The objective of this dissertation is to identify both individual and contextual characteristics that may affect the wage earnings of Chinese in the U.S. labor market. The major individual characteristics include education, labor experience, and English ability; the contextual factors include percent of Chinese Americans, percent of Asian Americans, percent of nonwhites, percent of Chinese-owned businesses, occupational and residential segregation between Chinese and whites, and unemployment rate. Using the combined data of one percent and five percent 2000 Public Use Microdata Samples for 70 metropolitan areas, hierarchical linear models (HLM) were run for three groups of Chinese: native-born, foreign-born U.S. citizens, and foreignborn non-U.S. citizens. The results show that the returns to education are highest for the native-borns but lowest for the non-U.S. citizens. A command of good English benefits recent immigrants more than the native-borns. Labor experience tends to bring positive gains to both native-born and foreign-born U.S. citizens but shows no effects on earnings of foreign-born non-U.S. citizens. The results support both the human capital and assimilation perspectives. The HLM results indicate that occupational segregation from majority whites tends to impose a strong and negative effect on the earnings of native-born Chinese; a higher percentage of Chinese-owned businesses tends to increase the earnings of only foreign-born U.S. citizens; unemployment rate is likely to depress the wage earnings of the foreign-borns but not the native-borns. This suggests that Chinese workers with a different immigration history face the labor market differently. Residential segregation, percent of Chinese Americans, percent of Asian Americans, and percent of nonwhites, do not show any direct effects. Occupational segregation, the percent of Chinese-owned businesses, and the representation of the Chinese population are found to impact earnings indirectly through the individual characteristics. All these findings suggest that contextual factors do not necessarily impose direct effects on wage earnings; however, they may transfer their effects onto earnings via individual characteristics. This study represents an attempt to bring new insights into earnings attainment models and an addition to the meager body of knowledge concerning both individual and contextual factors that may affect the earnings process of a minority group in the United States. The strengths of using the HLM techniques, the limitations of the study, as well as issues for future study, were also discussed.

<p>This thesis consists of three papers which evaluate the effects of the Adult Education Initiative (AEI) in Sweden relative to the vocational part of Labor Market Training (LMT).</p><p>Paper [I] studies unemployment incidence and unemployment duration for participants in the AEI relative to LMT. When evaluating the relative program effects on duration, one needs to take into account both the problem of selection and the fact that the outcome variable is right hand censored. The method used is an instrumental variable adaptation of the symmetrically trimmed least squares estimator. A bivariate probit model is used in order to study unemployment incidence. The results indicate a beneficial effect of the AEI relative to LMT on unemployment incidence, but longer duration in unemployment among the AEI participants.</p><p>Paper [II] uses annual wage earnings in 1999 to compare the AEI and LMT for individuals that do not continue in education following program completion. Two separate estimation methods are used, the classical selection model and the method of matching on the propensity score. The results of both methods indicate negative effects of the AEI relative to LMT on wage earnings. The earnings effect of the AEI for individuals with a weak position in the labor market is particularly poor, implying that the official target to assist those individuals appear not to have succeeded.</p><p>Paper [III] employs data for those enrolled in 1997 as well as 1998 to study the annual wage earnings of 1999 and 2000 and data on attachment to branches of employment before and after program. Data on branches of employment indicate less mobility among the AEI participants. This is largely due to a stronger attachment to the public service sector. The analysis of wage earnings of the sample enrolled in 1997, indicate that the effects on wage earnings tended to be more advantageous for the AEI in 2000 rather than 1999, possibly implying a lag in the effects of the program.</p>

This thesis consists of three papers which evaluate the effects of the Adult Education Initiative (AEI) in Sweden relative to the vocational part of Labor Market Training (LMT). Paper [I] studies unemployment incidence and unemployment duration for participants in the AEI relative to LMT. When evaluating the relative program effects on duration, one needs to take into account both the problem of selection and the fact that the outcome variable is right hand censored. The method used is an instrumental variable adaptation of the symmetrically trimmed least squares estimator. A bivariate probit model is used in order to study unemployment incidence. The results indicate a beneficial effect of the AEI relative to LMT on unemployment incidence, but longer duration in unemployment among the AEI participants. Paper [II] uses annual wage earnings in 1999 to compare the AEI and LMT for individuals that do not continue in education following program completion. Two separate estimation methods are used, the classical selection model and the method of matching on the propensity score. The results of both methods indicate negative effects of the AEI relative to LMT on wage earnings. The earnings effect of the AEI for individuals with a weak position in the labor market is particularly poor, implying that the official target to assist those individuals appear not to have succeeded. Paper [III] employs data for those enrolled in 1997 as well as 1998 to study the annual wage earnings of 1999 and 2000 and data on attachment to branches of employment before and after program. Data on branches of employment indicate less mobility among the AEI participants. This is largely due to a stronger attachment to the public service sector. The analysis of wage earnings of the sample enrolled in 1997, indicate that the effects on wage earnings tended to be more advantageous for the AEI in 2000 rather than 1999, possibly implying a lag in the effects of the program.

This thesis consists of three papers studying the economic situation of immigrants in Sweden in terms of wage earnings, labor participation and family internal migration. Paper [I] (http://www.econ.umu.se/ues/ues622.html) studies the determinants of the wage earnings for immigrants from different countries, and secondly whether their wage earnings converge to those of comparable native-born Swedes. The study is based on a longitudinal dataset, and the data refers to 1991 and 1995, respectively. The empirical results indicate that immigrants in Sweden are heterogeneous, and different income determinants, such as education, cohortspecific factors and time of residence, affect different groups of immigrants in different ways. Even after 20 years of residence, almost none of the groups appear to reach the same level of earnings as natives. In particular, the earnings of immigrants from typical refugee-sending countries tend to be much lower. Paper [II] (http://www.econ.umu.se/ues/ues623.html) examines whether the transition probability from employment to non-employment among married immigrant women is consistent with the Family Investment Hypothesis (FIH). A dynamic random effects model is used and the estimations are based on a longitudinal database covering the period 1990-1996. The results indicate that the relationship between the transition probability from employment to nonemployment and the family’s time of residence in Sweden, considered here as an indication of the husband’s need for host country-specific human capital, does not seem to be consistent with the interpretation of the FIH. Further, when immigrant women married to native-born Swedes are used as a comparison group, the corresponding relationship is similar despite the fact that this group should not need to apply family investment strategy. Paper [III] (http://www.econ.umu.se/ues/ues624.html) uses a longitudinal dataset from the years 1995 and 2000, respectively, this study examines whether migration within the host country of Sweden generates higher total annual income for (two-earner) immigrant families. The empirical findings indicate that internal migration generates a positive outcome in terms of higher family income for newly arrived refugee-immigrant families. Further, with the length of residence in the host country, the monetary gain accruing from internal migration decreases. On the other hand, I could not find similar results for immigrant families from the Nordic countries, Europe and Asia.