Revolutionary Migrants of the Early Labor Movement in Croatia-Slavonia, Dalmatia, and Istria in the Late Nineteenth and the Early Twentieth Century

In the late nineteenth century, prompted by uneven industrial development, the predominantly agrarian regions of Croatia-Slavonia, Dalmatia, and Istria were slowly undergoing processes of urbanization and economic transformation. As part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, these regions were subject to dynamic migrations of the labor force from several regions and neighboring countries. Industrialization was the crucial impetus behind the formation of the first working-class organizations and syndicates, but their development, their socio-political goals, and the strategies they employed were heavily influenced by socialist theoreticians and agitators from Austria-Hungary, Serbia, and Italy. This ideologically heterogeneous labor movement depended on cross-border cooperation with different individuals and collectives, ranging from Hungarian Marxists and Austrian social democrats to Italian anarchists. Even though unions and subversive pamphlets were illegal and closely monitored, migratory activists continued to agitate and collaborate with local workers through various underground channels. This paper will analyze various ideological inputs of migratory workers within the area that is now present-day Croatia during the late nineteenth and the early twentieth century. It will also examine the perception of their presence and activism articulated by political authorities and mainstream newspapers. Due to a lack of similar research, emphasis will be placed, to some extent, on anarchist activities in this area.

Relative to Whom? Comment on “Relative Education and the Advantage of a College Degree”

To understand the relative advantage of a bachelor’s degree, we must consider the question: relative to whom? Using the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Horowitz (2018) argues that educational expansion between 1971 and 2010 decreased college graduates’ skill usage and eroded their advantages relative to individuals without a postsecondary degree. However, the comparison group—individuals without a postsecondary degree—is inconsistently defined over time due to a change to the CPS in 1992; this group also includes individuals without a high school degree, high school graduates, and people with some college but no degree—three groups that have heterogeneous labor market experiences. I replicate Horowitz’s analysis and repeat it using two alternative education categorization schemes that address these limitations. I show that college graduates’ absolute and relative advantages in skill usage depend substantially on how we measure education. Notably, I find that college graduates maintain persistent relative advantages in skill usage when compared to high school graduates and individuals with some college, even as education expands. Although no classification system perfectly accounts for the full variation of the population, my findings demonstrate that researchers must carefully define key variables and comparison groups, especially when considering relative effects.

A New Method for Measuring Total Factor Productivity Growth Based on the Full Industry Equilibrium Approach: The Case of the Greek Economy

A new method of identifying the sources of output growth and measuring total factor productivity (TFP) is proposed, with an application to data from the Greek economy. The price accounting approach, based on the full industry equilibrium (FIE) framework introduced by Opocher and Steedman, where technical progress not only increases outputs relative to inputs but also reduces output prices relative to input rewards, is used. The contributions of this paper are that, first, it amends the FIE TFP measurement approach to account for heterogeneous labor inputs, imported inputs, and indirect taxes, and applies the method to real-world data from the Greek economy; second, it provides a comparison of the results with those found by the use of the neoclassical approach to TFP measurement arguing that the FIE approach measures better sectoral TFP change, and third, it provides an estimate of the effects of sectoral research and development (R&D) expenditures and R&D diffusion from other sectors on TFP change for the Greek economy.