Labor Markets and Integrating National Economies

This book, part of the Brookings Integrating National Economies series, provides an in-depth examination of the role of labor markets in the international economy. Ronald G. Ehrenberg evaluates a wide range of labor market characteristics and their effects on trade flows, capital mobility, and labor mobility. He highlights what these characteristics are, how they vary across nations, and how they can help reduce barriers to integration. To illustrate the variations that exist across nations, Ehrenberg describes the labor market practices of the United States, Canada, the Western European nations, and Mexico. He discusses the pressures that often arise from integration to change labor market institutions and policies and explores how certain policies influence the pace at which integration proceeds.