In the U.S. the relationship between hours worked and employee earnings has been reversed. Whereas the highest earners used to work the shortest hours, now they work the longest hours. This study examines whether such a reversal has occurred elsewhere, namely, Japan. Since the early 1990s the...

Economists have long been interested in the seemingly cooperative nature of Japanese industrial relations. It has been hypothesized that information sharing in the wage-setting process has been used to promote efficiency. But have Japanese employers really paid efficiency wages, that is, can...

Concerned about shortages of highly skilled workers, especially those with international specialties, Japan adjusted its immigration policy in 1990. The government made it easier for skilled foreign specialists to work in Japan. In the wake of the policy adjustment, this study examines whether...

For students taking intermediate-level economics, does it matter where they studied principles of economics? Does transferring college credit influence subsequent academic performance in economics? With a sample covering 1999--2008, the authors analyze in this article a group of nearly 1,000...

This study provides new evidence on the industrywide impact of strikes by investigating how strikes have affected the values of struck and nonstruck airlines. Using stock market data for the years 1963-86, the authors show that most strikes adversely affected the value of struck airlines' stock...

"Do job centers help unemployed people to find and keep jobs? Using the results of a unique survey by the Japanese government, this note examines the employment success of job center clients. Success in finding and keeping jobs varies systematically across distinct subgroups. Moreover, job...