The thesis is focused on a problem of a high unemployment that is connected with unefficient and uneffective employment policy. The aim of this thesis is to review the possibility of the usage of several types of reforms with highly activating elements on the employment policy in a strong social focused state. First, reforms focused on high quality job programmes made by the employment office; second, programmes dealing with motivation of unemployed persons and, finally, reforms on creating of new working possitions by bussinessmen. An example of such reforms has been presented by the german labour market, which dealt with the problem of high unemployment by a number of radical reforms called Hartz I-IV. The reviews on the recent state of the german employment market made by other authors are very critical to the outcome of these reforms. Ambitions of this thesis are to review the reality of the german labour market in the last decade using the methods of statistically-analytic tools applied on the labour market indicators and to look back to the results of the german labour market during the economic crisis focusing on its stability and flexibility.

The Thesis analyses the impact that humanly devised institutions, defined as “formal and informal constraints on political, economic, and social interactions”, have on international trade and the patterns comparative advantage. The key assumption of the Thesis is that although institutions impact on the whole economy they may influence some sectors more than others. Industry‘s dependence on institutions is a technological feature of production. Hence, for example, industries that require a large number of intermediate inputs for production will be more dependent on the quality of contract enforcement regulation for their growth. The Thesis analyses 4 different sub-components of institutional quality: contract enforcement, financial development, property rights and labour market institutions. The Thesis’ hypotheses regarding each of these sub-components are as follows: 1. Countries with more efficient contract enforcement regulations will specialize (have a comparative advantage) in more complex sectors that depend on contracts with suppliers/producers for their growth.2. Countries with more secure property rights will specialize in sectors that are more dependent on intangible assets for production.3. Countries with higher financial development will have a comparative advantage in sectors that are more dependent on external finance for their growth.4. Countries with more flexible labour markets will specialize in more volatile industries. In order to test these assumptions we construct three econometric models (Chapters 4-6). In Chapter 4 we assess how contract enforcement regulations, financial development, property rights and labour market institutions impact on trade volumes using a well-known gravity model. In Chapter 5 we test whether these sub-components have an impact on growth of value-added at industry level. Finally, in chapter 6 the impact on firms’ productivity is tested. The results show that contract enforcement regulations and financial development affect countries’ comparative advantage by affecting countries trade flows, value-added and productivity in a way consistent with the hypothesis. The results regarding the other two institutional sub-components are mixed but we do find some evidence the countries with more secure property rights export more and have higher value-added growth in sectors that are more dependent on intangible assets. These results are robust to different specifications. Using a novel set of instrumental variables we show that causality runs from institutions to trade, value-added and productivity rather than the reverse. We supplement the empirical evidence with a case-study of Lesotho’s textiles and garment industry and also find some evidence that this export-oriented industry emerged in Lesotho at least partly due to this country’s good institutions that are better than its African competitors. From a policy perspective our results imply that institutional and regulatory reform - especially in enforcement of contracts and financial sector regulations - may enhance the capacity of poor countries to move up to specialization into higher-valued products and to reap benefits from international integration.

This thesis complements current studies by focusing on developed OECD countries as they are the major sources and recipients of world FDI and current studies relating to developed countries using aggregate country FDI data are limited. This study empirically tests the determinants of FDI inflows and outflows and their relationship with economic growth using 2SLS simultaneous equations model between 1981 and 2008 for a sample of 20 developed OECD countries. The empirical findings suggest that FDI inflows do not contribute to economic growth in the host country and economic growth positively affects FDI inflows. In addition, trade openness and flexible employment protection legislation in the host country attract FDI inflows. In terms of FDI outflows, the results show that FDI outflows reduce economic growth in the home country, while economic growth in the home country increases FDI outflows. Moreover, high past level of outward FDI stock, trade openness, low labour cost and currency depreciation in the home country provide incentives for domestic firms to invest abroad. Therefore, this study does not support offering special incentives to foreign investors to attract FDI inflows or offering promotional policies to domestic firms to encourage FDI outflows. Instead, government should provide incentives for domestic investment and other sound policies to increase economic growth, which in itself provides a good environment to attract FDI inflows and to encourage FDI outflows. Keywords: FDI inflows, FDI outflows, two stage least squares simultaneous equations, economic growth, labour market flexibility.

This thesis complements current studies by focusing on developed OECD countries as they are the major sources and recipients of world FDI and current studies relating to developed countries using aggregate country FDI data are limited. This study empirically tests the determinants of FDI inflows and outflows and their relationship with economic growth using 2SLS simultaneous equations model between 1981 and 2008 for a sample of 20 developed OECD countries. The empirical findings suggest that FDI inflows do not contribute to economic growth in the host country and economic growth positively affects FDI inflows. In addition, trade openness and flexible employment protection legislation in the host country attract FDI inflows. In terms of FDI outflows, the results show that FDI outflows reduce economic growth in the home country, while economic growth in the home country increases FDI outflows. Moreover, high past level of outward FDI stock, trade openness, low labour cost and currency depreciation in the home country provide incentives for domestic firms to invest abroad. Therefore, this study does not support offering special incentives to foreign investors to attract FDI inflows or offering promotional policies to domestic firms to encourage FDI outflows. Instead, government should provide incentives for domestic investment and other sound policies to increase economic growth, which in itself provides a good environment to attract FDI inflows and to encourage FDI outflows. Keywords: FDI inflows, FDI outflows, two stage least squares simultaneous equations, economic growth, labour market flexibility.

The thesis deals with the stipulation and termination of employment and other legal alternatives, known to the Czech Labour law. It explains in its theoretical part present legal form of employment. The wider attention is granted to the term of dependent work and fixed time employment. The practical part contains specifically formulated procedures of entering into contract of employment and its discharge. The thesis also prospects the shortcomings of current legal regulations and submits suggestions to changes on the basis of reflections de lege ferenda.

This diploma paper concerns the theme flexibility of the Czech labour market. Concretely it focuses on one of the rigidity which influences the labor market flexibility and it is the labour law. Directly usage of part-time jobs is covered. Netherlandish economy is used for the comparison with Czech economy as in the Netherlands part-time jobs are used very often. The aim of this paper is to answer the question, whether the increased incidence of part-time jobs is useful for the economy. After confirming this hypothesis the paper concentrates on usage of part-time jobs among specific group of workers. This group is represented by women who are taking care of small children. Statistical data from OECD, method of correlation coefficient and comparison of economic indicators were used for the analysis.

Bakalauro baigiamajame darbe nagrinėjamos Lietuvos apskričių darbo rinkų situacijos, remiantis mokslinėje literatūroje išskirtais darbo rinką apibūdinančiais rodikliais, kurie buvo suskirstyti į keturias grupes ir padėjo įvertinti keturis darbo rinkos aspektus: darbo rinkos pajėgumą, darbo pasiūlą, darbo paklausą ir darbo rinkos lankstumą. Darbe nustatyta, kurioje Lietuvos apskrityje situacija darbo rinkoje yra geriausia taip pat, kurioje yra prasčiausia. / Bachelor Final work examines the situation of Lithuania‘s counties labour markets with reference to in scientific literature defined labour market indicators, which were grouped into four groups and helped to assess four aspects of labour market: labour market capability, labour supply, labour demand and labour market flexibility. In this work it was assessed in which Lithuania‘s county labour market situation is the best, as well as, in which is the worst.

Workers’ protection can be achieved, to a large extent, through labour law and workers’ organisation through trade unionism. Workers’ protection is defined as social protection. This study investigates workers’ experiences of their employment with regard to social protection as manifested in job security and wage adequacy. In this study workers’ perception of labour law, as a tool for workers’ protection, is considered in relation to the argument of the régulation theorists that law serves as a ‘mode of regulation’ to perpetuate the stability of the prevailing capitalist regime of accumulation. The impact of the changing nature of work on the effectiveness of labour law at achieving workers’ protection is investigated from the perspective of workers. A large employer subcontracting some support services was selected as a site of study. Data was collected using one-on-one in-depth interview to ‘tap’ into the working experiences of relevant workers and union officials. This study concludes that the changing nature of work as manifest in the decline of standard employment relationships and increase of atypical (non standard) employment, such as subcontracting undermines workers’ protection. Wages and other benefits of workers are affected. Workers survive through the support of their families and by borrowing from micro lenders which tend to suck them into a poverty cycle. The ineffectiveness of labour law to adequately protect subcontracted workers substantiates the position of régulation theorists that law is an extra-economic institutionalised practice helping to stabilize the prevailing capitalist regime of accumulation. The thinking here is that labour law is not unilaterally imposed by the state, rather, it is a product of social interaction (social relation) or struggle between labour, capital and the state within a social ‘field’ or ‘subfield’. The nature of employment of subcontracted work weakens the power of workers’ collective through trade unions. The restructuring of work leads to deunionisation and the ability of unions to organise these workers is undermined by difference in employer and pay-point between permanent workers and subcontracted workers. Copyright / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Sociology / unrestricted

Ein Viertel der britischen Beschäftigten und mehr als ein Fünftel der Beschäftigten in Deutschland arbeiten Teilzeit, mit steigender Tendenz in beiden Ländern. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden die Teilzeit als am weitesten verbreitete Form flexibler Beschäftigung und ihre Konsequenzen untersucht, um zu diskutieren, welche Möglichkeiten und Schwierigkeiten hieraus für die Erwerbstätigen entstehen. Darüber hinaus werden die Konsequenzen für den regulierten deutschen und den flexiblen britischen Arbeitsmarkt kontrastiert. Befürworter der Arbeitsmarktflexibilisierung argumentieren, dass Teilzeit als Arbeitsmarktchance anzusehen ist, etwa für solche Beschäftigtengruppen wie Frauen, die bislang vom Normalarbeitsverhältnis, durch unbefristete Vollzeitbeschäftigung charakterisiert, ausgeschlossen waren (Inklusionsthese). Deshalb ist eine Egalisierung von weiblichen und männlichen Erwerbsverläufen zu erwarten. Im Gegensatz dazu argumentieren Gegner flexibler Beschäftigung, eine Ausweitung der Teilzeit bedroht gültige Beschäftigungsstandards und führt zu einer Zunahme sozialer Ungleichheit im segmentierten Arbeitsmarkt (Exklusionsthese). Ergebnisse auf der Basis des British Household Panel Survey 1991 bis 2001 und des Deutschen Sozio-ökonomischen Panel 1984 bis 1991 zeigen auf, dass Teilzeit großes Potenzial hat, Individuen in den Arbeitsmarkt zu integrieren, das bislang jedoch nicht vollständig genutzt wird. Besonders für Frauen entstehen Arbeitsmarktchancen durch Teilzeit. Allerdings sind Beschäftigte mit höheren Bildungsinvestitionen, wie nach der Humankapitaltheorie zu erwarten war, stärker an Vollzeitbeschäftigung interessiert, um ihre Einkommen zu maximieren. Außerdem sind Teilzeitbeschäftigungsverhältnisse von durchschnittlich geringerer Dauer und Teilzeitbeschäftigte weisen ein höheres (geringeres) Risiko auf, im Falle eines beruflichen Wechsels abzusteigen (aufzusteigen) als Vollzeitbeschäftigte. Zusammengenommen weisen diese Ergebnisse darauf hin, dass die Ungleichheit zwischen den Geschlechtern auf dem Arbeitsmarkt zwar abnimmt, bedingt durch die Heterogenisierung sowohl der weiblichen als auch der männlichen Beschäftigten, jedoch ein Bedarf an attraktiven Teilzeitstellen auf dem Level qualifizierter Beschäftigung fortbesteht. / A quarter of British employees and more than one in five German employees are part-timers, with a rising tendency in both countries. In this study, part-time as the most widespread type of flexible employment and their consequences are investigated to discuss opportunities and problems emerging for individual employees. Additionally, these consequences are compared for the strongly regulated German and the highly flexible British labour market. Proponents of flexible employment state that part-time gives labour market opportunities to those groups such as women which have been formerly excluded from the standard employment relationship, characterised by permanent full-time contracts (Inclusion hypothesis). Therefore, an equalisation between male and female employees is expected. In contrast, opponents of flexible employment argue that an expansion of part-time threatens existing employment standards and produces higher social inequality in a segmented labour market (Exclusion hypothesis). Evidence based on the British Household Panel Survey from 1991 to 2001 and the German Socio-economic Panel from 1984 to 1991 shows that part-time employment has a huge potential to integrate individuals in the labour market which has not been fully used so far. Especially for women, employment opportunities emerge. However, employees with high investments in their human capital are more interested in full-time employment to maximise their income as expected according to the human capital theory. Moreover, part-time episodes are on average of shorter duration and part-timers have a higher (lower) risk to experience downward (upward) mobility than their full-time employed counterparts. These results suggest that while there is a decrease of gender inequality in the labour market due to the increasing heterogeneity of both, female and male employees, there is still a need for more attractive part-time positions on the level of skilled work.

The ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution fundamentally changes the world of work. Recent technological innovations have a significant impact on global economy, all areas of the national economy and on our everyday life. This diploma thesis deals with these impacts on the labour market in connection with the advancing trend of automation and digitization of work. Discussion on the future development of the revolution is in the sphere of expertise highly polarized. Versions that represent a negative view of the issue include image of massive job replacement, lack of talent and the rise of socio-economic and other inequalities. On the other hand, there are concepts that emphasize the positive impact on the labour market. The aim of this diploma thesis is to classify the trends in the working relations through the comparison of these two opinion streams and the systematic arrangement of the arguments presented by them. The final part addresses the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the Czech Republic. KEY WORDS the Fourth Industrial Revolution, automation, digitization, future of work, labour market, flexibility at work, new trends in employment