exceptional woman with such a remarkable and challenging life.
  • Humboldt Forum: An impressive place to visit.
  • Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus: Literature surfing at the very best.
  • Falling in love again with Berlin.
Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin

Happy Holidays & Season’s Greetings!

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GLO-JOPE Global Conference 2023 will take place online December 4-6.

A 3-days online event on December 4-6 celebrates recent successes and informs about publication highlights. New publication directions of the Journal of Population Economics (JOPE) are explained. The 2024 Kuznets Prize for the best paper published in 2023 is presented.

  • Event presents highlights of JOPE articles of issues 3 + 4 of 2023
    https://link.springer.com/journal/148/volumes-and-issues/36-3
    https://link.springer.com/journal/148/volumes-and-issues/36-4
  • Kuznets Prize Ceremony
  • Journal Success Report (IF: 6.1; CiteScore: 9.2)
  • JOPE 2023 report and announcements
    Exciting news: JOPE has now moved to a zero-backlog policy implying immediate publication of all newly published papers into the running quarterly issue of the journal. JOPE will start in 2024 with about two dozens of high quality research papers.
  • General time-frame all CET (Dec 4: 3pm-12pm; Dec 5: 2pm-6pm; Dec 6: 2pm-6pm)
    CET – Central European Time: Time Zone Converter
    You need to register for all three days separately.

Full program and registration details: LINK

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Reichenstein Castle/Burg Reichenstein (Falkenburg), Trechtingshausen, Germany

A castle in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley.Visit on November 4-5, 2023. More information.

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Impressions from two research visits to China in October 2023

China visits in 2023 to Beijing 0n October 3 – 8 and to Guangzhou on October 24 – 27. Klaus F. Zimmermann visited Renmin University of China and Jinan University for scientific collaborations, conference participations and lectures and seminar talks.

Presentations of Klaus F. Zimmermann

  • October 4: Beijing, Renmin University of China. 40th Anniversary of the School of Labor and Human Resources of Renmin University of China. Morning Session “Building a Discipline of Labor Economics and Management with Chinese Characteristics”
    Speech – more information.
  • October 4: Beijing, Renmin University of China. 40th Anniversary of the School of Labor and Human Resources of Renmin University of China. Afternoon Session “Global Forum of Labor Economics and Management Disciplines”
    Speech on “Family Economics: From Constraints to Preferences and Stereotypes” – more information.
  • October 6: Beijing, Renmin University of China. 2023 Annual Meeting of the Chinese Labor Society. Keynote on “Migrant Local Identity and Labor Market Success” – more information.
  • October 7-8: Beijing, China. 6th Renmin University of China – GLO Annual Conference on the “Chinese Labor Market”. Welcome Speech and Keynote on “Publishing in Research Journals at the Times of AI” – more information.
  • October 25: Guangzhou, Jinan University, China. Public Lecture on: “Economic Preferences Across Generations” – more information.
  • October 26-27: Guangzhou, Jinan University, China. 6th IESR-GLO joint conference on “Gender Issues and Domestic Violence”. Welcome speech on October 26. Paper presentation of Parental Gender Stereotypes and Student Wellbeing in China on October 27. More information.

Honor Certificate for long-term collaborations with the School of Labor and Human Resources of Renmin University of China

Zhong Zhao (right), Dean of the School of Labor and Human Resources of Renmin University of China, with Xiangquan Zeng (left) and Klaus F. Zimmermann.

Travel Impressions & Insights

Left: Coffeeshop in Beijing; right: Hotel Lobby in Beijing; center: discussion with IESR – Director Shuaizhang Feng.



Great lunch experience with Liqiu Zhao (Renmin University of China & GLO, left) and Minghai Zhou (Zhejiang University & GLO, right)

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